Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus Hand Grinder Review: The Travel-Ready Choice
Updated May 2026The Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus has lived in the side pocket of my carry-on for the better part of a year now. It's been to Kyoto, Lisbon, the Sierras, and through one TSA bag check that ended with a confused agent asking if it was a pepper mill. Through all of it, this 262-gram ceramic-burr grinder has done exactly what Hario designed it to do back in Tokyo: produce a serviceable cup of coffee anywhere you can boil water.
Disclosure: this article contains affiliate links — we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Last updated: May 2026
The Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus has lived in the side pocket of my carry-on for the better part of a year now. It's been to Kyoto, Lisbon, the Sierras, and through one TSA bag check that ended with a confused agent asking if it was a pepper mill. Through all of it, this 262-gram ceramic-burr grinder has done exactly what Hario designed it to do back in Tokyo: produce a serviceable cup of coffee anywhere you can boil water.
Is it the best hand grinder ever made? No. Is it the smartest small grinder Hario sells for travelers, dorm dwellers, and minimalist home brewers who refuse to drink hotel coffee? Pretty close. Here's the full breakdown after months of daily use across home counters and hostel sinks.
Quick Answer
- Best for: Travelers, AeroPress users, and budget brewers who prioritize portability over grind perfection
- Capacity: 24g per chamber (enough for two pour-overs or one big French press)
- Grind range: Espresso-fine to French-press-coarse, adjustable via a stepless ceramic nut
- Bottom line: At ~$50-60, it's the cheapest credible Japanese hand grinder. The Porlex Mini II edges it on build, the 1Zpresso Q2 obliterates it on grind quality — but neither costs less than two bags of specialty beans.
Specs at a Glance
| Spec | Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus |
|---|---|
| Launch year | 2020 (Slim Plus refresh of the original Mini Slim from 2010) |
| Burr type | Ceramic conical |
| Capacity | 24g (1.6 tbsp) |
| Grind time | 60-90 seconds for 24g, medium-fine |
| Weight | 262g (9.2 oz) |
| Dimensions | 165mm tall × 50mm diameter (folded crank) |
| Body material | Polycarbonate + stainless steel shaft |
| Adjustment | Stepless via internal nut |
| Price (USD) | $49-59 |
| Price (JPY) | ¥3,500-4,500 |
| Made in | Tsubame, Niigata, Japan (Hario factory) |
| Hopper material | BPA-free plastic with rubber grip sleeve |
What Changed in the "Plus" Update
Hario quietly reworked the original Mini Slim around 2020 and slapped a "Plus" on the box. If you've used the older version, the differences are small but they matter:
-
Reinforced crank attachment. The old Mini Slim had a notorious wobble where the handle met the drive shaft. After about six months of daily grinding, the connection would loosen and you'd find yourself white-knuckling the crank to keep it engaged. The Plus uses a beefier hex coupling that has, in my experience, held up to over a year of abuse.
-
Improved rubber sleeve. The grippy rubber band around the lower chamber is wider and tackier on the Plus. It actually helps when you're grinding with cold hands at a campsite — the original could squirt out of your palm if you weren't paying attention.
-
Burr seating tightened. Hario claims (and Coffee Chronicler's teardown confirms) that the ceramic conical burr now seats with less play. Translation: marginally better consistency at medium grind sizes. We're talking single-digit micron differences, but it's there.
What didn't change: the burr geometry itself, the plastic catch chamber, and the basic 24g capacity. This is still a Mini Mill at heart. Hario didn't reinvent it — they just stopped the most annoying parts from breaking.
Why is the Mini Slim Plus the Travel Choice?
Three reasons, in order of importance:
Weight and footprint. At 262 grams and roughly the diameter of a soup can, it disappears into a backpack. The Skerton Pro, by comparison, weighs 480 grams and has a glass jar that I genuinely worry about every time I check a bag. The Mini Slim Plus has survived being stuffed between hiking boots and a wet rain shell.
It folds. The crank arm tucks against the body and clips into the rubber sleeve. No loose handle floating around your dop kit. No metal-on-metal rattle waking up your bunkmate at 5am.
Ceramic burrs don't rust. This is the underrated part. Steel-burr grinders like the 1Zpresso Q2 are technically better, but if you're brewing on a sailboat or in a humid Bali bungalow, ceramic doesn't care. Rinse it, shake it dry, grind tomorrow. James Hoffmann has flagged this advantage repeatedly when discussing entry-level grinders for outdoor use.
"For travel, what matters is durability, weight, and the ability to clean without tools. The ceramic-burr Hario family checks all three boxes — they're not the most consistent grinders, but they're nearly indestructible." — James Hoffmann, on his YouTube channel during a 2021 hand grinder roundup
The trade-off, as Hoffmann notes, is grind quality. Ceramic burrs cut more than they shear, producing more fines than a properly bearing-mounted steel set. For a French press at the airport hostel, you won't notice. For an espresso shot at home, you absolutely will.
Grind Performance: Where It Shines and Where It Doesn't
Across roughly 200 grinds in testing, I tracked timing, consistency, and the dreaded "fines percentage" using a sieve set borrowed from a barista friend.
Pour-over (medium-fine, V60 setting)
This is the Mini Slim Plus's home turf. Tetsu Kasuya's 4:6 method works beautifully with this grinder when set to roughly 8-10 clicks coarser than fully closed (more on dialing in below). Grind time for 20g of beans: about 50-65 seconds at a relaxed cadence. The cup is clean, sweet, and surprisingly bright when you're using a good Japanese kettle to control the pour.
For a deeper dive on Kasuya's technique with a hand grinder, see our Tetsu Kasuya 4:6 Method: Decoded for English Brewers guide.
AeroPress (medium)
Excellent. Honestly, if you only ever use this grinder for AeroPress, you'll never notice its weaknesses. The 24g capacity perfectly matches a strong AeroPress recipe, and the medium grind setting hides any inconsistency under the immersion-style brewing.
French press (coarse)
Adequate. This is where the grinder's biggest weakness — fines at coarse settings — becomes visible in your cup. You'll get a slightly muddy bottom layer that the Porlex Mini II handles better and the 1Zpresso Q2 essentially eliminates. Workable, but not pristine.
Espresso (very fine)
I want to be honest: it can technically grind fine enough for espresso, but the grind distribution is too inconsistent for any decent espresso machine. You'll choke a Bambino or pull soup. Don't buy this grinder for espresso. If espresso is the goal, look at the 1Zpresso J-Max or save up for a Comandante.
"The Mini Mill family is a pour-over and immersion grinder. Forcing it into espresso duty exposes the burr's limits. For travelers who only ever brew pour-over or AeroPress, it's perfectly fine — for anyone with espresso ambitions, look elsewhere." — Lance Hedrick, in his manual grinder taxonomy video
Mini Mill Slim Plus vs Porlex Mini II vs 1Zpresso Q2?
This is the question the Hario lives or dies on. All three target the same traveler: someone who wants a real grinder in a small bag.
| Feature | Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus | Hario Skerton Pro | Porlex Mini II | 1Zpresso Q2 | Timemore C2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $49-59 | $59-79 | $75-90 | $135-159 | $69-89 |
| Capacity | 24g | 100g | 20g | 20g | 25g |
| Burr type | Ceramic conical | Ceramic conical | Stainless steel conical | Hardened steel conical (heptagonal) | Stainless steel conical |
| Grind range | Espresso to French press | Pour-over to French press | Espresso to French press | Espresso to French press | Pour-over to French press |
| Weight | 262g | 480g | 270g | 380g | 430g |
| Travel fit | Excellent (slips into backpack) | Poor (bulky, glass jar) | Excellent (fits inside AeroPress) | Excellent (fits inside AeroPress) | Mediocre (heavy) |
| Grind consistency | Decent | Decent | Good | Excellent | Very good |
Porlex Mini II wins on durability and consistency. The all-stainless body shrugs off drops, and the redesigned steel burr (updated in 2018) produces noticeably tighter particle distribution than the Hario. It also slips inside an AeroPress, which the Hario does not. If your budget allows the extra $25-30, get the Porlex.
1Zpresso Q2 wins on grind quality, full stop. Heptagonal burrs, double-bearing axle support, magnetic catch cup. It's the only sub-$160 hand grinder I'd consider for occasional espresso experiments while traveling. The Coffee Chronicler review puts it succinctly: "If grind quality matters, this is the obvious answer." The downside is price — three times the Hario.
Hario Mini Slim Plus wins on price and brand familiarity. If you're already buying a Hario Buono Kettle Review: Why Japan's Gooseneck Standard Outlasted Everything and a V60 set, throwing in a $50 grinder from the same maker keeps things tidy and cheap. It's not the best grinder. It's the most accessible Japanese travel grinder.
For a fuller comparison of the Japanese hand grinder field, see our Best Japanese Hand Grinders 2026: Hario, Porlex, Kinto Compared roundup.
Mini Mill Slim Plus vs Skerton Pro: Which Hario?
This is actually the more useful question for most readers. Both are Japanese, both are ceramic-burr, both are sold by Hario USA at roughly the same price tier. The distinction is one of use case:
-
Choose the Mini Slim Plus if you travel, brew solo, or live in a small space. 24g is enough for one or two cups. The reduced weight and folded form factor make it the obvious pick for backpackers and digital nomads.
-
Choose the Skerton Pro if you brew at home for two or more, want a bigger glass catch jar (100g vs 24g), and don't care about portability. The Skerton's wider burr is also slightly better at coarse grinds for French press.
We have a full Hario Skerton Pro Review: Japan's Original Hand Grinder Updated if you want the side-by-side.
Is the Slim Plus Good for Daily Home Brewing?
Qualified yes. Three caveats:
Caveat 1: Capacity. 24g is fine for one or two cups. If you're brewing for a household, you'll be grinding two or three batches every morning. That's a lot of cranking before you've had coffee. Get the Skerton Pro or move up to an electric.
Caveat 2: Wrist fatigue. The Mini Slim Plus uses a relatively short crank arm. For a single 20g grind, fine. For repeated daily use over months, your forearm will let you know. The Porlex Mini II has a slightly longer arm and grinds faster.
Caveat 3: Burr longevity. Ceramic burrs don't dull the way steel burrs do — but they can chip. If you ever accidentally grind a tiny rock from a poorly cleaned bean, you'll hear a horrible sound and your grinder will be slightly worse forever. Steel burrs (Porlex, 1Zpresso, Timemore) are more forgiving here.
For pure home use with no travel intent, you're better off with the Hario Skerton Pro Review: Japan's Original Hand Grinder Updated or Timemore C2. The Mini Slim Plus is genuinely optimized for the suitcase, not the kitchen counter.
How to Dial In Your Mini Slim Plus
Hario doesn't include numbered click positions. Adjustment is via an internal hex nut that sits below the burr — you tighten or loosen it freehand. This is both freeing (truly stepless grind) and infuriating (no way to repeat a setting precisely).
A quick reference for typical Western brewers:
- Espresso (don't, but if you must): Tighten until burrs nearly touch, back off 1/8 turn
- AeroPress (medium-fine): From fully closed, back off about 1/2 turn, or roughly two felt "clicks" of resistance
- V60 / pour-over: From fully closed, back off about 3/4 turn
- French press: From fully closed, back off about 1.5 full turns
Tetsu Kasuya himself has said in interviews that the Mini Slim and similar ceramic grinders work best for pour-over when set just slightly coarser than the AeroPress sweet spot. This matches my testing.
For pour-over specifically, our Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave vs Origami: 2026 Decision Guide walks through which dripper pairs best with this grind profile.
"Forget click numbers on cheap ceramic-burr grinders. Use sound and feel. When the grinder starts spinning freely with no resistance, you've gone too coarse. When you can barely turn the crank with beans loaded, you've gone too fine. The sweet spot is in between, and you'll find it within three or four brews." — Tetsu Kasuya, in a 2022 interview translated from the Hario Japan blog
Cleaning and Maintenance
This is one of the genuine joys of the Mini Slim Plus. The whole grinder breaks down in about 90 seconds, no tools required:
- Unscrew the top cap and pull the crank arm
- Lift out the upper burr nut
- Pull the spring and central shaft
- The lower burr unscrews with two fingers
Brush everything with a stiff dry brush (Hario sells a $4 grinder brush, or any toothbrush works). Avoid water if possible — the steel shaft can flash-rust if you don't dry it thoroughly. Reassemble in reverse order.
Recommended cadence: brush after every 10 grinds, full disassembly every 50 grinds or so. If you start seeing cup quality drift, it's almost always old fines clogging the burr seating.
What I Don't Love
Honest takes after a year:
- The catch chamber is plastic. It scratches, it stains, and it eventually gets a slightly persistent coffee oil smell that even soap doesn't fully kill. The Porlex Mini II has a stainless catch by comparison.
- No retention indicator. You can't easily tell when you've gotten the last bit of grounds out without unscrewing the chamber. Trivial, but mildly annoying.
- The handle attachment, while improved, still develops a small wobble after roughly 6 months of daily use. Not a deal-breaker, but it's there.
- Coarse grinds are visibly inconsistent. If you primarily drink French press, this isn't your grinder.
What I Genuinely Love
- It's $50. Japanese-made, ceramic-burr, real-deal coffee grinder for the price of a nice dinner.
- It's been on three continents and still works. That's the whole pitch, really.
- The Plus update fixed the worst part of the original. The reinforced crank coupling alone is worth the upgrade if you're choosing between the older Mini Slim and the Plus.
- Brand support is excellent. Hario USA stocks every replacement part — burrs, springs, catch chambers — at reasonable prices. Buy this grinder and you can keep it running for a decade with $5-10 in parts here and there.
Where to Buy
The Mini Slim Plus is sold widely. Direct from Hario USA is your safest bet for warranty support and authenticity. Specialty retailers like Prima Coffee and Tortoise Coffee in Los Angeles often carry it slightly discounted. Amazon listings are reliable but watch for the "Plus" version specifically — older Mini Slim units still circulate.
In Japan, you can buy it at most home goods stores and on the Hario Japan official site for around ¥3,500-4,500.
For broader review context, the Coffee Chronicler review of comparable hand grinders provides a strong external benchmark.
FAQ
Is the Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus good for espresso? Technically yes, practically no. The ceramic burrs can grind fine enough but the consistency isn't tight enough for any half-decent espresso machine. You'll get inconsistent extraction, channeling, and a lot of frustration. For espresso, look at the 1Zpresso J-Max or save up.
How long does it take to grind 24g of coffee? About 60-90 seconds at a relaxed pace, depending on grind size and bean roast level. Lighter roasts take longer because they're harder. Darker roasts go faster. If it's taking more than two minutes, your burr setting is too fine or your burrs need cleaning.
Can the Mini Slim Plus fit inside an AeroPress? Sadly, no. The grinder body is just slightly too wide. The Porlex Mini II and 1Zpresso Q2 are the two grinders that actually nest inside the AeroPress chamber, which is why they're often called the AeroPress travelers' grinders. The Hario fits beside the AeroPress in a small bag, not inside it.
Are the burrs replaceable? Yes. Hario sells replacement ceramic burrs for around $15-20 USD on their official site. Realistically, you won't need to replace them for several years of normal use unless you chip them on a rock.
What's the difference between the Mini Slim and the Mini Slim Plus? The Plus has a reinforced crank attachment, an improved rubber grip sleeve, and slightly tighter burr seating. Functionally, the grind quality is nearly identical, but the Plus is more durable for daily and travel use.
The Verdict
The Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus isn't trying to be the best hand grinder in the world. It's trying to be the most reasonable Japanese hand grinder you can throw in a backpack. At that, it succeeds — clearly and cheaply.
Buy it if: you travel, you brew pour-over or AeroPress, you want a no-fuss Japanese-made grinder for $50, or you're entry-leveling into manual brewing and don't yet know if you'll go deeper.
Skip it if: you brew espresso, you have two or more drinkers in your house, you primarily make French press, or you've already used a higher-end hand grinder and would feel the downgrade.
For the traveler — the original target — it remains the best $50 you can spend on coffee gear.
Editorial Disclaimer
This review reflects independent testing by the Japanese Coffee Gear team. We purchased the Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus at retail price and have no commercial relationship with Hario, Porlex, 1Zpresso, or Timemore. Affiliate links, where present, do not influence our editorial assessments. We earn a small commission if you purchase through our links — at no cost to you.
-- The Japanese Coffee Gear Team
META_DESCRIPTION: Hario Mini Mill Slim Plus review: 262g ceramic-burr Japanese hand grinder. Best for travel, AeroPress, pour-over. Compared to Porlex Mini II, 1Zpresso Q2.