In an effort to continually equip you all to make the BEST coffee possible, here the second of a two-part series on how to grinding coffee properly. The coarseness or fineness of your coffee should be dictated by your brew method of choice; we've got all the details to make sure you're brewing the best cup of coffee possible.
For starters, we recommend grinding your coffee beans with a conical burr coffee grinder like the Baratza Encore or Baratza Virtuoso+. Conical burr grinders provide a fairly uniform grind, not to mention a great deal of control over your grind size. Another benefit is conical burr grinders are generally quieter, which is great if you're usually the first person awake in the morning.
WHAT IS IT?
Coffee grind size represents how fine or coarse your coffee bean becomes after going through a coffee grinder.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Each brew method requires a different grind size to achieving optimal coffee extraction, which ultimately determines the quality of your cup.
HOW TO DETERMINE THE SIZE?
The grind size will depend on the brewing method you use. As you probably noticed, there is some overlap between different brew methods. The size can be determined by personal preference of how you like to drink your coffee.
HOW TO ADJUST?
|
Grind Size |
Brewing Method |
|
(picture w/ sugar) Coarse |
French Press, Cold brew (12-24hrs) |
|
(picture w/ sugar) Medium-Coarse |
Home Coffee Makers, Commercial Coffee Makers, French Press, Chemex, Clever, Bonmac |
|
(picture w/ sugar) Medium |
Pour overs (flat bottom filters), Home Coffee Maker, Chemex, Clever, Stove Top Espresso, Bonmac |
|
(picture w/ sugar) Medium-Fine |
Pour overs (V60, Chemex, Clever), Aeropress |
|
(picture w/ sugar) Fine |
Espresso machine, Turkish (extra fine) |
EXTRACTION
A coarse grind lets the water flow much faster than the fine grind. Depending on the grind size, you would want a certain amount of time for the water to be in contact with the ground. Rule of thumb, slower water flow, and faster extraction time, visa versa (inverse relationship).
|
Grind Size |
Water Extraction Time/Duration |
|
Coarse |
You want to use a brewing method that takes a long time (at least 5 min+), such as French Press or Cold Brew (12+ hrs) to extract full flavor and taste because the water flows much faster for a coarse grind. Rule of thumb, the longer water is in contact with the coffee grounds the better extraction of flavor. |
|
Medium |
A medium-sized grind is much more complicated compared to coarse or fine grinds but personal preference plays a large part. If you prefer to drink less bitter coffee, then you would fall more into medium-coarse where it extracts more fruit flavors from the coffee bean. On the other hand, if you enjoy bitter coffee then you would enjoy a medium-fine grind. We recommend water extraction time to be around 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your preference. |
|
Fine |
Fine grind is only used in an espresso machine and Turkish brewing methods (even finer than espresso). Water travels much slower so you want short extraction time. An espresso machine is great for fine grind due to high pressure from the machine and you only pull two quick shots of espresso during the extraction time (approx. 20-25 seconds). |
Hi Lanna Coffee,
I got a Breville espresso machine very recent. Specifically the pro version. It has 30 sizes for grind setting. The default setting is 15. Last night I messed up my drinks after dialing up to 20 towards the coarser region. The results was a fast flow: dark liquid with no crema… Should I dial it down to a 7 or 3? Once figure out the grind size. The default setting for grind amount was 13.0 seconds. So how exactly should I know the right amount for the right grind size? Thanks!
Hi Rob,
There are a few neat tools that can sift coffee to determine how fine it is. Though for most people, playing with the settings on your grinder at home and just visually determining the fineness of the coffee is enough.
Check out the brand Kruve and their equipment if you would really like to be precise with your grind!
Thanks!
-Cory
Is there a tool or gauge that consistently and accurately determines a coffee ground sample’s category of fine-ness?