Why is your grind size so important and how does it impact the taste of your coffee?
The grind size of your beans is one of the main variables that determine how fast your water will dissolve those particles that turn your water brown and make coffee taste like coffee. The more finely ground the beans are, the more caffeine is released into the water, creating a stronger cup of coffee, while a course or grind will always brew a weaker cup. Using the wrong consistency or size of grinds will result in a sour or bitter brew. The more fine or coarse the grind, the more or less quickly water can pass through it – affecting brew time and extraction efficiency. A coarser grind has little particles which let the water move between more quickly, and a finer grind will cause the water to take longer to pass through the grinds leading to greater extraction.
The age of your coffee is very important as well. You may have to tweak your recipe if your beans aren’t so fresh. This is because the coffee will stale over time. Stale coffee will lax any flavor. It feels thin across your tongue. And pre-ground coffee is already stale! We say that coffee is only fresh for 30 minutes (you’ll start to lose flavour about 10 minutes after grinding) after it is ground, whole bean coffee beans however can remain at PEAK freshness for two weeks+ after being roasted but can last up to a year. To get you started we have a great assortment of electric and manual grinders for your needs! What you want to look for is a grinder with a burr grind. These grinders will “grind” your coffee with consistency and they are precise. The grinder you want to stay away from is a whirly or blade grinder…while the price is right with this grinder it “chops” your beans and does not give you consistency nor is it precise. However, I believe this is still better than buying your coffee pre-ground. Whirly grinders are the type you often see in box stores or on-line and range in price from $15-$40.
Whilst grind size is important so is water temperature, the ratio of water to coffee, and the brewing method… all these factors impact your cup of coffee!
We take pride in offering freshly roasted whole-bean coffee for you to enjoy the best cup of coffee. Life is too short to be dissatisfied with bad coffee! We would love to know your comments and answer any questions you might have! Please send us an email or stop in our store! spottedfawncoffee@gmail.com