Coffee is way more than your usual brew at the cafe. Think of it as you would be tasting wine. It’s like an art, where different aromas and flavors take place, and there are so many factors, and benefits of drinking coffee, that lead up to how good (or bad) your coffee tastes. One of the major factors at hand? Your coffee beans.
A lot of people have asked me if grinding fresh coffee beans by using a quality coffee grinder is better than using older ones. Of course, I would say it’s better, but how exactly does it affect your morning brew? Read on as I show you the five reasons to grind coffee fresh today!
It can get quite tedious grinding your coffee fresh instead of using already ground coffee. However, with the right tools and good coffee, you’re going to love the freshness of it! Here are just some reasons to convince you why you should at least try grinding your coffee fresh:
- Oxidation
If you aren’t familiar with oxidation, this is a process when compounds in your coffee beans interact with air molecules, creating different molecules which affect the aroma and flavor of your brew. Many of these compounds aren’t stable and would change quickly, which is why it’s important to use your coffee beans right away once you grind them.
If you use pre-ground coffee or wait too long after grinding to brew your coffee, you’re not able to capture the true flavor of your coffee. Oxidation begins right after you grind your beans, and it continues to carry on regardless of whether you began brewing or not. So to make the most of your coffee beans and get it’s strong and true flavors, it’s best to grind and brew fresh.
- Moisture
Not many people know that coffee beans contain oil! And even more, people don’t know about the fact that these oils are water-soluble! This is a necessity or you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the taste or smell of coffee as much as you do now.
But also, take note that it won’t take a whole cup of hot water to dissolve the oils, as moisture from the air would dilute these beans. This can really have the coffee lose its flavor and smell. That’s why you need to grind and brew your coffee fresh, as exposing the beans to room temperature atmosphere sabotages its compounds when stored for too long. Grinding makes it even more exposed to moisture, as it creates more surface area for the moisture to dissolve, hastening dilution.
That’s when you grind your beans, brew it right away!
- Co2 Depletion
Co2 is a major agent which transfers the coffee beans’ oils into the coffee (aka the boiling water). When grinding your beans, it creates more surface area that has Co2 escape. And take note, coffee beans are porous, making grinding worse if you don’t use fresh beans and leave it open to lose its flavor.
Furthermore, if you improperly store beans, it loses most of its Co2 and grinding older beans just makes the coffee not as glorious as you expect it to be.
- Contamination
When storing your beans in the kitchen, there will be various odors that will come through, infecting your ground coffee. Yes, the onions and garlic you cut dispose of an odor which can transfer to your beans, especially when they were already pre-ground! The same goes for storing your pre-ground beans in the fridge.
Not only does pre-ground beans not taste as flavorful, but there’s a chance of it tasting like some of the odors it absorbs from the environment. Definitely not a good thing!
- Grind Size
Another important reason why I LOVE grinding my own fresh coffee beans is that I have the absolute control of how I grind and brew for a taste I want. The more control I have over my coffee, the more I’m able to create that perfect brew to enjoy.
When grinding my coffee fresh, I don’t only have the strong and aromatic flavor, but also the control of grind size, which is what impacts the flavor and quality greatly.
Final Thoughts about Grinding Coffee Fresh
If you’re planning to grind the coffee, focus on investing (or even using your own) fresh coffee beans! You’ll notice the good change in flavor, improving your taste buds and having you a step closer to learning more about the wonders of coffee. The next lesson is choosing your desired coffee beans, a quality coffee grinder and what brew is best for you!
I hope that this article on the five reasons to grind coffee fresh helped you out. So don’t wait any longer and look into getting fresh coffee beans now.
If you have any questions to want to share your tips and experiences in grinding the coffee, then comment below. Your thoughts are much appreciated!