Complete guide on how you should grind your coffee beans correctly.
How much should I grind the coffee beans? Here we will answer that question. Surely if you find out more about this and the types of grind that there are, you will enjoy an excellent cup of coffee.
What is the proper grind.
Fine grinding or coarse grinding, coffee is based on an elemental principle: a liquid element (water) passes through a solid element (the ground coffee bean) and extracts its properties to transform into something else.
- Complete guide on how you should grind your coffee beans correctly and Burr Coffee Grinders Product
If the coffee bean is lightly ground and is too thick, the water will pass through it quickly, it will not be able to extract all its values and the drink will be light and not very concentrated.
If the coffee bean is too ground and is too fine, the water will pass through it with great difficulty, it will dissolve the aromatic components and the drink will be bitter (overextracted).
The thickness of the grind will directly influence how fast the espresso or filtered coffee falls, and directly affects the quality and flavor of your coffee.
Fine grinding. It takes longer for the water to pass through the coffee and it brews more.
Coarse grinding. Water encounters less resistance and passes faster.
Note: Ground coffee easily absorbs the aromas from the environment.
Types of grind for your coffee beans.
Remember that the type of grind has a direct influence on your drink and depends a lot on the coffee maker you are going to use.
Here are some of them and in which infusion methods they are recommended.
- Very thick (Cold brew)
- Thick (French press, cupping)
- Medium thick (Chemex)
- Medium (V60, Italian)
- Medium fine (siphon)
- Fine (Espresso, Aeropress)
- Very fine (Turkish coffee)
The 3 most used grinds.
With most coffee brewing methods and especially those with pressure, the contact time depends mainly on the thickness of the grind.
Coarse Grinding
It is mainly used for brewing methods such as French press, metal filter, cold brew, cold drip and for filter systems with large capacities.
Recommended for preparing a large quantity of coffee.
To get the best out of the coffee we will need between 4 - 6 min of infusion time.
It is recognizable to the touch as if it were construction sand.
Medium Grinding
You can use it for manual drip infusion methods with a paper filter and for methods with smaller capacities.
This type of grinding allows to achieve infusion times of between 2 and 4 min.
To the touch it is similar as if it were brown sugar.
Fine Grinding
It is used for pressure brewing methods such as espresso, Italian mocha, and aeropress.
Depending on the pressure you apply, you will get contact times of between 20 and 30 seconds for espresso and 1 to 2 minutes for aeropress.
When you touch it, it looks like flour, and when you pick it up between your fingers, the finest part sticks to the skin.
Steps to regulate grinding
With this simple guide you can get the best out of your coffee. Always keep in mind that the optimal contact times to get the best out of each coffee will also depend on:
- Variety
- Processes
- Roast type
Do you want a very intense coffee, medium intensity or smooth?
- Very intense uses 10 ml of water x 1 gr of coffee
- Medium intensity use 15 ml x 1 gr
- Very soft 20 ml x 1gr
What will be the infusion system that you are going to use?
- Immersion: Recommend coarse grinding , 4 min infusion.
- Drip: Medium grinding , infusion 2-4 min in manual drip and 4-6 min in automatic drip.
- Pressure: Use fine grind , infusion of 20-30s.
- Cold maceration: infusion from 10 to 20 hrs.
It is time for you to try and if:
- The taste is very acidic and salty with herbal flavors, you have to make the grind finer.
- If, on the other hand, the taste is very bitter, with ash flavors, you will have to grind it coarser.
- Reasons to grind coffee beans at home
Although you can buy coffee already ground, there are many technical reasons why you grind coffee beans at home:
Coffee beans keep better, longer. (As coffee is ground, it quickly becomes stale because in contact with the air it loses up to a third of its aromas and flavors in just two days).
But also the smell of coffee, that incomparable perfume, is released when the beans are ground and everything they hide inside is released into the open air.
They are two iron arguments so that you have your own grinder and can carry out the specific grinding.
Machines for grinding coffee beans
The metal blade mill works like a miniature propeller that slices the grains in half, but does not pulverize them: it only cuts them into tiny pieces.
Espressos or Turkish coffee require a very fine grind, almost like the consistency of flour.
The ceramic grinding wheel mill is more expensive but very efficient: through the rotation of two grinding wheels it grinds the grains into a powder that easily releases its properties in a perfect and adjustable grinding.
The mills can be manual or electric and there are different models to buy.
Electric blades
This is probably the most widely used mill in houses. The blades rotate at high speed and cut the coffee into particles of different sizes.
For a finer grind you have to let it grind for a longer time, and vice versa.
Good coffees are made with the French Press and with the Clever method, with a paper filter.
Tapered Drill Manual
This grinder is ideal for traveling and grinding small amounts of coffee.
It has a fixed cutter and another connected to a lever that is used to turn with great force, but little speed.
To change the thickness of the grind, you can turn a screw underneath the grinding wheels.
Electric flat strawberries
This type of mill is undoubtedly the most suitable for grinding larger quantities.
It is a faster, more accurate grind and easier to repeat.
The strawberries are positioned horizontally and this allows to obtain a good homogeneity in the grinding.
This grinder can be used with all methods, including espresso, and grinds smoothly from a very fine point to a very coarse point.
Always keep in mind that ...
The size of the coffee bean determines the taste of the coffee: fine ground beans release many aromas and coarse ones provide more acidic flavors.
The shorter the exposure to hot water, the finer the grind must be to release the aromas quickly (espresso). And the longer the contact with the water, the coarser the grind must be so as not to produce a drink that is too impregnated, with a very bitter taste.
How you should preserve your coffee
Air, humidity, heat and light: these are the 4 environmental factors that coffee beans must be taken care of. How it is stored will have a decisive influence on the taste, aroma or persistence in the mouth.
The moment a packet of coffee is opened, its degradation accelerates: oxygen is the main enemy. Therefore, it is important to keep the package closed until it is to be consumed and, once it is opened, store the coffee in airtight jars, preferably in several of different sizes with small portions to only open the jar that is in use and keep the others without air.
Moisture is another enemy: It ruins grains and can lead to fungus. You must take care of the coffee from sudden changes in temperature that can generate condensation.
It should never be stored in the refrigerator or freezer: not only will it adopt the aroma of other foods (the grains are very permeable) but the very high humidity from the refrigerator will ruin the coffee. It is also very susceptible to heat and light.
The optimal storage temperature is 20ºC.
A collection of jars in a dark cupboard away from the oven or heat-raising appliances is the best way to preserve coffee.