It’s All In the Grind

Are you looking for a better cup of coffee? Have you been pondering the idea of buying a percolator or French press? Before you run off and buy the latest hotrod vacuum coffee maker, why not try grinding your own beans? I’ll admit the convenience of scooping pre-ground coffee into your pot is hard to beat. But the reality is, that you will have to grind your own coffee with fancier methods anyway.

The main advantage of purchasing whole beans is that more of the flavor is preserved. Grinding the beans creates more surface area. More surface area means more exposure to the air. Air exposure significantly degrades the coffee’s flavor. That’s why the coffee made from the bottom of your coffee can is a shadow of the great coffee taste you had when you first popped the top of that Folger’s Mountain grown. On the other hand, if you keep whole beans in an air tight container in your frig, then grind them before every brew, you will enjoy superb tasting coffee in nearly every cup.

Grinding your own beans is all about control. You retain complete control over your personal cup of coffee. No longer are you subject to an arbitrary setting on a machine far, far away. You are the master of the coarseness of the coffee grounds. You can experiment with it until you achieve the perfect brew. Throw caution to the wind and experiment. If you want more flavor, try a finer grind. Too bitter? Courser may be better. Some people say that a medium grind is best for drip coffee makers, find out for yourself. What does medium mean? A medium grind should be something akin to course sand. You have the freedom to experiment a bit within this range until you find the flavor you are looking for.

Getting started is easy, for around $30 you can by a basic blade type coffee grinder. Or if you already have one, a blender would be a cheap alternative. Operation is simple, the longer you chop, the finer the coffee. Fancier grinders have specific coarseness settings and use grinding drums instead of blades. This style allows you to make extra fine (flour like, used in Turkish coffee) in addition to course grinds. So before you rush off to the department store to buy the latest miracle coffee-machine, take a moment and consider the beans.

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