The most important part of making a coffee is the grind. A poor roast can be redeemed through a good grind, and likewise, an excellent roast can be ruined by a poor grind. The bean, the brewing method, the barista — none of that matters if the grind is off. Luckily, we’ve got some grinding top tips to help you get the grind you want.
Top Tip #1 — Use a good grinder
A hand grinder is never going to be as consistent as an electric one. Unless that’s your aesthetic, get your hands on a decent grinder that will do the job for you.
We recommend the Meltita Molino, the Bodum Bistro, and the Melitta Calibra for grinding at home.
Top Tip #2 — Know what you’re looking for
At Redber, we grind coffee to four different specifications: espresso, fine, filter, and cafetiere. An espresso grind is the finest and a cafetiere grind is the coarsest. The type of grind that you need depends on how you make your coffee. Different brewing methods expose the coffee to the hot water for different lengths of time. The shorter the time, the smaller the grind.
- Espresso Machine — Espresso grind
- Aeropress/Moka-Pot/Stovetop — Fine grind
- Filter machines/Pour Over/Drip — Filter grind
- Cafetiere — Cafetiere grind
It will take some experimentation to learn which grind setting works perfectly for your brewing method. Try using factory settings, then test a grind setting either side of that to see how it impacts the taste of your coffee.
Top Tip #3 — Beans are temperamental
Each bean is unique in their own way and this can affect the grind setting, especially for the finer grinds. We’ve found that the setting can change depending on the type of bean we’re grinding, how long the bean has been roasted for, and even the humidity of the air. This doesn’t mean that you need to adjust your grinder every time you go to grind a new batch of beans. Instead, just keep this in mind as you grind your beans. If you’re not getting the expected taste from your brewed coffee, then consider changing the grind setting a little, as often a small adjustment can make a big difference.
Top Tip #4 — To each, their own
There is no ‘right’ way of brewing coffee. If you’re using an espresso grind in a cafetiere and you’re loving it, then don’t change your ways because someone’s told you that you’re doing it wrong.
Drink coffee for the love of coffee and enjoy it how you like it.
