When using a 'drip' type coffee maker, is it best to grind your beans fine.?!
When using a 'drip' type coffee maker, is it best to grind your beans fine.?
If they are ground fine, the water remains longer in the filter, because it is kind of 'clogged', yeierlding stronger coffee. When ground rough, it seems asthough the water passes through the grinds quickly,similar to water over rock.
Answers:
It all depends on what kind of flavor you like. The finer the grind, the stronger the taste you get. I have seen many coffee houses that grind their beans very fine and even pack the grounds down tight to make a very strong brew. Use a fine paper filter and not the washable screen type filters if you decide to grind your beans fine unless you like to chew that last swallow :)
I have tried different grinds, too fine sometimes makes your coffee bitter. Try out different grinds and see where your taste bud is.
If you have a metal drip filter, the grind should be finer than that of a paper drip machine. If your ground coffee looks powdery, you've gone too far. If the particles are too fine (like espresso), your machine will produce over-extraced coffee, whereas a coarse grind (like french press) will yeild an under-extracted, water, sour coffee. Whatever it is, the best way to ensure a quality grind is to use a burr-style grinder (rather than the blade-spinner kind). Blade grinder shred more than grind, so the give you tiny pieces and big ones, too. This uneven grind results in the small pieces becoming over-extracted and the large one becomming under-extracted-- that means the coffee will be substandard no matter where your gind is. I would recommend going to the best coffeehouse you can find, which will have a burr grinder, and buy some of their coffee and have them grind it for your metal or paper filter. Their coffee will likely be fresher than that of the grocery store's, too.
p.s. Grind small amounts at a time-- only enough for a few days; like 6oz, or so to ward off oxidation and staleness.
How you grind your coffee beans is almost as important as the quality of the beans themselves. Below are a few ground rules, a few truths to get you started.
When in doubt, go fine. Generally, the finer the ground, the more contact there will be between the water and the coffee, the richer the taste. But don’t get carried away; over-grinding will destroy some of the essential oils of your coffee and you may end up with some of this fine powder in undesired places - floating in your cup, clogging your filter.
GRINDING TO SUIT YOUR BREWER
auto drip - fairly fine; think sand
vacuum pot - medium
moka pot - fine
espresso - extra fine (should adhere to skin)
french press - coarse