You know you are an intense coffee lover when you pass a coffee shop on the street and can’t resist buying a freshly made cup of coffee. What if I told you simply by investing in a coffee grinder, you could get the same luxurious cup of coffee in the comfort of your home? The hint of freshly brewed coffee in the morning is what coffee aficionados need to start their day.
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The secret behind a perfect cup of coffee is freshly ground coffee beans. To make the best ground coffee from the coffee grinder consistently, follow these 5 tips:
- Use good quality beans
- Clean the grinder regularly
- Keep it dry
- Set the grinder settings accurately
- Adjust the dial for the best-tasting coffee
For the best performance of your coffee grinder, follow these simple steps, and your coffee grinder will run efficiently for years to come. Let’s take a quick look at some practical ideas for using your coffee grinder to its maximum potential.
1. Choose A Suitable Coffee Grinder
The first step in getting the fullness of your coffee is choosing the right coffee grinder. The grinders come in two types.
- Blade grinders
- Burr grinders
Blade grinders have a sharp blade made of metal to cut the coffee beans. The fineness of the grind can be adjusted by using the pulse button.
On the other hand, in burr grinders, the position of the burr can be altered to change the size of the grind.
2. The Coffee Beans Matter
Let’s start with the main ingredient – our humble coffee beans.
The best quality of the beans is ideal for brewing the best cup of coffee. Even if you have the world’s best coffee grinder but poor-quality coffee beans, your coffee will taste terrible.
On the contrary, when you get the best coffee beans, even if you go wrong in your dosage or temperature, your coffee will still be drinkable with room for improvement – not to forget that each coffee roast requires a different grinder setting.
Therefore, purchase whole coffee beans and grind them before making your coffee. This will help you get the most out of your beans and catch the fullness of your beans directly in a mug.
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When roasted, crushed, and grounded, the aroma emanating from the quality beans gives you a flavor bomb. Preprepared ground coffee tastes a little flatter than fresh ones. So, to relish and experience a piece of heaven, prepare the freshly ground coffee a few minutes before making your cup of joe.
Also, make sure you store your beans in an air-tight container to trap the flavor, but be mindful of the fact that the beans can lose their freshness after 10-12 days. So, never overbuy, and restock your pantry regularly with fresh beans.
3. Measure The Beans
To get the perfect cup of coffee, measure your beans using a kitchen scale.
The weight of coffee beans should be assessed before filling them in the grinder. Religiously following the coffee-to-water ratio of 1:17 yields a foolproof, delicious cup of coffee every single time.
So, if you don’t have the habit of using the kitchen scale, now is a good time to start.
4. Frequent Cleaning Is The Key
Any machine works well when cleaned regularly, so it is with the coffee grinder too! Here are some must-dos to add to your cleaning routine.
- Make sure to brush away excess coffee grounds daily.
- Every two weeks, wipe the grinder chamber and the hopper clean.
- The coffee grinder needs to be deep cleaned every six months.
- Remove any beans stuck in the grinder.
Following these steps regularly will help your coffee grinder run smoothly, consistently and maintain good hygiene.
5. A Dry Grinder Is A Happy Grinder
Just like any other electrical appliance, a coffee grinder, both manual and electric grinders, should be kept dry. Moisture anywhere in the grinder will lower the performance of the machine.
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Use a dry cloth or brush to wipe even during your cleaning routines. The water of any sort will clump the coffee grounds, thus affecting the grinder’s flow.
If your grinder has steel burrs, the machine’s motor is prone to rust and corrode, and so are its other parts. Hence, be extra careful with water around your coffee grinder.
6. Set The Grinder Settings Accurately
Keep in mind that each brewing method requires a different grinder setting. This, as a matter of fact, is the most crucial point.
The extraction time is measured based on the size of the coffee grind. Ensure you follow the grinder setting below to get the best grind of your coffee beans.
- Coarse: This grind contains distinct particles used mainly for French press coffee.
- Extra Coarse: The particles are large and are used for cold brew and cowboy coffee.
- Medium Coarse: Resembles coarse sand and is very gritty. Used for automatic coffee makers.
- Medium: A smooth grind, like table salt. Used for cone-shaped pour-over brewers and automatic coffee makers.
- Fine: Finer than sugar, used for expresso and moka pot.
- Extra Fine: Just like powdered sugar. Primarily used for Turkish coffee.
An 18-22% extraction yield is optimal from the ground coffee beans. It offers a combination of bitter and sweet flavors that taste divine. Any extraction under 18% tastes acidic, salty, and sour. This may happen when the coffee grounds are too coarse, and they tend to release the flavors at a slow pace.
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Contrariwise, coffee grinds as fine as sugar, which is extracted over 22%, give out more of a bitter taste because they release the flavor more quickly, even after releasing the acids and sugars. Therefore, matching the grind size to the brewing method is essential.
7. Keep An Eye On The Dial
To set the grinder setting, pick a setting according to the size of the bean, temperature, and humidity.
Here comes a chance to put your taste buds to good use. A sour coffee indicates you to make the grind finer, and if it tastes bitter, opt for a coarser grind. Adjust the grind according to your taste.
Already smelling freshly brewed coffee?
What are you waiting for? Get yourself a pack of good quality coffee beans and start grinding, so you can start your day right and grind harder in life.
