We hear this a lot. Same goes for me - I wake up before my wife and she's really happy when I'm drinking Sudden at home instead of grinding and brewing.

How would a French press wake up your kids?

Grinding his own beans? My electric burr grinder is pretty damn loud. My hand grinder is better, but a lot more work.

I'm guessing an electric grinder for the beans.

I'm guessing it's the grinding the beans. Electric grinders are LOUD.

Not all of them are. At least my old one was way louder than my current. Same price range, too ($20-$30 I think, both were presents). I think I could use this one in my kitchen without waking up anyone. There's a good possibility that the old one was also noisier just because it was getting old and perhaps rattled a bit. Both are blade grinders, maybe burr grinders are louder by nature. I think if I really wanted it more quiet I could even wrap it in a towel or pillow :-p

I grind my beans by hand :)