Coffee Grind Size Chart

Coffee Grind Chart

Knowing the different grind sizes helps you brew rich and smooth coffee drinks. It also helps entrepreneurs choose equipment when they're starting a coffee shop. Use this coffee grind chart to find the right grind size for your brewing method.

Types of Coffee Grinders

Coffee grinders and espresso grinders are essential items on any coffee shop equipment checklist. There are four main types of coffee grinders: burr, blade, roller, and pounding. We explain how each type of coffee grinder works below.

1. Burr Coffee Grinders - Burr coffee grinders crush coffee beans between two wheels or conical grinding elements without adding frictional heat (which cooks the coffee beans). This releases the coffee bean oils, so they are easy to extract during the brewing process. The coffee ground in a burr coffee grinder is uniform which leads to even extraction. Most units allow you to move the abrasive wheels/cones closer or further apart to adjust your grind size. Conical burr models produce even less friction heat and preserve more coffee bean aroma than disc grinders, but they are more expensive.
2. Blade Coffee Grinders - Blade coffee grinders chop coffee beans with a high-speed blade/propeller whirling between 20,000 to 30,000 RPM. This method often produces uneven coffee grounds which makes proper extraction challenging. A blade coffee grinder adds friction heat to coffee beans, reducing their flavor quality before brewing. In general, blade coffee grinders aren’t your best option for producing high-quality cups of coffee.
3. Roller Coffee Grinders - Roller coffee grinders pass coffee beans through two corrugated rollers which produce inconsistent coffee grounds. Varied coffee grind sizes tend to create acidic and bitter cups of coffee. Roller coffee grinders expose the coffee beans to a lot of frictional heat, stripping them of their aroma.
4. Pounding Coffee Grinders - Pounding coffee grinders create a fine coffee powder by pounding the beans with a mortar and pestle. Very few coffee beverages require a pounding coffee grinder, but it is necessary for making Turkish and Arabic coffee.

How to Store Ground Coffee

For optimum freshness, store ground coffee in a nontransparent, airtight container. Place the container of ground coffee on a pantry shelf away from heat, light, and moisture.

Storing Coffee in the Freezer

• Storing Future-Use Coffee Beans in the Freezer - You can store whole coffee beans in the freezer for up to a month if you do not use/disturb them within that period. Before freezing your coffee beans, divide them into small portions in airtight bags. Defrost frozen coffee beans on a shelf away from heat, light, and moisture. Grind and brew your coffee beans within two weeks of thawing them.

• Storing Daily-Use Coffee Beans in the Freezer - Never store the coffee you use daily in the freezer. When you store daily-use coffee in the freezer, you expose it to fluctuating temperatures, which produce moisture. Moisture changes the cell structure of coffee and damages its aroma and flavor.

How Long Does Coffee Last?

Whole coffee beans stay fresh for two to three weeks before their quality and flavor reduce. Pre-ground coffee holds its peak freshness for approximately 30 minutes.

Coffee beans are the seeds of small cherries that grow on coffee plants, so you should approach coffee bean freshness with the same mindset you would any other plant product. Just like you wouldn’t cut pineapple and serve it to guests three months later, you shouldn’t grind coffee and serve it to guests months later either.

What Is Coffee Extraction?

Coffee extraction occurs during the brewing process. It is the art of diffusing coffee beans' natural coffee solubles into water. Desirable coffee solubles include lipids, carbohydrates, melanoidins, caffeine, and acids. If too few coffee solubles permeate the water, the brew’s flavor is weak. However, if the solubles over-saturate the water, the brewed coffee will taste bitter. The ideal coffee bean extraction percentage lies between 18-22%.

How to achieve ideal extraction varies by the size of your coffee grounds. The more intact your coffee beans are, the slower their extraction rate is. This is neither good nor bad, you just need to match your brewing method with your grind size.

Choosing the wrong grind size for your coffee brewing method will ruin your beans and yield either under or over extracted cups of coffee. Here are the coffee extraction terms you need to know:

• Balanced Extraction tastes rich with balanced acidity and offers a velvety palatal sensation. It is easy to achieve a balanced extraction when your coffee grounds are uniform.
• Under-Extracted Coffee tastes sour and tangy because it doesn’t have enough coffee solubles.
• Over-Extracted Coffee tastes bitter because it has an overpowering amount of coffee solubles.

What Makes Coffee Bitter?

Over-extraction makes coffee bitter. When coffee beans are ground too fine for their brewing method, brewed too long, or are steeped in scalding water, the coffee grounds over-extract, lose their flavor, and yield bitter cups of coffee. In contrast, under-extracted coffee is sour, salty, and acidic tasting.

How to Make Coffee Taste Good

The secret to making coffee taste good is having symmetrical coffee grounds, water between 195- and 205-degrees Fahrenheit, and the appropriate brew time for your brewing method. Check out our troubleshooting advice and transform your bitter or sour-tasting coffee into delicious beverages. You'll also want to clean your coffee grinder regularly to prevent rancid flavors from transferring into your coffee.

How to Fix Bitter Coffee

• Use coarser coffee grounds
• Raise the water temperature
• Reduce the brew time

How to Fix Sour Coffee

• Use finer coffee grounds
• Lower the water temperature
• Extend the brew time

You don't need an expensive coffee maker to serve a delicious cup of coffee. Grinding your coffee beans is the least expensive way to achieve balanced extraction and delight guests with smooth and rich cups of coffee. Reference back to our coffee grind chart to achieve the right coffee grind consistency for your brewing method.