How Do You Grind Coffee Beans?

Discover 4 different ways to grind coffee beans at home

We’ve all got a jar of ground coffee in our cupboards at home. But how do baristas in coffee shops grind the coffee beans which become the base of our favourite coffee drink?It is important to use the correct grind setting for the brew method you are doing, as it will affect the flavour of your drink. There are many different variants of grind, all of which need different tools. Espresso is the finest grind setting we are concerned with.

Here are some examples of different bean grinding tools, which create different drinks.

Bean Grinding Tools

Professional Grinder

These are used in a commercial coffee environment. The grind setting must be precisely calibrated or ‘dialled in’ and monitored throughout the day to maintain the right brew ratio of ground coffee in and liquid espresso out of the machine.

Grinding By Hand

You can grind coffee by hand at home with a cafetiere or french press. Leave your coffee for 4-5 minutes before plunging the cafetiere, to leave enough time for the flavours to be extracted.

Filter Coffee Machines

The easiest tool for making coffee is a filter coffee machine. You can buy these from most supermarkets or online at Amazon.

Drip Brew Method

Drip brew coffee is made through the process of pouring hot water over ground beans, which are contained within a filter. You can now buy coffee makers especially for drip brew coffee, such as the Chemex or the Hario V60.