Course to Fine: The Right Grind

Finding the right size of grains to which to grind your coffee may seem like an art, but with a little know-how, you will be able to brew an exquisite cup of coffee. Making the perfect cup of coffee may take some trial and error, but with the helpful tips we are about to share with you, it will not be long before your kitchen is like a barista’s playground.

Grind Size and What it Does

There are three things to bear in mind when choosing the right grind of coffee. The first is contact time. This is the time that water spends around your ground coffee, soaking up that delicious coffee flavor. A finer grind just means more contact time, so it is best for an electric coffee maker to grind it fairly finely. Espresso is made with a very fine, almost powdery coffee, allowing the coffee to have more caffeine in it in less time. Similarly, for a French Press you use a coarser grind, or larger bits of coffee as you let it steep for awhile before straining. The second thing you should be aware of is extraction rate, or how much of the soluble flavor extract can be distilled into a cup of coffee. A larger surface area leads to a higher extraction rate, so a fine grind is what you want for a very flavorful, strong cup of the liquid. Lastly, you have the flow rate. This simply means how fast or slow the water goes over the coffee grounds.

Other factors

When trying to make the perfect cup of java, you start to think that it can’t all be about the coarseness or fineness of the grind. You would be right. The temperature of the water and the pressure with which it is brewed also play a big part in our morning ritual. Ideally, the water will be just about to boil, but not quite. You will add no pressure other than a slight wiggle to make sure every ground is covered in water.

Which is best?

The longer you tend to steep the coffee grounds in water, the less contact time you want, so you will grind it coarser. For something like an espresso or a pour over, it will be ground finer. Make sure you always grind coffee right before you make it, so the oils and aromas do not leech out, and to get a stronger cup of brew.

Making coffee always seems like an easy task, but depending on how you make it yourself, there are different methods. Remember to pay attention to the temperature of the water as well as the grind size. Whether you are using a French Press or an electric coffee maker, just by following these few simple tips you can make the best cup of coffee anyone has ever tasted.