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The importance of properly grinding coffee
cannot be overstated. The grind must match the coffee machine as it influences
how long water and coffee spend together, the brewing time that is. It also
greatly affects the flavour and strength of the cup, improper grinding leads to
either over-extraction or under extraction of coffee. If grounds are too
coarse, there will be too little extraction and your cup will be weak and
insipid. If grounds are too fine, the coffee will soak and produce a strong
bitter cup.
It is best to grind coffee yourself, just before brewing. Order whole beans or
let us custom grind your coffee to suit your needs: espresso, moka pot or stove
top, cone shape, vac pot, drip or filter, french press, and percolator.
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Espresso
is made when pressure forces hot water to flow through a finely ground packed
coffee. Extraction time is the key to proper espresso grind. Seven grams of
espresso, tamped, should be extracted to 1¼ ounce within 20 to 30 seconds. To
attain the right grind, simply adjust your grinder so the complete pour is
within those parameters. It should feel like cornmeal. Or, you may leave it to
us simply by choosing espresso grind when ordering.
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Moka
Pot or stove top coffeemakers are also known as
“Italian coffee pots”. They usually sit directly on a heater or stove and make
a cup of very strong coffee. Pressure forces the boiling water through the
coffee grounds held in a middle section and upwards into the top chamber. The
grind is not as fine as espresso’s but finer than cone’s.
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Melitta
coffeemaker is the precursor to the modern automatic
drip coffeemaker and is still commonly used today. The pour over method is
popular because it is easy, quick, and manually controlled. Essentially,
boiling water is poured over coffee in a cone shaped filter found on top and
connected to a pot ready to catch the coffee as it flows down. The grind needed
is known as cone and has the consistency of salt. It is also the proper grind
for electric Vacuum Pot machines and V-shaped basket of drip machines.
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Automatic
Drip coffee machines are very popular and convenient.
Hot water drips onto coffee grounds which are held in a flat bottom filter
basket or wire mesh filter and into a holding pot. Strength will depend upon
the type of grind used and will vary according to the ratio of water to coffee
used. Typically, flat filter basket grind is the consistency of granulated
sugar. Baskets may also be cone shape, in this case, the grind should be cone
and not flat bottom.
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French
Press, also known as press pot or piston, is a low tech
cafetière which produces excellent results. Steeped in boiling water for 4
minutes or so, the grind must be coarse enough to unleash all the flavours. If
it is too fine, the coffee will be over extracted and result in a bitter
flavour. It may also make it very difficult to push the plunger down the clear
glass cylinder.
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Percolators
were greatly used in households prior to 1970s and are still in use today. More
universal are their use in community hall kitchens and at social clubs. Boiling
forces water into a chamber above the grounds and gravity moves it down through
the grounds. This process is repeated until shut off by an internal sensor. For
this multiple pass process to result in a rich cup, the coffee should be ground
very coarse.
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An extraordinary cup awaits those who seek the
combined quality of the bean, the roast, and the grind.
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