BREW GUIDES: Choosing the Right Coffee Grind Size
Regardless of whether you brew your coffee at home with a Moka Pot, an AeroPress or even an electric coffee machine, you can make a great cup of coffee. But you need the right grind size to do that. The backbone of great coffee is great coffee grounds. While that starts with excellently roasted beans, you also can’t underestimate the importance of grinding.
BREW GUIDES: Choosing the Right Coffee Grind Size
This brew guide is designed to help you choose the right coffee grind size for your brewer—whatever that may be. Because we know that you can make fantastic coffee at home as long as you have the right information and tools. And a vital part of that information is understanding over extraction and under extraction.
Over and Under Extraction
Your main goal when it comes to choosing the right coffee grind size is simply to extract the perfect amount of flavour from your coffee. If you have too little flavour, that indicates that you’ve under extracted your coffee. But if you have too much flavour, then you’ve over extracted it.
Under extraction can happen for a number of reasons, but when it comes to grind size, it’s due to having grounds that are too coarse. In the same way, when your grounds are too fine, you will likely be left with coffee that is over extracted, overpowering and unpalatable. Both of these outcomes we want to avoid. That’s why grind size does matter and is vital to your home brewing success.
So, let’s get started!
Popular Coffee Grind Sizes
We’ve pulled together the most popular brewing methods, and the grind size that we recommend for each below.
As easy as it would be, you can’t use just one grind size for every type of brewer and brewing method. Some grind sizes are better suited to some methods. Of course, you’ll see that there are a few brewing methods that can use a range of grind sizes. And that’s because you can control the outcome of your brew using grind size as one of your factors.
Remember, it’s your coffee!
Our grind size guide is still just a guide. We give you a recommended range to start with that we’ve developed through years of coffee brewing experience. But your coffee is yours—and your enjoyment of it shouldn’t answer to anyone but yourself. So, if you find another grind size suits you and your brewing method better, go for it!
A Note About How to Grind at Home
If you buy fresh beans and want to grind them at home, we highly recommend that you use a burr grinder, rather than a blade grinder. The burr grinder creates a much more consistent grind size. And consistency is important if you don’t want your brew to be impacted by some over or under extraction. Always remember that a uniform grind particle size will help give you a uniform extraction every time.
And a blade grinder works just as you’d imagine—with rapidly spinning blades. That spinning motion creates friction and heat, neither of which are good for your coffee!
Our Brew Guides
If you liked our Grind Size Brew Guide, be sure to check out our other Brew Guides. You can find out the specifics about other brewing methods, including all our tips and tricks.
We’ve got some excellent coffee beans, single origin and one-of-a-kind blends, that we’re happy to grind to the right size for your coffee method. Or, if you want to grind them yourselves, just grab a bag of beans! Check out our shop today.