What’s Your Grind?

Are you grinding your coffee correctly?  

Did you know that the grind of your coffee can change the taste? There are two types of grinders out there one is a blade grinder and the other is a burr grinder.  Each can get the job done, however burr grinders will give you the most consistency and control on your coffee. Keeping the beans whole and grinding when you want to brew is the best thing if you are in search of the perfect cup of coffee and want the freshest coffee.  Below is some good information about each grind and what you can do to adjust each grind for your next cup of coffee.

Adjusting grind size for specific recipes is part of the fun of brewing at home, but general grind size recommendations do exist — and for good reason. Some grinders have labels on them denoting different brew methods, but if yours doesn’t, here’s a quick guide:

• Turkish coffee gets ground as fine as possible, because those super-fine particles help with the desired body of the coffee, but also because the coffee grounds are only in contact with really hot water for a short part of the brewing time. Those tiny particles are necessary for extraction speed.
• Espresso is ground slightly coarser, but still very finely. Fine particles are needed due to the shorter brew time. They’re also very important for providing resistance to the water. Espresso is brewed under high pressure, which increases extraction speed, without a fine grind the pressurized water would shoot through the coffee too quickly for an uneven espresso.
• For pour over and automatic drip brewers, the standard grind is in the medium grind. Also, the resistance from the finer coffee grounds will help the water drip more slowly.
• For a French press, grind pretty coarsely. While this helps with extraction, the filter of the French press would let too many small particles through if ground any finer.
• Cold brew coffee beans are also ground pretty coarsely, both because of its extended brew time and its filtration, which usually isn’t quite as fine as the paper filter in a drip machine.

Most grinders allow you to to make smaller adjustments to help brew coffee that’s not just delicious, but exactly to your taste.

The lower a percentage of the brown stuff in your coffee grounds extracted into your cup, the more acidic your coffee will be. The higher a percentage, the more bitter. So if your pour over tastes too bitter, go a little coarser, repeat all the other steps and it should help. If your French press tastes too sour and is missing a bunch of sweetness, try a grind more finer and it should taste more balanced.

Every coffee is different, so you’re not going to get a dark-roasted Brazil to taste super-bright just by grinding coarse, and you’re not going to get a flowery washed Ethiopia to taste like a dark chocolate bar by grinding fine. But in highlighting rich, chocolaty Brazilian notes and that Ethiopian's floral flavor, it’s a vital adjustment to understand.

When exploring the world of coffee it is always fun to try different things, from different roast types to different grind types, as well as the process its self (i.e. Pour-Over, French Press, Drip, etc....)  Each combination will produce a different result and the good news is there is no wrong way, just many ways to experience the wonderful world of coffee