Food - Drink
What Happens If You Overgrind Coffee Beans?
By MEGGAN ROBINSON
The process of grinding coffee beans is what releases all the good oils and aromatics from within that will then be extracted with water. However, factors such as the kind of grinder you choose and the degree to which you grind those beans can make a big difference in how your coffee is going to taste.
We grind coffee beans to different sizes and levels to get the ideal amount of extraction from, and different brewing methods require different degrees of grinding. Coffee from beans that are too coarse will be under-extracted and taste salty, acidic, and tart, while coffee from beans that are too fine will be over-extracted and be tasteless and acrid.
Methods like the french press benefit from coarser coffee beans since they have a longer brewing time, while automatic drip coffee is best for a medium or medium-coarse grind and espresso requires fine grinds. Let your brewing method guide your grind, and it may take a little trial and error to find the method that creates your ideal cup of coffee.