Best Ground Coffee: A Word on Fresh Roasted Coffee and DIY Grinding

(Image by David Dewitt - The Cozy Coffee)

The key to enjoying the most outstanding fresh roasted coffee is in the name – freshness. One of the most important lessons to learn when it comes to fresh coffee is the way in which fresh roasted coffee beans lose most of their flavour and aroma within a matter of days. Worse still, fresh ground coffee has the potential to lose most of its qualities in a matter of minutes.

Of course, it’s not to say you can’t enjoy a batch of the best ground coffee money can buy for a short while at least. Nevertheless, it’s no secret that the best ground coffee is the fresh ground coffee you grind yourself.

Buy fresh roasted coffee beans and grind them as you need them – a simple formula for perfect coffee.

So why is it that so many people come out with disappointing results?

The short answer comes down to two important considerations – storage and the grinding process.

If you’re going to buy fresh roasted coffee beans of the highest quality, it makes sense to store them carefully and sensibly. Airtight containers positioned in a cool dark place are just fine – fresh coffee beans don’t have to be stored in the fridge or freezer. That is, unless you plan on storing them for quite some time.

Keep moisture out of the equation by keeping an airtight seal in the container at all times, quickly replacing the lid each time you brew a batch of fresh coffee.

Other than this, it’s all about the grinding. Master the art of the grind and you’ll soon be tasting the best ground coffee you ever made at home. The good news being it’s also a pretty easy process, built largely around the following basic tips:

• Never grind fresh roasted coffee beans ahead of time. Unless you plan on using them to make fresh coffee within the next hour or so, leave them as whole beans and grind them later. This will make a huge difference.
• If you’re using a coffee filter pot of any kind, you’ll want to grind your beans as finely as possible to ensure maximum extraction during the process.
• By contrast, brewing fresh coffee using a percolator calls for a much courser grind. Likewise, if you’re looking to use a French Press, it’s better to go for a medium grind.
• Always ensure that your coffee grinder is kept immaculately clean, removing all traces of coffee after each use. Trace amounts left over could have an impact on the quality of the subsequent cup.
• Electric coffee grinders are faster, easier and more popular, though you can produce great fresh ground coffee with a manual coffee grinder as well.
• If you don’t have a coffee grinder to hand, simply wrap your fresh roasted coffee beans in a clean cloth and give them a bash with a rolling pin. It will usually get the job done just fine!

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* Nespresso ® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., unrelated to Hayman ®.