Coffee ground size. It’s often an overlooked detail when it comes to brewing your morning cup of Joe but it can make a huge difference when it comes to taste, quality, and flavor of your coffee.
Think buying your coffee already ground exempts you from these tips? Not so fast! Commercially ground coffee tends to not take into account your brewing machine (or, as we call it in the coffee world: “extraction method”) or the ideal grind size. Grinding it even just a little bit further can make an impact.
So how do you know the right size of grounds your coffee should be? We’ll walk you through it.
Your Machine
First thing’s first, how are you brewing your coffee? This is going to be the most important factor as it greatly influences ideal coffee ground size from coarsest to finest:
- Cold Brew Coffee: Extra Coarse
- French Press: Coarse
- Chemex Coffee Maker: Medium-Coarse
- Clever Dripper: Medium-Coarse
- Cafe Solo Brewer: Medium-Coarse
- Refillable K-Cups: Medium
- Flat Bottom Drip Coffee Machines (Most Common): Medium
- Siphon Coffee Maker: Medium
- Aeropress (with 3+ minute brew time): Medium
- Cone-Shaped Pour-Over Brewers: Medium-Fine
- Aero Press (with a 1 minute brew time): Fine
- Moka Pot (Stovetop Espresso Maker): Fine
Does Grind Size Affect Coffee?
The size of your coffee grounds greatly affects the taste and quality of your coffee. If you use too coarse of grounds, your coffee can turn out weak. If your grounds are too fine, the coffee can be bitter. Small changes in grind size can really change the taste of your brew.
Can You Use Coarse Ground Coffee in a Coffee Maker?
Coarse ground is better suited for a French Press method and you’ll find that using coarse ground coffee in a drip coffee maker will result in a flavor that’s lacking. For best results, we recommend using a medium ground coffee (between fine and ground) for great drip coffee! All of our ground coffees come at this grind level as it is the most popular brewing method. Purchase whole bean bags of coffee if you want finer or coarser ground level.
What Kind of Grind is Store Bought Coffee?
Most coffee brands that grind their coffee and sell it will use a medium grind level, some verging on a medium-coarse. Espresso coffee that’s pre-ground should already be more finely ground but you’ll want to check before you use it.
How Do I Choose Coffee Grounds?
The choice depends greatly on which equipment/extraction method you’re using. As we mentioned above, here are the general guidelines for grind level from coarsest to finest:
Cold Brew Coffee: Extra Coarse
It’ll look like: ground pepper corns
French Press: Coarse
It’ll look like: coarse sea salt
Chemex Coffee Maker: Medium-Coarse
It’ll look like: coarse/rough sand
Clever Dripper: Medium-Coarse
It’ll look like: coarse/rough sand
Cafe Solo Brewer: Medium-Coarse
It’ll look like: coarse/rough sand
Refillable K-Cups: Medium
It’ll look like: finer than sand, almost like loose dirt
Flat Bottom Drip Coffee Machines (Most Common): Medium
It’ll look like: finer than sand, almost like loose dirt
Siphon Coffee Maker: Medium
It’ll look like: finer than sand, almost like loose dirt
Aeropress (with 3+ minute brew time): Medium
It’ll look like: finer than sand, almost like loose dirt
Cone-Shaped Pour-Over Brewers: Medium-Fine
It’ll look like: finer than sand, almost like loose dirt
Aero Press (with a 1 minute brew time): Fine
It’ll look like: table salt
Moka Pot (Stovetop Espresso Maker): Fine
It’ll look like: table salt
What is the Best Coffee Grind Size?
The best grind size for coffee depends on the brewing method you’re using to make your coffee. Please reference are above section to locate your equipment and the recommended grind level for that method.
Does Finer Grind Make Stronger Coffee?
Finer coffee does not make coffee stronger, though it is optimal for espresso coffee in espresso machines, and aero press coffee. This will ensure all of the necessary flavor is extracted and the cup isn’t bitter. However, it does not technically make it “stronger.” We don’t recommend using finely ground coffee for other types of brewing methods as it may result in over-extracted coffee that tastes bitter or acidic.
Which is Stronger, Fine or Coarse Ground Coffee?
While none are technically stronger or weaker, you can get the right amount of flavor extraction based on which brewing method you’re using. If you want to make your coffee stronger, you can up your coffee grounds to water ratio. Most experts recommend a 15:1 water to coffee grounds ratio to maximize flavor and extraction. If you want stronger coffee, use more grounds for the same amount of water.
There are a couple of other ways to boost the strength of your coffee:
- Using fresh coffee
- Buying your coffee in whole beans and grinding it yourself in the amount you need each morning (this keeps it fresher longer)
See above for details on the right grind level for your equipment/method.
What is Coarse Ground Coffee Used For?
Coarse ground coffee is best when used in a French Press. This allows for the flavor to be more readily extracted in this process.
How Do I Choose a Coffee Grinder?
Blade grinders are super common, and are unfortunately not the best tool when it comes to grinding coffee. If you want a truly great cup of coffee, you’ll want to use a burr coffee grinder. This will ensure an event grind level, unlike blade grinders which tend to result in an inconsistent grind level which leads to over extraction of the grounds that are too fine and under extraction of the grounds that are too coarse. It can be very difficult to achieve an even and consistent grind level with blade grinders.