It’s All About the Grind

How to Choose the Right Grind for Your Brew

Okay, so it’s not all about the grind. But how you transform your coffee from whole bean to brew-ready, does make a big difference.

First, determine how you will be brewing your coffee, then select your grind accordingly. For simplicity’s sake, there are three grind levels, with almost infinite variations in between. The basics are:

1. Course

A course grind is preferred for percolators or French press.

2. Medium

This grind is ideal for most drip brewers, like the iconic Mr. Coffee.

3. Fine

For most filtered pour-overs, go fine. We also recommend a fine grind for Keurig brewers.

Moving beyond the basics we have:

Extra Course for cold brew.

Extra Fine for espresso.

Extra, Extra Fine for Turkish coffee. It’s basically a powder. See also: Armenian or Arabic coffee.

In order to streamline the ordering process, we have listed five bean options in our online store: Whole Bean, Course, Medium, Fine, Extra Fine. If you would like one of the others, please add a note in the Not to Seller section at check out.

Most of us have a friend who’s a coffee snob. If you don’t, it’s probably you. So, we’ve probably all heard, ad-nauseum, how crucial it is to grind our beans at home. And if you’ve ever admitted to said coffee snob that you’ve purchased your beans *gasp* already ground, they probably looked at you as though you said you mixed a bottle of Chateau Laffite with dirty bath water and drank it over ice.

So, is it all hype? Does it really matter?

Simply put:

Yes, it matters.

Some flavor is lost when the coffee is pre-ground. And you’ll miss the magical moment the aroma is first released when the coffee beans are freshly ground.

However, does coffee basically turn into worthless dirt sixty seconds after the beans are ground?

No. Your coffee will still taste wonderful even if you order it ground.

Just maybe not as wonderful.

But hey, it’s your party and you’ll grind if and when you want to.

Okay, so now you’re all thinking…

I’ve been reading this article for the length of time it’s taken me to drink two cups of coffee and all I’ve learned is how to grind it. We’ve got to be finished with this step… right?

Not quite. Just one more tiny, itty-bitty thing.

If you’ve decided you’re going to grind at home. And you’ve decided how you’re going to grind. Now you need to decide with what you’re going to grind.

There are two basic kinds of coffee grinders: blade and burr. And it’s basically the difference between taking a hatchet to your lawn or a lawn mower.

Hmm… maybe I’m the coffee snob in my circle.

But seriously, it does make a difference.

A blade grinder is exactly what it sounds like. A blade spins round and round, slicing up your coffee beans into smaller pieces. The problem is that some pieces will be smaller than others. It’s nearly impossible for a blade grinder to produce an even grind. Which will affect the quality of your brew.

A burr grinder, on the other hand, will grind the coffee beans down to the same size to create a consistent cup of coffee. That’s a good thing.

Burr grinders used to be insanely expensive, but thanks to the increasing popularity of brewing specialty coffee at home, prices have come down considerably. Check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Okay, now let’s summarize.