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Ground coffee
Initially, people boiled whole beans to make coffee which would take wrong and also irregularly extract the flavor and also the aroma the result was mostly a high caffeine bitter solution. But with time breaking coffee into pieces was noted to bring a bit more balanced and rich flavor and with ground coffee brewing time was even reduced.
Coffee is ground after it has gone through the roasting process. Coffee roasting helps extract and develop different flavors in the coffee which people want to taste in brewing. Finer ground coffee with fully extract the coffee flavor making it strong.
Coffee grinding levels
Extra-coarse is like small pebbles while coarse grind coffee is like seal coarse salt and the particles are chunky. The medium sized ground coffees are textured like coarse sand while fine grind coffee is sooth with salt or sugar feel when rubbed between fingers. Extra fine grounds have the grit fill and not as powdery as sugar though is still a ball park. The flour like grinds is the Turkish ground coffee which is most powdery.
Coffee grinding size and brewing method
The size in which a coffee bean is ground is one of the determine factor on how the coffee will be stronger or balanced the coffee will be. Different brewing method also requires certain size of ground coffee. For instance espresso will require fine ground coffee beans since it takes very little time to brew and extract the flavor. Espresso machine also uses pressure thus forcing water to pass through the ground.
On the other side French press requires medium coarse ground coffee so as not to over extract the coffee flavor especially the bitterness. Something else that makes coarse found coffee for most brewing method including filter and pour over is the fact that water flows more easily through the grounds to extract flavor. Moreover, unlike the fine ground coffee, coarse grounds cannot fall through the filter holes in to the coffee brew.
Basically toddy brewer goes well with the extra-coarse ground coffee beans while percolator, cupping and French press methods will produce a great cup of coffee with a coarse grind. Chemex and cafe solo coffee brewers are good with medium coarse grounds and flat bottom coffee drip brewer with medium grounds.
For the moka pot, cone filter drip, vacuum pot, pour over, porta filtered espresso machine and siphon brewer, a medium fine ground coffee beans wit be just fine. Espresso brewing and aero press are best fitted for fine ground coffee while the extra fine or powdery grounds brew well using Turkish brewer.
Effect of the roasting process to coffee grounds
Dark roasted coffee beans are more brittle when ground than the light roasted coffee beans. This is due to the fact that as the beans are roasted darker, they lose more moisture content. Light roasted coffee beans are more tenacious than the dark roasted coffee beans. Depending on the brewing method you are using, dark roasted and light roasted beans need to be ground differently and at different sizes.
How soon the coffee is roasted after harvesting will also affect how the coffee grounds. Ultimately coffee is ready for roasting 3 to six months after harvesting. Green coffee beans gets woodier the more they stay without roasting which effects how the coffee roasts. Coffee ground sooner after harvesting will give finer dust particles than those which have overstayed. Coffee beans are best when roasted soonest possible after harvesting.
Pre-ground coffee beans
Whole beans keep flavor more than the ground coffee beans especially when they are in the green bean state. Whole coffee bean, even when roasted keeps the coffee oils stay intact in the beans protected by the outer shell and the fact that less surface are is exposed.
The moment the bean is ground, the coffee can lose it quality flavor and aroma in minutes. Coffee flavor, oils and aroma are very volatile most of which are made by soluble components and are very chemically reactive to the surrounding environment.
Coffee experts always suggest that for a fresh cup of coffee, fresh roasted and fresh ground beans are the best. So it is always advisable to make a habit of having at least the option of grinding your own coffee beans. It is also recommended that you should only ground coffee beans which you can consume there and there.
The challenge why most people prefer the already ground coffee is the fact that whole beans are expensive to buy and the grinding process makes coffee making a big process. `
Reasons why you should not buy Pre-Ground coffee
- Ground coffee can easily get contaminated. The oils, flavor and aroma components can easily pick the odors and other particles around them which may destroy the original coffee tasting as well as the scent.
- Ground coffee also exposes it compounds to the atmosphere which get oxidized by oxygen making coffee lose about 60 percent of its aroma a few minutes after grinding.
- Since the oils, flavor and aroma components are soluble in water including the caffeine. When the coffee grounds are exposed to moisture, the volatile oils in the coffee are diluted while the other compounds will dissolve in the moisture as well depriving the coffee of it taste and aroma.
- Losing of the C02 gas created during the roasting process is another reason why on shelf ground coffee is not an option for you. The co2 gas helps in getting the oils found in the coffee beans in to the coffee when they are released. In the time of coffee grinding, more than 80 percent of the gas is lost within the first one hour
Food prepared with ground coffees in them
Cookies- Sugar cookies can be made with coffee as major ingredient to add flavor. The cookies are baked with bits of coffee grounds distributed all over the cookie. Another type of cookie is the mocha cookie which is made using the mocha to flavor the cookies.
Steak- The steak is rubbed with the coffee to make a very tasty and juicy piece of meat to serve to friends and family members. Coffee grounds can also be mixed with other ingredients to make a paleo steak coffee rub.
Chocolate brownie- This is a dessert brownie flavored with coffee grounds so as to make it have the smooth taste of coffee in it.
Muffins- Mocha can be used to make very great tasty muffins which are good for lunch, breakfast or just taken as a snack. They also freeze pleasantly. You can also make muffins using chunks of chocolate prepared using espresso brewing. Some other muffin to make using coffee ground is the coffee cake.
Coffee grounds can also be used to make cakes, biscuits, bacon, scones, donuts ice cream flavoring and also beverages. Beside steak, meat products like grilled chicken and turkey can also be rubbed or served with coffee. Ground coffee can either be industrial or domestically used to flavor food products. Chocolate is easily blended with coffee to be added into snacks.
Getting the right amount of coffee grounds for coffee brewing
Using coffee weight is more preferred than using the volume. During the roasting process the coffee beans lose more water and swell to increase the size. The higher the roasting degree is the more swelled the bean. Dark roasted coffees are large but weigh less while right roasted beans weigh more but occupy lesser space depending on the amount of the moisture present.
Weighing the coffee grounds for brewing or whole beans for grinding will not only give you a precise measurement based on the density but also help you avoid the approximation that occur while gauging measurement visually.
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