What Happens – “the grind”
If your like a lot of people you grind your beans at home in order to preserve more of the freshness of your coffee. Great! But if you have a blade grinder you may have noticed that it can sometimes be a laborious process when trying to get the grind “just right”. So you try different things like counting the seconds that pass, eyeballing it, and using less coffee if the grind is too fine etc… There is a better way!
Step 1
Buy your coffee at a premium Coffee Shop (The reason for this is that most Coffee Shops maintenance their equipment on a regular basis, so you know the grind will be accurate. – I can’t say the same about some grocery stores.)
Step 2
Have your beans ground for your filter type. The typical filters will be cone (shaped like a V) and flat bottom. Have them save you a sample from the 1 lb bag on the side. (About a .12 lb sample preferable in a small clear plastic bag – you could bring your own sandwich/snack bag with you.)
Step 3
The next time you grind coffee at home stop when you think your grind is right (maybe after 7-9 seconds). Then compare it to the sample that you have. Touch your grinds by pinching them and running them across your fingers then do the same with the sample. If you notice that your grinds are different than the sample then make changes as necessary. If the grinds are to coarse then grind for 3-5 more seconds and compare. (You may need to shake/stir the grounds in order to make the grind even throughout the batch.) If the grinds are to fine then throw them away and start again this time grinding for a shorter period of time. Eventually you will become a pro and will know the exact amount of seconds your grinder needs to make it perfect.
After you perfect this processes continue to compare your grinds against your sample about once a month. Your grinder’s blades will change over time and you may need to adjust the time.
Happy Grinding!
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
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gj brian
I love CoffeeCupNews. (And I should still win. LOL)
Really, everyone should just purchase a burr grinder and take out the guess work.
Why don’t I know what a burr grinder is?
me?
Contest post This is awesome!
Personally, a burr mill is the way to go hands down…as Jon says, it takes all the guess work out of the process so you can just get on with life. To learn everything you ever wanted to know about coffee mills and then some, go here; http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/grinders_101.cfm .
Good process. Anyway, anyone smart enough to follow it, is very likely to upgrade to a burr grinder sooner or later.
Thanks for the tip on the grinding sample to compair to what my grinder makes. Thanks for what you do here, I need all the help I can get being new to the coffee stuff. #kopiluwak
Thanks for your contribution to greater coffee knowledge. You are doing a great job and a great service to coffee lovers and coffee lover wannabe’s everywhere.
#MillionairesBlend
Thanks, very helpful, as I’m probably going to be buying a grinder soon. Is there any reason to stay away from low-cost grinders, or are they just as effective?
#MillionairesBlend
I knew I wasn’t crazy! The sniffing, the slurping, the explosive happiness in my mouth, and the disdain for 7- 11 and Micky D’s ‘premium old roast’. I have found a kindred spirit. A man with beautiful kids, a wife that will put up with him, and great taste in coffee. I have to go now. My burr grinder, beans, and French Press have work to do. Peace, Love, and Sumatra!
Old fashioned hand grinders work great too. A little exercise is good for you!
Blade grinders dull the flavor. That’s fine for most folks. If you want to get more from your expensive fresh beans, then a burr grinder (hand grinders are burr grinders) is the way to go. The Bodum Antigua is probably the lowest cost, followed by the Baratza Maestro.
This advice is ok if you were unlucky enough to buy a blade grinder. I would defiantly recommend as a professional barista that you buy a burr grinder. I am very surprised that Jason would even recommend that someone would even use a blade grinder or get their coffee ground for them. Coffee will loose approximately 45% of its CO2 in the first five minutes after it has been ground, and its the CO2 that transfers the flavor from the coffee to the water during extraction. It leads me to wonder if this is how he has ran the testing of the coffees on his reviews. If that is the case the reviews would be unreliable.
Some great questions Kyle. This post is written for people that either can’t afford a burr grinder or currently own a blade grinder and don’t want to make another purchase. I have said in many videos/posts/shows here on CCN that I recommend a burr grinder but I understand that not everyone can afford it.
I grind all my coffee seconds before placing it in the french press for all of my reviews and recommend others do the same at home. I whole heartily agree with all the points you have made in your comment. Thanks for the feedback.
- Jason
This, unfortunately for me was the first thing that I saw on your website. I started looking around the site after I had posted my last comment. I guess I was a little hasty in reading the one comment that you made and looking at the site as a whole. I hope that I did not turn off anyone who is just starting into their own personal coffee quest.
- Kyle