Does grind matter?
You bet it does…grind too coarse and your coffee will be underextracted, weak and insipid; grind too fine and it will over OVER extracted, bitter and tannic (like leaving your tea bag in the cup for too long!)
How to get it right?
- Use a burr grinder
this pulverizes the coffee into consistent particle sizes instead of the uneven chunks you see from using a cheap old blade style model – you can buy a decent one, like a Mr Coffee burr grinder, from Target for $40 or so – but get your ear plugs out cos it’s noisy!
step up to $100 or so and get a nice, stylee Bodum (drop in a pic) which is powerful AND quiet…there are lots of other options too but I like the Bodum..easy to clean as well. Be aware – If you brew dark roasts you’ll have to clean your grinder of oils more frequently - Use the right amount of coffee
Only YOU know how strong you like your coffee but here’s some guidelines – I use and recommend:
1.5oz coffee for a 34oz French Press – grind feels like sea salt (coarse)
.75oz coffee for a 10-12oz pour-over – grind feels like fine sand (smooth)
.75-1oz for a 16oz Clever Coffee Dripper – grind feels like table salt
My tip? forget the tablespoons etc..just weigh it once then you can eyeball it. Not strong enough? You can:
- Use more coffee
- Grind a little finer
- Let it steep longer..you’ll dial it in and have great coffee..it’s not rocket science
Too strong? Reverse all the above.
I am 75 years old and have drinking coffee since the age of 11. By far the best cup is brewed by the one cup Vietnam french style drip method. No filter, just stainless steel. about ten bucks on eBay. I’ve been using it for 4 years so far I’ve never gone back to the old methods.
Thanks Michael- appreciate the comment! I’m glad you found a format that works for you. That’s what we’re all looking for..mine is the French Press..but we’re all different! Cheers…Mick Hill