Coffee Grind Size: How to Grind Coffee Beans for Your Brewing Method

If you love coffee, you probably know how different brewing methods can create different results. And you have probably already chosen your favorite method of brewing coffee, whether that is using a percolator, a plunger, an espresso machine, or another method.

But to get the most aromatic and flavorsome cup of coffee from your preferred way of brewing, you also need to consider the coffee ground size.

Grinding Coffee

Coffee beans are roasted in order to maximize their full flavor potential.

When you grind coffee beans, you unleash that flavor. However, if the coffee grounds are too coarse for your chosen method of brewing, they will be under-extracted and end up tasting salty or sour.

On the other hand, if your coffee grounds are over-extracted, your coffee can taste bitter.

So, getting the right coffee grind size for your brewing method is of the utmost importance if you want to enjoy the aroma and taste of your coffee to its fullest potential.

Using a Burr Grinder

Before looking at how to grind coffee beans for your own brewing method, you should know that using the right grinder can help you to get the right grind size, whatever your preferred brewing method is.

While a blade grinder is one of the most commonly used coffee grinders, which works like a juicer in that it chops the beans with a blade, the drawback of a blade grinder is that it ends up creating coffee particles of different sizes.

The bean particles can be ground to a medium, fine, or coarse texture, which is no good if you want to drink a cup of coffee with maximum flavor. That is because when coffee grounds are all different sizes, they all have different extraction rates.

Furthermore, the blades of blade grinders produce heat, which can further damage the flavor of the coffee beans.

When you get your coffee supplies, look for a burr grinder instead of a blade grinder. Also known as burr mills, burr grinders crush the coffee beans between two discs known as burrs. With that crushing technique, you will produce consistently-sized coffee grounds every time.

Coffee Grind Sizes for Your Brewing Method

You can use a burr grinder to get the precise size of coffee grounds you need for your particular brewing method. So, for brewing methods that use:

  • Percolators or French presses, the particles should be coarse and 1 millimeter in size.
  • Moka pots, Aeropress, pour-over cones, and siphon brewers, the particles should be a medium-fine grind of about 0.5 millimeters in size.
  • Drip coffee makers and Chemex, the particles should be of a medium grind, around 0.75 millimeters.
  • Espresso makers, the particles should be fine, around 0.3 millimeters.
  • Turkish coffee pots, the particles should be super fine, at around 0.1 millimeters.

Consider the Quantity of Coffee You Use, Too

To make the perfect cup of coffee, you also need to consider the amount of coffee grounds you use.

While the standard is two tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water, that standard does not always produce the most flavorsome drink.

It has to do with the fact that different coffees have different densities. One type of coffee could weigh less than another type, even though the volume remains the same.

You should therefore weigh the amount of coffee that is ideal for your brewing method, rather than using tablespoons to measure volume.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the more you learn about coffee brewing and the more attention you pay to coffee ground sizes and brewing methods, the surer you can be that you will always brew a beautiful, full-flavored, and aromatic cup of coffee.