Nice day, good weather, how lovely is it to start with a cup of coffee, right? And a taste of well-grounded espresso will light up your day!
Drinking coffee has a lot of good effects, and there is no doubt about that. Many people make coffee either in the cup or the espresso machine.
However, to make espresso, you will have to use an espresso machine, of course. Yes, a machine. Since blending them or crushing them with a knife won’t do the job. And pulling espresso means grinding and brewing skills are needed.
Making your ideal espresso can be hard when you don’t have knowledge about the basics of grinding coffee beans. Espresso’s method of brewing will only take a bit of your time, unlike other brewing methods. With an espresso machine, preparation and grinding will be easier and right.
Having a guide will be a hand in making your espresso. But before I share with you the steps for grinding coffee beans, I will first talk over the basics of how to set the perfect grind setting to get the right grind, size, and fineness for your espresso.
Basics on Setting the Right Grind for Espresso
In order to brew the perfect espresso that is ideal for you, you must first know the basics of setting the right grind.
Now, sizes and fineness matter when it comes to coffee grounds. And as it goes through the brewing method, it needs a little experiment until you find the best taste for you. So, you really need to choose the perfect grind as there are different types of grinds, all of which give different flavors. Choosing out the best coffee grinder would be an excellent option as well.
The taste of your espresso should be great, so I have here a chart that we’ll go through to pick out what grind is best for making your espresso.
| Grind Type | Texture | Suitable For |
| Coarse | Chunky | Frech Press / Cold Brew |
| Medium-Course | Less Chunky | Pour Over |
| Medium | Sea Salt | Machine Drip / Siphon |
| Fine | Table Salt | Moka Pot (Espresso) |
| Extra Fine | Powdered Sugar | Turkish Coffee Pot |
We have five different types of coffee grind, as shown in the chart above.
And as we can see, the recommended grind for espresso is the fine coffee grind. With a fine grind setting, the ground particles must have a value according to the type of beans and the espresso machine used.
The fine grind has the same size and texture as sugar or drinking flour. This characteristic makes it an excellent choice because it is composed simply. The idea of fine grinding is for excellent extraction through pressure.
The size should approximately be around 1/32 of an inch as average. The fineness should result into a powdery – sugar-like – texture. In this way, it can be packed together well when extracting through pressure, and will define how much flavor will be pulled out.
Now that we’ve talked through the basics of setting the right grind, size, and fineness, let us dive into the real deal here.
So, stay on the page with me as I will give you a guide on how to effectively grind coffee beans for your ideal espresso at home. These steps will help you out and will put ease on your brewing.
How do you grind coffee beans perfectly?
Grinding coffee beans perfectly is essential to achieve the right taste for your espresso. The extraction process will show how much taste your espresso will be, so you may want to determine the right grind setting, size, and fineness.
There are two types of grinders: Manual grinders and Automatic grinders. Most of the time, people choose automatic grinders over manual ones since it will ease out the method and work better.
One of the best automatic grinders that you can use is a Burr grinder. This type of grinder grinds beans into powder perfectly fine. Unlike a blade grinder, it is similar to a blender, which is not ideal for grounding coffee beans.
So, how to achieve a perfectly fine grind of coffee beans?
Extraction can be affected by the grind consistency. So, having a perfectly fine grind of coffee beans will help you get the ideal flavor for your espresso.
To achieve a fine grind of coffee beans, you need to choose the best coffee grinder which will do the job. And one I can suggest is a Burr grinder, an automatic grinder which many prefer. Using this type of grinder will ensure that you will get a fine grind of coffee beans, and you will not worry about the beans getting roasted.
Make sure that the ground particles have a size of approximately around 0.8 mm. Grinds should resemble sugar. This average size is required so that, by the extraction process, water can briefly come in contact with the ground and saturate it evenly.
Put a small number of beans in the grinder. Then, add beans continuously until you achieve your ideal amount. Never stack too much, as it can overflow and fall out before grinding.
Always have in mind to grind your own coffee beans. Others may have different preferences, so you need to grind them on your own. In the process, make sure to determine your preference of grind to see what will work best for you.
Proper coffee measurement is the key to a perfect grind. Using grams on a kitchen scale, you want to measure out your beans before you grind them.
And, of course, know your grind settings. We’ve talked through this, and I assume that you know the right grind setting for espresso, the fine grind setting.
Brewing
Following the guide, you want to make sure your espresso machine is ready for brewing. Start by setting your machine’s temperature up.
Use a portafilter to be inserted in the Espresso machine when extracting. You can fill it with 3-4 tablespoons of finely ground coffee beans. After filling it in, tamp it down to get it packed together.
Use not fully distilled water as this will give a flavorful espresso. Don’t use water that is softened too much as it will result in a flavorless beverage. During the extraction, the water will be forced through the ground particles as pressure builds up, so not fully distilled water should bring out a good flavor.
A tip from Whole Latte Love when brewing, Your goal is to produce a 2-5oz double shot of espresso in 20-30 seconds. That is the Golden Rule of espresso for timing and volume. It is where most coffees are at their best, where they produce the most crema and are not under-extracted and watery or over-extracted and bitter.
These steps will help you brew a warm, fresh, and flavorful espresso to begin your day with!
How To Grind Coffee Beans For Espresso – Conclusion
Knowing how to grind your coffee beans to ensure balanced extraction for your brewing technique is crucial for making your ideal coffee. You want a tasteful coffee, so you may want to follow these steps to help you produce your desired flavor, regardless of the sort of coffee drink you want to brew.
Go through this guide to determine the right grind setting, size, and fineness for your brewing process and create a flavorful espresso within half a minute.