Grind Guide
Grind Guide
The one variable that affects everything else.
Grind size controls how fast water moves through the coffee and how much it extracts. Get it wrong and no amount of good technique fixes it. Too fine and you get bitter, over-extracted coffee. Too coarse and you get weak, sour, under-extracted coffee.
Grind Size by Brew Method
| Method | Grind Size | Feels Like |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Brew | Extra Coarse | Coarse sea salt |
| French Press | Coarse | Rough kosher salt |
| Percolator | Medium-Coarse | Coarse sand |
| Drip | Medium | Fine sand |
| Pour-Over | Medium | Fine sand |
| AeroPress | Medium-Fine | Table salt |
| Moka Pot | Fine | Powdered sugar |
| Espresso | Very Fine | Flour |
Burr vs. Blade
A blade grinder chops randomly — you get a mix of dust and chunks in the same batch. Inconsistent particle size means uneven extraction. Part of your coffee over-extracts while another part under-extracts. The result tastes bad.
A burr grinder crushes beans between two abrasive surfaces set at a fixed distance. Every particle comes out the same size. Even an entry-level burr grinder at $40–60 will outperform any blade grinder.
If your coffee tastes bitter, go coarser. Tastes weak or sour, go finer. That adjustment fixes 80% of bad cups.
Dialing In a Burr Grinder
Start at the manufacturer's recommended setting for your brew method. Brew a cup. If it's bitter, move one notch coarser. If it's sour or weak, move one notch finer. Repeat until you find the sweet spot. Don't change two variables at once.