Are you a coffee snob? Do you believe the right coffee requires perfection? If so, this article is for you. 

In this article on “The Grind Coffee,” we want to dive into the importance of coffee grinds. We will tell you everything you need to know to choose the right grind. After reading this, you’ll be grinding away the perfect cup of joe in no time.

What Is Coffee Grinding

Coffee grinding is the initial process of breaking down the bean to extract the oils and flavors. 

Coffee production begins as a plant before farmers start to harvest it. Once they collect the beans, they must dry and roast them. Sometime later, they make it to stores worldwide for you to taste.

When you buy coffee, you can buy it in two forms; ground or whole bean. With whole beans, you have the option of grinding them yourself. Grinding the beans yourself allows you to control the process of coffee from start to finish.

Already ground coffee goes through a grinding process. Coffee producers will grind the beans in their factories using large machines. They will calibrate a machine to produce different types of coffee grinds. 

You’ll have the option of choosing the following coffee grinds:

• Extra fine
• Fine
• Medium
• Medium coarse
• Coarse 

The timing of grinding your coffee beans will have a major effect on the final result of your cup of coffee. Your coffee beans can lose much of their body and flavor if they sit for too long. 

Even with the most expensive coffee accessories, your coffee can still taste bad. Just know that grinding coffee is as vital as any other coffee step.

Why is Grinding important?

You now have some basic knowledge of coffee grinding and want to know its importance. 

Depending on how much you love coffee, grinding will be either important or not. If you can make do with any type of coffee as long as you get a spike of caffeine, then it won’t be as important. 

If you are the type that wants to savor each sip, then you shouldn’t overlook the grinding process. 

Grinding coffee beans is important for some simple reasons:

• Grinding the beans when you need them preserves the coffee’s quality.
• The flavors of every bean begin to weaken as soon as they come into contact with air.
• Different coffee grinds work better for certain types of coffee brewing. 

Types of Grinders

There are three types of grinders you should consider.

Hand Grinder

A hand grinder is the most traditional method of breaking down your beans. Hand grinders are small, convenient, and require extra power. 

You’ll be able to control the consistency of your grind. You can perfect the right ground based on your brewing equipment at an affordable price.

Hand grinders don’t require any electricity. If you’re making coffee and afraid of making too much noise, you won’t worry. These handy machines are quiet and get the job done in less than a minute. 

Blade Grinder

A blade grinder is one type of electric coffee grinder. These grinders use electricity to spin a sharp blade that will chop down the beans. 

The blade inside of the grinder is like that of a smoothie machine. Each blade is a couple of inches long with a sharp edge along one side. The blade only uses a sharp side in the direction of movement. 

Beneath the blade is another spinning mechanism. This part of the machine helps mix the coffee beans around as the blade continues to chop them up. Without this component, it will be difficult for the machine to produce an extra fine consistency. 

Both pieces of this machine work together to produce the right grind consistency. This high-speed blade can produce coffee grounds in less than ten seconds. 

You’ll be one step closer to brewing your coffee with the push of a button or flick of a switch.

Burr Grinder

A burr grinder is slightly different from a blade grinder. While a blade grinder is cheaper and smaller, burr grinders are among the best grinders. These machines are much more expensive than other grinders. 

Also known as burr mills, they have two main components inside the machine. There are two revolving burrs, one above and one below, a surface that doesn’t move. As the burrs spin, they crush the beans through the non-moving surface. 

Some burr grinders are manual, while the majority are electric. Most of them come in two types; conical and flat.

A conical burr is the most traditional burr grinder. Its cone-like component crushes and grinds the beans through the machine. They aren’t the best for producing consistency. 

A flat burr grinder uses two components of the same shape and size. As they spin, the bean stays between the burrs until it breaks down to the perfect size, allowing it to pass through. 

Types of The Grind Coffee

There are a few different sizes of grounds you can select from when buying coffee grounds or grinding them yourself.

Extra Fine Grind

Extra fine coffee grounds are equivalent to dirt or sediment. Using the grinder of your choice, you’ll grind and crush the beans down to the finest consistency.

Extra fine grind has the consistency of powdered sugar. This type of coffee grind is common in Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is strong and will hit you like a punch in the back. 

Turkish coffee is about the only type of coffee using extra fine coffee. The grinds will often mix with hot water and sit at the bottom of the cup. No filtration system stops you from drinking a little bit of the grinds.

This particular grind is too much for Espresso and not very common with other types of coffee brewing. 

Fine Grind

You’ll want to consider fine-grind coffee if you want to grind your Espresso beans down to the perfect consistency. 

Espresso requires a fine grind because the hot water doesn’t have too long to sit over the coffee. If you have Mocha Press or another Espresso machine, use fine-ground coffee to receive the best results. 

This fine consistency allows the oils and flavors to escape quickly. 

Fine-ground coffee is the most common type of pre-ground coffee worldwide in stores. Do you buy coffee from supermarkets or cafes? If you do, chances are your cup is coming from fine-grind coffee, regardless of the brewing method you choose.

Medium Grind

Medium grinds are very similar to that of fine ground coffee. Many different coffee shops will use this grind as it’s in the middle of the road. 

The consistency of medium grind is more coarse than fine while still resembling a salt-like texture. Medium grinds will appear slightly chunky and similar to some instant coffee textures.

It is best for pour-over coffee mechanisms, drip methods, Aeropress, and Siphon brewers.

Medium Coarse Grind

Coffee beans of a medium coarse texture will resemble rough and clumpy pieces of sand. It is between the grind of medium and coarse. It is common to see the grounds perfected to a mixture of both consistencies. 

Medium coarse grinds will work well for pour-over coffee brewing. The grounds require less time to steep and extract the flavors than coarse and extra-coarse grounds. 

This grind is ideal for coffee brewing mechanisms where the water won’t pass through as quickly. It is a great grind for cafe solo and Chemex. 

Coarse Grind

Coarse grind coffee is perfect for French presses. This ground coffee is comparable with sea salt in terms of size. The beans crush down into a coarse consistency that looks like tiny rocks. 

This chunky coffee grind allows the flavors to release from the bean and give way to a fresh cup of coffee. 

Keep an eye out for consistency when you grind down your beans using an electric machine or hand grinder. Coarse-grind coffee needs to be even and of one size. You don’t want to over-grind the beans and have a mixture of grounds when brewing with a French press.

How To Grind Your Coffee Beans

You can grind your coffee beans using a few different techniques. When you are ready to begin the grinding stage, start by choosing an electric or manual grinder. 

Electric grinders are the most common today. These grinders come in all sizes. Electric grinders will grind your beans in a heartbeat, making the job quick and easy. The only problem is that they are super powerful and can over-grind your beans if you aren’t paying attention.

Manual grinders are the best way to go. Grinding the beans with your hand power gives you the most authentic technique of breaking down the bean. When you grind your beans by hand, you have full control over how much they break down. 

Conclusion

It isn’t rocket science to understand how coffee grinds work. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to produce extra fine to coarse-grind coffee using the right grinders. 

Coffee grinds are very important for perfecting an excellent-tasting cup of coffee. 

If you found this info article useful, share it with your coffee friends. Leave a comment below on which coffee grind is your favorite.