Fresh Ground Coffee

If you are looking for information on how to grind coffee, look no further!

The first step to a great coffee grind is to start off with Fresh Roasted Coffee.

We recommend buying your coffee whole bean, and then grinding your coffee prior to each time you decide to brew your Cup of Joe. Never grind frozen coffee; if you are going to freeze your coffee just make sure that you give the coffee beans ample time to warm up to room temperature before grinding. We recommend that you store your coffee in an airtight container in a dry place like your pantry, but for the love of all coffee, never put your coffee in the refrigerator otherwise your coffee will taste like whatever you have in your fridge.

The second step is deciding which type of grinder to use. (This decision is affected by the type of coffee brewing device you plan to use.) We recommend finding a good quality, yet affordable coffee grinder. There are a lot of different types of grinders out there on the market today, but we recommend our handy dandy Bodum Electric Grinder. We recommend it because it is extremely dependable, easy to use, and best of all it’s affordable. If you are looking to buy our Bodum Electric Grinder, you can purchase it here.

The most common types of coffee grinders on the market today are Burr Grinders and Blade Grinders.

Burr Grinder

In a Burr Grinder, steel burrs rotate effectively to grind the coffee beans to a uniform size. Usually you will choose a certain setting such as, “Drip,” “Cone Filter,” “French Press,” “Percolator/Toddy Cold Brew,” “Espresso,” etc. A good Burr Grinder can generally run you $75-$150.

Blade Grinder

Blade Grinders “chop” the coffee up as the blades rotate at a very high speed generally around 20,000-30,000 rpm. There are no settings such as “Drip” or “French Press.” You simply look through the glass or plastic top, and when you feel the coffee has been ground up to perfection for you desired type of brewing, simply turn off the grinder. It does not have the capabilities to do as many grinds as a Burr Grinder. It is next to impossible to grind coffee to an “Espresso” or “Turkish” grind using a blade grinder. However, it is perfect for most coffee consumers looking for a “Drip” or “French Press” for example. A good Blade Grinder can run $25-$50.

Different Types of Coffee Grinds

Drip Coffee is the most consumed coffee in the United States. Drip coffee is the process of brewing coffee by pouring hot water over coffee grounds. The coffee is then collected in a container such as a Coffee Pot, Airpot, or coffee cup. Whether you are at your house, or whether you are in a coffee shop getting a cup of brewed coffee, you are almost certain to be drinking “Drip Coffee”. The coffee grind is coarse enough for the water to seep through the coffee, while absorbing the coffee oils and flavors from the coffee grinds. We recommend about 2 Tablespoons per 8 oz of boiling hot water. A drip coffee grind is a medium grind or commonly known in many coffee houses as a #6 grind. A Cone Filter Drip is a #5, and produces a bit stronger tasting coffee since it takes a little bit longer for the water to run through the coffee.

Chemex Coffee is one of the more popular types of coffee pour-overs. Made entirely of glass, with a wooden handle for ease when pouring, this is a must try for that coffee connoisseur. When grinding your coffee for a Chemex, you should choose a slightly finer grind than your medium grind for Automatic Drip Coffee. Commonly known as a #5 for most coffee shops, pour-overs involve the user in the process of making each and every cup. By manually pouring water over the grinds you can better saturate the coffee grinds, the end result is a better extraction of the coffee compared to a automatic drip machine. This results in a better cup of joe, and best of all it’s a lot of fun for the user.

Melitta pour-overs are just as popular as the Chemex, and use the ever popular cone filter. You will again want to use a #5 grind, which is just a little finer than your medium grind that you would use for Automatic Drip Coffee. The goal here is to slow down the rate at which the water flows through the grinds. Pour-overs are very popular right now as the market and demand is continuing to grow. It does take a little bit of extra time in the morning as you cannot just set a pour-over to start at 6 am while you are still sleeping, but we think the end result is perfection.

A French Press Grind is coarser ground coffee where the coffee remains in the French Press (a.k.a Press Pot) throughout the entire brewing process. A French Press Grind is a very coarse ground coffee that is put into the bottom of the French Press, and then boiling hot water is added on top of the grinds. After an extended period of time (3-5 Minutes), you push the plunger down and it forces all of the coffee grinds to the bottom of the press pot. This leaves you with a very strong cup of coffee. We recommend 2 oz of coarsely ground coffee per 25 oz of boiling hot water. If the grind is too fine, the plunger will become ineffective, and it will leave coffee grinds in your cup. You need to make sure you ask your local barista for a coarse ground coffee for a French Press Coffee Maker. This is commonly known to most coffee shops as a #10.

Cold Brew Coffee is by far the best process to make Iced Coffee. Essentially you soak coarse ground coffee in a container filled with water for 8-12 Hours. This results in a very strong coffee concentrate that can then be mixed with ice and milk or water if you prefer black iced coffee. Here at Lakota Coffee Co. We use a Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System, which is one of the best cold brew coffee systems on the market. You want to set your grinder to pretty much the coarsest grind on your coffee grinder “Percolator,” also known in a lot of coffee shops as #13. We use 1 pound of coffee per 72 oz of water. Let it stand for 8-12 Hours, and then allow all of the coffee to filter through into a container. Next, add milk (or water if you prefer) and ice. 3-4 oz of Coffee Concentrate + 8 oz of Milk/Water + 4 oz of Ice = the best Iced Coffee money can buy!

Moka Pot (a.k.a Stove Top Espresso) is another great method of getting the consumer engaged with the brewing process. You will need finely ground coffee (espresso grind or just a touch coarser than espresso). We recommend our Espresso Blend but you could choose a different coffee of your liking if you have a certain coffee in mind.

1. Fill the metal filter and wipe off any excess grounds. Do not tamp down like you would for a shot of espresso.

2. Place the filter in the bottom chamber, now secure the top chamber to the bottom.

This brewing method is great for camping as you can use a gas/electric stovetop or a fire to heat the metal Moka Pot; you can of course just use your good old fashioned stove top in your kitchen when you’re not camping. The end result in the cup is a rich, strong, cup of coffee. Add a little cream and sugar and you have one special treat.

An Espresso Grind is an extremely fine coffee ground down to a fine powder substance – it should only have a little bit of grit to it. Any respectable coffee house has an art to pouring a good shot of espresso. In Italy a Barista is not considered a master of their domain for at least 4 years. Baristas don’t make coffee, they create coffee. A shot of espresso should have a thick layer of dark caramel color crema on top. A shot of espresso should pour for 18-22 seconds. The finer the grind, the longer it takes for the water to go through the coffee. A longer pour will result in a stronger tasting espresso. The coarser the grind, the quicker the water will go through the coffee. This will result in a weaker, more watered down tasting shot of espresso. Most coffee shops will grind espresso on a #2-3 setting. For the average coffee drinker in America, a pure shot of espresso is to strong for them, so they dilute it to make a Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, Americano, etc.

Turkish Coffee, also known as Arabic Coffee or Greek Coffee, is the process of grinding coffee down to a fine powder almost to the texture of baking flour. Then, you boil the coffee with sugar and water long enough for the grinds to somewhat dissolve. Once the coffee has been boiled long enough, simply pour and enjoy. Any remaining coffee sediments will for the most part settle at the bottom of your cup. Turkish Coffee is ground to the finest point possible, known simply as Turkish Grind or #1 for most coffee shops. Generally speaking it is very hard for most coffee grinders for home use to be able to get the coffee ground fine enough for Turkish. It is possible for you to reach a Turkish Grind, it just takes some trial and error.