Grinding your own coffee beans is one of the most essential steps for creating your awesome cup of coffee. After all it is the grinding of the beans which emphasises the aroma, flavour and vigour of your coffee. Grinding coffee is a very simple process and a very enjoyable one too. Also the level of grinding will differ depending on the quality of grinds you need. For coffee grinding tips you need to know the types of grind first. Types of grinds are:
- Coarse: These are distinct and largest sized granules and is generally preferred for French Press
- Medium: They have a texture of sand and have consistent granules just like sugar. It is generally used for drip coffee or vacuum. It is a versatile size which allows it to be used for many brewing methods except for espresso.
- Fine: It is even smoother similar to salt which can be rubbed between fingers. This grind has consistent powder and is also known as espresso grind. It can also be used in Neopolitan flip-drips. Some of the electric drip and filter brews can also use it.
- Super Fine: Even more finely grind, just about close to powdered sugar but still you can feel some very minute granules.
- Pulverised: It is extremely fine just like flour and very powdery. This extremely fine grind can be used for Turkish coffee.
So Here are a Few Coffee Grinding Tips for Your Most Awesome Coffee Experience.
Grind only just before you make your coffee:
Ground coffee beans tend to lose their quality much sooner than the whole beans. That is why one should always go for whole coffee beans and grind it on your own just before your start making your coffee so that beans are fresh. For retaining the freshness of the beans it is recommended to store them in an air tight container.
Consistency of the grind:
Consistency in grinding of coffee beans is a key to an awesome coffee. Consistency of the bean depends on how you want to brew your coffee. Some of the grind consistency fits well specific brewing methods so that it offers you an awesome coffee experience.
- Course: Suited for French press and Percolators
- Medium: Drip coffee makers with flat bottom
- Fine: Espresso or Turkish coffee pot
Count of bean spoons:
There are certain thumb rules when it comes to making your perfect cup of coffee. For every 1 cup of water there has to be 2 tablespoons of coffee. In case you like even stronger coffee, you can also put 2.5-3 tablespoons of coffee beans. Alternatively a good water to coffee ratio is 16:1. A kitchen scale is also a good tool to make measurements. Measurements are important because you do not want to tweak with your favourite taste of your coffee.
Choose your grinder wisely:
Depending on the kind of grind you want, choose your grinder wisely. There are basically two types of coffee grinders – Blade Grinders and Burr Grinders
- Blade Grinders: High speed grinders are also called as blade grinders. They are one of the cheapest coffee grinders around. They are also very handy when it comes to usage. However, they also have many disadvantages associated with them. They are very messy and make a lot of noise. They are not very precise and some can leave large pieces of granules behind. Moreover, their grinding is not very smooth and you can have both coarse as well as fine grinds in the same lot. Prolonged usage can also make the motor hot and burn and sometimes scorch your favourite coffee too.
- Burr Grinders: They are slightly more expensive but are known for their precision grinding. You make the necessary setting between the two burrs to get your accurate grinding. They are so precise that you can even make espresso coffee granules with it. However, they also have a tendency to get too hot sometimes which can scorch your coffee.
Manual vs Automatic:
Burr grinders come in two variants: Flat disk burr grinders and Conical Burr grinders. Flat disk are manual while Conical are automatic with an electric motor.
- Conical Burr Grinders: They are the most expensive type but worth the price tag. They are the preferred choice for professional coffee makers. The motor is slow and creates less noise. It also doesn’t get hot very often unlike its peers. You can run them for prolong precision grinds like Turkish coffee as well.
- Flat Disk Grinders: They are the traditional manual grinders who do not have an electric motor which means they are less noisy. However, being manually operated requires lot of strength in upper arms. Moreover, it also takes a lot of time to grind for your one cup of coffee.
Source: Get a Coffee Maker