Beginners Guide to Coffee Grinding

This is your beginners guide to properly grinding your specialty coffee to maximize its flavor! For as long as Motorized Coffee has been selling coffee, we are always asked which grind size goes with which brewing method. Thankfully we have the answers you are looking for, after all our mantra is "grind beans, not gears". Does all of this really matter? Look at it this way, just because you can fill your brand new M4 with 87 octane doesn’t mean you would. Will the car blow up from one tank of bad gas? No, but the overall quality and performance of your driving experience would be decreased, same goes for an inaccurate coffee grind table.

The type of grinding you use all depends on how you brew your coffee, whether that's drip coffee, French Press, or as a pour-over. Why do you need different grinds for different brews? Good question! The base idea is that different brewing methods extract the grounds for different periods of time. The finer the grinds are, the less time water spends in contact with them. If your coffee grounds are too fine, they may get over-extracted and become flavorless when using certain brewing methods. We've created this handy table to walk you through the different kinds of grinds you should use for the different types of brews. Check it out.

Coarse - A coarse grind means they look a little like dirt, but that’s not to say they taste like it! If you enjoy making your coffee using a French Press, a coarse grind is the one for you since the coarser grind allows for slow extraction while avoiding over-extraction.

Medium - Medium is, as you might guess, the happy medium between fine and coarse. If you’re not entirely sure which grind suits your grounds the best, start out with medium. It feels like sand through your fingers and is what most coffee shops will use when making regular drip coffee. 

Fine - A fine grind is best for your standard drip coffee maker and pour-overs. This allows for a fast extraction of caffeine and flavor when hot water is passing through it. A super fine grind is what we suggest you use when making espresso! 

Want to start experimenting with your own grinds and brewing methods? Check out our roasts! All of them can be ordered as whole beans so you can find out which combination you like best. Much like modifying your ride with different wheels, wraps, and turbo setups, brewing the perfect coffee take a lot of patience as well as trial and error. Once you do find that golden combination, let us know on Instagram! We might feature you on our story for all to see!