Those who brew their own morning cup of joe on a daily basis know that possessing a quality coffee grinder is crucial. In fact, choosing the right grinder for your coffee beans is one of our 26 coffee hacks you need to know for a better cup. Why, you ask? Look writer Ayomari points out how a high-quality coffee bean grinder has better blades that are more efficient at evenly grinding the beans. You can also choose how fine you want the grind to be. Uniformly ground beans are key because they help the coffee maker’s hot water extract all those rich, delicious coffee flavors we love. As a result, your coffee will taste fresher and more flavorful.
Meanwhile, unevenly ground coffee beans, or grounds that are too coarse, often produce more acidic coffee. Thus, getting your coffee to taste perfect in the morning really comes down to how you treat your beans. If they’re not ground properly and evenly, you can end up with a cup that’s not only too acidic but also unbalanced, too sour or bitter, or just plain dull and lacking in flavor. When you invest in a quality coffee grinder, your morning brew will taste better, and you can even start creating your own flour and spice blends at home — two of 12 other unexpected ways to use your coffee grinder. Just be sure to keep your coffee grinder clean and odor-free with the help of sugar and rice if you choose to use it for different purposes.
Always grind your own coffee beans whenever you can
You may wonder if you can forgo grinding your coffee beans and opt for convenience by using pre-ground coffee instead. After all, this ready-made version comes evenly and finely ground. The answer is no. For the perfect morning cup of joe, always grind your own coffee beans right before you brew a cup, whenever you can. Once your coffee goes through a grinder, its surface area is increased, meaning it starts rapidly losing freshness and oxidizing when exposed to air. For this reason, coffee made from pre-ground beans often has less flavor and robustness than coffee brewed from those that were freshly ground.
Additionally, when you grind your own coffee beans at home, you grind just enough for your needs, and the rest of the beans stay whole. There’s no accidental waste or need to store coffee grounds that will rapidly oxidize. Despite its convenience, pre-ground coffee simply cannot compete with the quality and flavor integrity of beans that were freshly ground just before brewing (and science supports this). Grinding your own coffee beans also makes your kitchen smell like your favorite cafe every morning. Plus, it’s a satisfying part of the daily cathartic ritual that is homebrewing a fresh cup of joe.
