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Coffee Grinders and Types of Grind
The Same Old Grind?Unfortunately, you can't use just any old ground coffee in a French Press. Truly superior Cubicle Coffee requires a fresh, even, coarse grind that looks a bit like rough sand. Not too rough, mind you -- no need for big old boulders. Consistency is key -- the more even the particle size, the better your results will be. The main reason is that French Press coffee stays in contact with hot water for a much longer brewing period than other coffee making methods. The smaller the coffee particles, the faster the coffee will extract. If the grind is too fine, it will over extract and begin to taste harsh and bitter. Plus the fine powdery grind will clog your filter screen and make plunger push-down nearly impossible. Not to mention the gritty sludge that will fill your cup. Most automatic drip machines use a medium grind that is too fine for a press, so stay away from pre-ground coffee. And the powdery, super-fine Espresso machine grind is way over on the other end of the spectrum. The pictures to the right should give you an idea about grind variation. If you still aren't quite sure, ask a knowledgeable Barrista at your local coffee house to grind some beans for you to use in a French Press. |
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Coffee Grinding Options
Your best bet is to grind whole coffee beans immediately before you brew. As soon as beans are ground, essential oils and flavor begin to evaporate away into the air. But grinding in the cubicle is not very practical, even if you have a quiet grinder and very understanding coworkers.
One good alternative is to buy beans in small quantities (1/2 to 1 pound at a time) and have the beans ground for you. Most coffee stores have a high grade commercial burr grinder on site and are happy to process your beans. Just make sure to tell them you are brewing in a French Press. 9 out of 10 barristas will know what you mean, but in case they look at you like an intern caught in a senior staff meeting, just tell them to use a coarse grind setting.
If you buy at a grocery store like Trader Joe's, you'll have to grind them yourself. Just set the grinder on the coarse setting and grind away.
If you are really serious about controlling your grind, then we strongly recommend investing in a good burr grinder. We usually grind a couple of days worth at a time in the quiet and comfort of our own homes, then bring the ground coffee into the office in an airtight container. This option allows you to buy whole beans and grind only when you need to, so your beans stay fresh longer.
Blade Grinders vs. Burr Grinders
Not
all grinders are created equal. The inexpensive option, often called
a "Blade" grinder or "whirlybird" grinder, is fine
for automatic drip machines that use a paper filter. But they don't work
well for French
Press grinding. These grinders use a spinning metal blade that repeatedly
whacks the coffee beans around, which ends up giving you dust and boulders.
The uneven particle size will produce gritty, sludgy, bitter coffee
in a French press.
A good quality Burr grinder is a much better option. In these machines, coffee beans are placed in a hopper on top of the grinder, then they pass down once through a set of metal burrs that evenly grind them down. Once ground, the coffee falls into a container below. This single pass method means even, consistent results every time. Yes, they may cost a little more, but in the long run a good burr grinder makes all the difference.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. In the beginning we invested in a $40 budget-friendly consumer burr grinder that seemed ok. But the design was lacking and the machine kept clogging. It was hard to clean and a source of frustration.
Our next
purchase,
the Capresso Infinity Model 565 was a much better choice. Yes, it did
set us back $140, but the improvement in flavor and convenience was well
worth it. There are quite a few decent burr grinders on the market today
-- be sure to check out our Supplies
and Equipment page for purchase
options.
Decent burr grinders can be a little noisy and messy, so another office friendly alternative is the hand operated coffee mill. These old fashioned devices use the same basic design as electric powered burr grinders but rely on a hand operated crank. Quieter to be sure, but they do take some effort.
So you've got your beans and they're nicely ground. Time to talk about hot water which makes up 99% of your coffee.
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