Männkitchen Pepper Cannon Review

After a few weeks of testing, it was clear that every element of the Pepper Cannon was designed to make it stand out from other pepper mills, price be damned. From the materials to the look and feel to the performance (the most important element), everything is premium.

The first thing I noticed upon unboxing was the striking matte black design. Milled from a solid piece of aluminum, which Männkitchen says is aerospace grade, the 7.25-inch-tall device looks like the hilt of a “Star Wars” lightsaber. At just over a pound, it feels substantial. Its cap is ridged for a better grip and twisting takes a bit more muscle than I was expecting, but I found it hard not to love the result. Taken together with the weight and the required twisting force mean this probably isn’t the right tool for those with arthritis or other hand-strength issues.

I’ve never tried a pepper mill that grinds as pleasingly or bountifully. Depending on the setting—the Pepper Cannon’s stainless steel burrs can be easily adjusted via a dial on the bottom, a click at a time—a single twist can absolutely shower a dish with seasoning. Männkitchen says it’s as much as ten times more productive than other grinders.

While it’s tough to compare head-to-head at different grind levels, there’s no doubt that I got significantly more pepper per twist than with the generic wooden grinder I’ve been using for years. At its medium setting, it took 10 cranks of the Pepper Cannon to produce a teaspoon of pepper, compared with about 60 from my old mill. And the grinding mechanism feels oh so satisfying.

Outside of the actual grinding, my favorite feature is the quick-release button for removing the cap and adding more pepper. Just press down in the center and the top pops off so you can fill the Pepper Cannon with up to half a cup of peppercorns. Compare this with my wooden grinder’s screw-on top knob that often comes loose, requiring me to tighten as I go or risk overly large pepper specks. The default button is black, but Männkitchen includes red and silver options in the box if you’d prefer to swap them in for a pop of color.

I also appreciate the included cup that fits onto the bottom of the grinder to catch up to a third of a cup of pepper, which means one less dish to dirty while I’m cooking. That’s something I’m always thankful for.