8 mistakes made when grinding coffee

Friday, September 21, 2007

The very first two mistakes people make when you are talking about grinding coffee have to do with the way in which they store the coffee beans and the way in which they store their ground coffee. If you have heard the myth about freezing your coffee beans and your coffee grounds, please erase it from it your memory. This is one of the worst thinks you can do! When you freeze coffee beans or grounds, you are allowing moisture to soak into the beans or the granules of your coffee. This will ruin the flavor once you do grind the beans or even use the granules to make that first cup of coffee in the morning. In addition, when you place frozen coffee beans in a grinder it is similar to placing small stones or gravel in the grinder.

Okay, to prevent moisture from attacking your whole coffee beans you should place them in an airtight container, at room temperature, away from light. This will aid in keeping your beans fresh until ready to grind. In addition, your ground coffee should be stored in the same exact way.

Another mistake that many people make when grinding their coffee is they purchase the wrong beans. You cannot blame the grinder for the taste of the coffee if you did not purchase the correct coffee beans in the first place. Lighter roasted beans are sharper and more acidic than the darker roasts. Darker roasted coffee beans have a fuller and more robust flavor. If the coffee beans have been oven roasted, they will have a smoky or charcoal flavor. Another thing you may not believe is that darker roasted beans have less caffeine.

Grinding too much coffee at one time is the next big mistake. Just as mentioned previously, storing your coffee has a lot to do with the fresh flavor. If you grind too much then you are going to have to keep it stored properly or you will not get that fresh flavor you desire. Coffee will not stay fresh for longer than a day or two after grinding.

Would you believe you might not be producing the flavor you love with your coffee grinder and coffee maker because you are creating the wrong grind of coffee for the type of coffee maker you use? Not every coffee machine is great with coarse or fine granules.

Just because you think you know exactly how to work your grinder, another mistake that is often made is that the grinder is not being used properly. You should read the instructions and use the grinder as per the instructions to ensure the quality flavor of your coffee.

The next mistake is in the cleaning and maintenance. If you do not clean your grinder after every use, you will have residue from the last grinding session and so on and so forth. Proper cleaning will ensure each type you grind your coffee beans the flavor will be the same.

Last but certainly not least, you should ensure that the beans are consistent in size. Coarse grounds mixed with fine grounds will not produce flavorful coffee.