The Science of Grinding Coarseness

Different coffee brewing methods require different levels of coffee coarseness, ranging from extremely fine to coarse. Generally, there are five grades: extremely fine, fine, medium-fine, medium, and coarse. Each coarseness level affects the amount and speed at which coffee components are extracted during brewing.

Extremely Fine Grind for Espresso

Espresso is typically made with an extremely fine grind because it requires high-pressure hot water to extract the essence of coffee. Therefore, a professional coffee grinder is needed to achieve a uniform grind that provides balanced resistance to water, ensuring a successful extraction of a quality espresso.

Fine Grind for Pour-over Coffee

Pour-over coffee is best made with a fine grind. The coffee powder is placed in a filter paper bag, and a large amount of water is poured over it. A fine grind increases the extraction area, allowing more coffee substances to be extracted.And Blossom's conical burr coffee grinder, with its 51 precise grind settings, can accurately produce the perfect grind for espresso, ensuring more thorough extraction.

Medium-Fine Grind for Light Roast Beans in Hand Pour

A medium-fine grind is slightly coarser than common white sugar. Since hand pour coffee has a narrowing point that slows down the water flow, a medium-fine grind is usually preferred for hand pour brewing.

Medium Grind for Medium Roast Beans in Hand Pour

A medium grind is slightly coarser than a medium-fine grind, similar to the largest granules of white sugar but not as coarse as a coarse grind. A medium grind is suitable for beginners in hand pour brewing as it is less likely to produce extremely fine particles and is less prone to causing excessive water accumulation on the coffee grounds, which could lead to over-extraction. Our store also has many manual coffee grinders for sale. You can come into the store to choose and purchase.

Coarse grind is suitable for siphon and French press.

Coarse grind is more suitable for medium-dark roasted beans and is suitable for siphon and French press. Under high water temperature extraction, coarse grind is less likely to extract bitterness, but it should not be ground too coarsely, which may lead to insufficient extraction and a diluted taste.

 The coarseness of the grind determines the brewing method of coffee and directly affects the extraction time and extraction rate. Fine ground coffee powder increases extraction resistance and prolongs extraction time. On the contrary, coarse ground coffee powder reduces extraction resistance and shortens extraction time, but lowers the extraction rate. For example, extremely coarse grind is suitable for cold brew, coarse grind is suitable for French press, medium-coarse is suitable for drip brewing, medium is suitable for pour-over or conical filter bowl drip brewing, fine grind is suitable for espresso, and extremely fine grind is suitable for Turkish coffee. Different grinds also affect the taste of coffee. The finer the grind, the more bitter the taste. Therefore, the coffee grind should be adjusted according to the appropriate situation.