Coffee has been around for a long time ever since the 13th century, in fact. That’s how long mankind has had to perfect this aromatic cup of elixir. We’ve come a long way since then. Now you can become the perfect barista right in your own home with coffee grinders and coffee makers specially designed for family use.
The perfect cup is all up to you and your preference of taste but did you know that a lot depends on the coffee grind? Here are the basics you should keep in mind to achieve that perfect cuppa.
Grind that coffee to perfection! Mornings are generally a time of haste and we often don’t have the time to wait for that coffee to grind properly even after having been told many times - good things come to those that wait! So, let’s put that waiting into action, assuming you do want that “jump start” cup of Espresso. Just make sure you grind your coffee fine or super fine depending on whether you are using a stove pot or an Espresso machine.
Coffee should be ground to match your favored brewing technique.
Not so hard even for beginners! Easy-peasy, there are five basic coffee grinds. Here’s breaking it down for you.
Coarse Grind
A coarse grind has large chunky pieces of the coffee bean as it has not been crushed completely. It tends to feel like larger chunks of rock salt. A coarse grind is good when you use a percolator, the French press or a Toddy maker.
Medium Grind
The medium grind is simply ground a little bit longer than the coarse grind. It has the consistency of coarse sand or smaller chunks of rock salt and can be used with drip makers with flat bottom or cone shaped filters.
Fine Grind
The perfect fine grind feels like salt or sugar or finer sand. Stove top Espresso pots work great with this kind of grind.
Super Fine Grind
This kind of grind feels very fine and almost soft to the touch. It is almost like a powder but not quite and works brilliantly with an Espresso machine.
Turkish Grind
Of course this is the finest grind you can make and it feels finer than a super fine grind. And guess what, the coffee grounds left after you drink your Turkish grind can be used for telling your fortune!
Now there are basically two types of coffee grinders - The blade and the burr. A coffee grinder with a blade is quick but doesn’t always grind your coffee bean to the right consistency especially if you like it finer. Sometimes it burns the coffee bean too which isn’t always good for the taste of your coffee. So the blade is usually better for coarser grinds. It doesn’t do super fine very well. Bearing that in mind, the burr on the other hand takes a while longer to break that bean down but it can give you a coarse grind to a Turkish grind with absolute precision. And remember, the fresher the coffee grind the more flavor in your cup!
