For coffee lovers, is there anything that beats opening up your favorite bag of coffee beans and taking in the delightful scent of caffeine in the morning? From light roast to dark, there is a wonderful variety of coffee blends out there to enjoy with your trusted ceramic pour over coffee dripper. When it comes to grinds, coffee can be a little more picky about what method it prefers. Drinking a well-balanced and tasty cup of coffee is a true treat for coffee lovers, and knowing what methods bring out the best in different grinds will help you brew one perfect cup of java.
Coarse Grinds: From Cowboy Coffee to Chemex Brews
Ever had coffee cooked over a fire in a metal pot? This simple but effective method has been coined as ‘cowboy coffee’ and is where extra-coarse coffee does best. Coarse grinded coffee beans are typically used for brewing methods that utilize long contact time. Extra-coarse grinds don’t fair too well when using a ceramic pour over coffee dripper and are best suited to cold brew and for our outdoorsy coffee lovers, cowboy coffee. Moving away from the ‘extra,’ coarse grinds do well with a French press or the percolator method. Going up a step to medium-coarse, the Chemex brew method is what coffee connoisseurs want to be brewing their beans with. Similar to a French press, the Chemex method relies on boiling water coming into contact with the coffee beans, but this method relies on a thick filter and drips slowly through a fine grind.
Mighty Fine Beans
Fine grinds are the go-to blend for stovetop espresso and coffee makers rather than ceramic pour over coffee drippers. For the best results, the grind should be fine but not too powdery, resembling sugar in its consistency. Stovetop coffee makers typically expose beans to hot water for a short period of time, so using a fine grind ensures the flavors and caffeine are extracted properly. For those looking to brew Turkish coffee, an extra-fine grind is sure to do the trick. Tread carefully when grinding beans for a fine grind – too fine of a grind will leave you with one bitter cup of coffee!
Medium Fine and Pour Over Methods
Not too coarse and not too fine, medium-fine blends are the ideal grind when using a ceramic pour over coffee dripper. This grind comes in finer than your average beach sand but with more body than an espresso grind. The consistency of medium-fine grinds are ideal for pour over methods and will result in a robust cup of java with all the delicate flavors of the coffee beans found inside.
Start the Day with a Perfect Brew
No matter what grind you choose, starting the day with freshly ground coffee is sure to get you moving. Finding the perfect grind for a ceramic pour over coffee dripper can take some commitment and at-home experimentation of different consistencies and blends. Pairing grinds with a brewing method is truly a trial and error process, so what are you waiting for? Get your grinder ready and start grinding those beans! Click here to learn more.