IT’S ALL IN THE GRIND

The main reason for grinding is to let the water come in contact with a larger surface area of the coffee beans. The grind can be divided into coarser and finer grinds. These affect how much water can come in contact with the surface area of the beans as well as affect the brewing time and how good you will be able to extract the flavors. Different brewing methods use different size grinds to develop the best cup.

Burr Grinders

Unlike blade grinders, this type apply uniform pressure and crushes the coffee beans from all sides at a slow speed which will result in consistent size grinds without added heat. Don’t be tempted with the price points of a blade grinder compared to a burr; the difference in the quality of your cup of coffee will be noticeable.

Blade Grinders

The affordability and ease of use of these grinders lead to one of the most common mistakes being made when it comes to brewing. You should never use blade grinders for grinding coffee beans. The result of using them is mostly worse than using a pre-ground coffee.

Blade grinders offer less consistency within the grind which leads to ground becoming unequal in size. This leads to a some grounds becoming over-extracted and other are under-extracted. Additionally, the high speed of the grinder produces excess heat and pressure which will diminish the freshness of your coffee. These factors will always result to a bad cup of coffee. For the best cup of coffee, stay away from these types of grinders.

Grind Size

Extra Coarse. You should only use a coarse grind when making cold brew or when practicing other brew methods where the coffee will be spending an extended period of time in water. Cold brewing extraction time: 12-18 hours.

Coarse. A coarse grind is recommended for french press, with a brew time of around 4 or 5 minutes.

Medium-Coarse. This grind size is most often used for infusion brew methods like Chemex (4 minutes) or your classic countertop drip coffee maker (4-5 minutes).

Medium. A medium grind can also be used for your countertop coffee maker, as well as for Siphon brewers, Aeropress and some pour-over methods (about 3 minutes).

Medium-Fine. This is the ideal grind size for classic cone shaped pour-over methods like the Hario V60 (3 minutes) and other Siphon methods (with a slightly shorter extraction time).

Fine. Finely ground coffee is used for any quick extraction brew method. A fine (or ultra fine) grind is recommended for espresso and other quick extractions like a one-minute Aeropress brew

Very-Fine. With the consistency similar to powdered sugar, this setting is used for Turkish-style coffee.