Match the grind to the contact time: fine for espresso, medium fine for pour over, medium for drip machines, coarse for French press and extra coarse for cold brew. Then adjust by taste.
Why does grind size matter?
Water pulls flavor out of coffee through the surface of each particle. Smaller particles have more surface and give up flavor faster, larger ones more slowly. So the grind has to match how long the water and coffee spend together. A short contact, like espresso, needs a fine grind. A long one, like cold brew, needs a coarse grind. Get it wrong and the cup turns sour or bitter even with good beans.
What grind size is right for espresso?
Espresso needs a fine grind, a little finer than table salt and close to powdered sugar. The water is pushed through under pressure in around 25 to 30 seconds, so the coffee has to give up flavor quickly. Small changes matter a lot here. If the shot runs too fast and tastes sour, go finer. If it drips slowly and tastes bitter, go coarser.
What grind size is right for pour over?
Pour over works well with a medium fine grind, similar to table salt or sea salt. A single cup usually takes 3 to 4 minutes. Cone drippers often like it a touch finer, flat bottom drippers a touch coarser. Use your total brew time as the guide and adjust one step at a time.
What grind size is right for a drip machine?
Automatic drip machines with flat bottom baskets usually suit a medium grind, like coarse sand. Pre-ground coffee sold as all purpose is often close to this. If the coffee tastes flat and weak, go a little finer. If it tastes harsh, go a little coarser.
What grind size is right for French press?
A French press needs a coarse grind, like rough sea salt or breadcrumbs. The coffee steeps for about 4 minutes, and a fine grind would both over extract and slip through the metal mesh, leaving sludge in the cup. If you see a lot of fine sediment, your grinder may be producing too many fines, or the setting is too fine.
What grind size is right for cold brew?
Cold brew uses an extra coarse grind, similar to cracked peppercorns. Cold water extracts slowly, so the coffee steeps for 12 to 24 hours. A coarse grind keeps the concentrate smooth and makes it much easier to filter. A ratio around 1:8 makes a concentrate you then dilute with water or milk.
Should you use a burr grinder or a blade grinder?
A burr grinder crushes beans between two burrs set at a fixed gap, so the particles come out close to the same size. A blade grinder chops them at random, giving a mix of dust and chunks that extract unevenly. For any method where taste matters, a burr grinder is the better tool, and a hand burr grinder needs no outlet.
How do you dial in a new setting?
Start in the middle of the range for your method, brew with your usual ratio and taste. Sour and thin means go finer. Bitter and dry means go coarser. Move one step at a time and keep everything else the same. Grind only what you need just before brewing, since ground coffee loses aroma within minutes.