All About The Grind

When coffee beans are ground, oils are released and fill the air with a rich fragrance. To ensure that sensory experience transfers to the cup, it is essential that coffee is freshly ground and the grind size is specific to the brew method.

Grinding coffee beans just before brewing is best practice for getting the most flavorful cup as the coffee flavor is better maintained in the whole bean form as compared to ground coffee. Exposure to oxygen causes coffee to lose flavor and whole beans have less surface area exposed to oxygen. When ground, coffee flavors degrade faster than whole beans since more surface area is exposed. 

Proper grind size is essential for coffee flavor extraction. Under-extracted coffee will be watery and acidic, and indicates the grind was too coarse. Over-extracted coffee will be bitter and have an overpowering, unpleasant flavor, most likely due to a grind that was too fine. Different brew methods require different steeping times and as the steeping time increases, so does the coarseness of the grind. Another way to think about grind size is surface area and saturation. The more finely a coffee is ground, the more surface area is exposed and the quicker the coffee is saturated, therefore the steeping time is much shorter.

The three most common coffee grinds are:

Coarse Grind

When coffee grounds are going to spend a long time in water, a coarse grind is best to ensure the flavors do not over-extract and/or the coffee does not dissolve into the drink. Longer brew methods perfect for coarsely ground coffee are French press, cold brew and percolator. The texture of coarsely ground coffee is similar to sea salt.

Medium Grind

The most popular grind is medium and is ideal for traditional drip coffee makers. The texture of this grind is similar to sand. 

Fine Grind 

Finely ground coffee is for espresso machines because the coffee spends very little time in the water. The finely ground coffee has a lot of surface area exposed in the water and therefore requires very little time to extract the flavor. Finely ground coffee has a powdery texture.

Find Whole Bean or Perfectly Ground Coffee At Primos

We offer whole bean coffee if you prefer to grind your own but we also have ground coffee for your preferred brew method. Our coffee is specialty coffee, hand-picked in Nicaragua, and roasted to order in Texas. Our bags are specially designed with three layers and a one-way valve to keep your coffee as fresh as possible. So whatever your preference, we have it!