Coffee 101: Grind
If you love coffee as we do, you’ll probably agree that even the very best commercial coffee establishments will – more often than you care to admit – serve you a sub-standard, or occasional undrinkable brew. It’s rarely the fault of the coffee, almost always a problem with the brewing process. But you invariably leave feeling unsatisfied… or even cheated.
Which leads us to the oft-heard expression,
“If you want it done right, do it yourself.”
That explains why we at Hunter Bay firmly believe that – with a bit of practice on your part – the best coffee you’ll ever taste will be brewed by yourself in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Because you will have direct control over the Five Golden Rules of coffee brewing that we described in our introduction to Coffee 101. What’s more, you’ll save money!
It may take some time, and some expense, to equip your kitchen. But if you stick with it, you’ll realize dramatic savings compared to the monthly “budget” you expend at your local coffee house.
“Ok,” you say, “Let’s get started!”
The fastest way to brew a tasty cup of coffee in your own kitchen is to skip to our Golden Rule #3: GRIND. That’s because incorrectly ground coffee makes it nearly impossible to brew richly flavorful coffee.
Here’s why: No matter what brewer you use, coffee ground too coarsely will result in a brew that’s under-extracted and tastes thin, bitter and sour sour. Coffee that’s ground too finely will be over-extracted and taste woody, siltye3 and bitter.
So many frustrated coffee drinkers blame their brewing machine or the coffee they purchased, when it’s almost always problems with grind that lead to an imbalanced and unsatisfying brew.
So, before you run out and expend your coffee budget for another brewer, we suggest you first invest in a quality home coffee grinder. We’ll get to the specifics in a bit.
First, an explanation. Before brewing, coffee beans are crushed, cut or mashed into particles which – when infused into almost-boiling water – release combined acids, sugars, oils, flavors, color and sediment which – combined into a dark, almost syrupy fluid – becomes the delicious elixir we enjoy as coffee.
We’ve already described it as a simple but tricky process. Because it takes practice to find the perfect grind for your perfect coffee. It’s sadly all too easy to grind your coffee either too fine, or too coarse. Or both!
• EITHER: If the coffee grounds aren’t infused long enough, they don’t get fully saturated. As a result, they don’t release the full spectrum of coffee flavors, which results in a thin, acidic, and sour brew with distinct bitter highlights. This is called under-extraction.
• OR: If the coffee grounds are infused in hot water too long, they release — in addition to the full coffee flavor — the unpleasant taste sensations of the coffee bean’s fibrous content, which consists of woody, silty, oily, mineral and sometimes chemical off-flavors that are always bitter and sludgy. This is called over-extraction.
BOTH: Some grinders are so inefficient that the final result includes particles that are both too fine and too coarse. The result: imagine a brew that has all the off-flavors of under-extraction AND over-extraction!
A quick remedy: you can purchase coffee that’s ground by your coffee roaster or at your shop. Most establishments have good quality commercial grinders. But consistency is a problem, even with commercial grinders. Last week’s perfect grind may this week be too coarse or too fine. Freshness is also a problem with pre-ground coffee. That’s because ground coffee ages (becomes stale) much more rapidly than whole bean coffee.
If you have your coffee ground for you, we recommend you purchase that e found that there are many quality grinders available between $50 and $200. – even some quality manual grinders – all of which can be adjusted for a wide variety of precision grind settings…. even fine espresso grinds!
Our general advice is to avoid inexpensive blade grinders because the result is too often a wide range of grai coffee in small amounts until you find a grinder to suit your needs.
GRIND YOUR OWN: The most important step to quality home-brewed coffee (more important than a brewer) is a quality burr grinder, which you can then use to grind your coffee just prior to brewing.
A quality steel burr grinder is an investment in quality that will pay dividends immediately. You’ll soon delight in the consistency of your daily brew… and discover that freshly ground coffee results in a brew that imparts its full bouquet of aromas and a beverage with flavor complexity you won’t find outside your own kitchen coffee station.
If you’ve already expended big bucks for a quality home espresso machine, you may choose to obtain a near-commercial quality grinder. They are pricey, ranging upwards from $250 to $600.
However, we’ve size, which leads to the extraction problems we described above.
Also, as a general rule, avoid grinders under $50.
Quality steel burr grinders can be found which fit most budgets. Take your time. Shop around.
The most important point to consider is that you should select a grinder to match your brewer. If you prefer French Press coffee, you’ll need a grinder that can handle coarse grind settings. If you use only a home espresso machine, you’ll want a grinder that’s capable of minute adjustments for very fine-ground coffee. Most grinders work well with medium, or drip grinds.
A good place to start is a site with objective reviews and consumer ratings. Coffeegeek.com is a reliable coffee site with numerous user reviews and ratings.
