How to Grind Coffee Beans at Home

Many coffee lovers would love to grind and brew their own coffee at home. However, it will be vital to understand the finer points of this process before you proceed; if you head right into this task without first gaining some knowledge on the matter, your results could very well be unsatisfactory. Provided below is some useful information and insights to help you prepare for grinding coffee beans at home.

Understand the basics of coffee extraction

While brewing some coffee, what we are actually doing is drawing soluble flavours out of the coffee beans using heated water. This process is known as coffee extraction. In fact, coffee does not entirely dissolve in water; interestingly, just 30% of coffee happens to be soluble. This is the reason we always find leftover grounds after brewing coffee. As we brew coffee, it is necessary to aim for the ideal proportion of coffee extraction; this would be between 18% and 22%. If you achieve a brew within this window, the coffee should be delicious. In this regard, there will be several variables that will impact coffee extraction and thereby its flavour; one of these would be the grind.

Achieve grind size consistency

After obtaining freshly roasted coffee beans, you must always try to achieve consistent grind size from your grinder. Should your grounds be of irregular sizes, the coffee extraction would be inconsistent. You will find that the smaller grounds extract more rapidly; when coffee is over-extracted in this way, it will taste bitter. On the other hand, the larger grounds would extract more slowly and when coffee is under-extracted, it will taste sour. Inconsistent extraction will result in unbalanced and poor-tasting coffee. For great-tasting coffee, it will be necessary to grind the beans evenly so that the grounds will be of consistent size. Such a grind would make the coffee extraction even, resulting in balanced and enjoyable coffee.

Match grind size with brewer

Each device used for brewing coffee will require a certain grind size; in other words, some devices will require a coarser grind, whilst others will need a finer grind. A coarse grind would be suitable for machines such as a French press, a cupping brewer or a percolator. Meanwhile, a medium/coarse grind would be appropriate for a Clever Dripper, Chemex or Cafe Solo machine. Similarly, a medium grind would match auto-drip, pour-over, Aeropress and siphon machines. On the other hand, a medium/fine grind would be appropriate for V60, pour-over, siphon, Kalita Wave and Aeropress machines. Fine grinds would match the requirements of Moka Pot, espresso and Aeropress devices. Finally, you would need an extra-fine grind for making Turkish coffee in an Ibrik machine.

Choose from a burr or a blade grinder

True coffee connoisseurs will always opt for a good quality burr grinder. This kind of grinder will provide a more even grind size so that you will be able to make better-tasting coffee. A burr grinder will feature two rotating burrs which will crush the coffee into particles of similar size. You will find that burr grinders are adaptable and convenient, whilst also offering the facility of adjusting the grind size to match your brewing requirements. For purchasing burr grinders, a specialist to consider would be Fits Retail, which also offers quality coffee beans in Sri Lanka.

Alternatively, a blade grinder will be cheaper as well as more commonly available, but these grinders tend to chop the beans into various irregular sizes; you will find that some of the grounds will be coarse while others will be finer. Therefore, the coffee extraction would be inconsistent and your coffee may not taste as good.