Grinding Your Own Coffee: Size DOES Matter

You can have the highest quality coffee, the perfect roast and a great coffee machine, but still make bad coffee. Why? It’s all about the coffee grind size. But fear not – you can still make barista-quality coffee at home. The secret is simple: it starts with good quality beans that have been consistently ground to the correct size.

The Goal

The whole reason we use different grind sizes is to avoid over or under extracting coffee. Too coarse a grind and you may end up with under-extracted coffee that is sour, acidic and salty. Too fine and your coffee could be over-extracted, resulting in a bitter, hollow and tasteless drink. (Not sure what these descriptions mean? Read our coffee taste wheel!) An infographic showing the difference between a coarse and fine coffee grind. It’s simple science. Coffee is essentially a reaction when water touches coffee grounds. A finer grind can reduce the flow rate of the water, increasing the contact time, and vice versa. If the contact time is too high, it will result in an over-extracted brew, which can be bitter. Struggling with a bitter cup of coffee? Here's why and how to fix it. Aside from the size of the grind, consistency also matters. If some grinds are l
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