Coffee Grinding and Brewing Methods

Charlene again here with Coffee Talk with Charlene!

Today we are going to talk about the different grinding and brewing methods associated with coffee. 

Grinding

There are four methods of grinding coffee beans: burr-grinding, roller grinding, pounding, and chopping. 

1. Burr mills are used to burr-grind beans.  These mills use two revolving abrasive elements, such as wheels or conical grinding elements.  The coffee beans are crushed or torn with little frictional heat between these elements.  This process releases the etherical oils that are more easily extracted during the brewing process making the coffee taste richer and smoother. 

Old time burr coffee grinders are still available to due this process manually.  I have found them for a great price at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have manual grinders as well as electric grinders.  I personally have a Fox run 5134 Coffee Grinder that I purchased for $17.49 plus shipping. It looks like an antique, but it brand new.  I have given one of these to all of my coffee connoisseur friends. I personally recommend the burr mill for home use.

2. In a roller grinder, the beans are ground between pairs of corrugated rollers. A roller grinder produces a more even grind size distribution and heats the ground coffee less than any other method.  But this is an extremely expensive piece of equipment and only used commercially. 

3. Pounding coffee requires that the grounds be almost powdery and you can do this with most burr grinders or with a mortar and pestle.

4. To chop coffee beans you use blades that rotate at a high speed like a home blender.  The problem with this method is that the grind is not uniform and the coffee is warmed by friction.  They also create coffee dust that clogs up sieves in espresso machines and French presses. 

Brewing

There are four main methods used to brew coffee grounds.  Brewed coffee kept hot will deteriorate rapidly in flavor.  Even at room temperature, deterioration will occur.  Electronic coffee makers boil the water and brew the infusion with little human assistance and sometimes according to a timer.  Some coffee makers even grind the coffee beans before brewing them.

1.      The first method for brewing coffee was boiling.  Simply pour boiling water over coffee grounds in a cup.  When the water cools the grounds sink to the bottom.  This is often referred to as “mud coffee.”  This is also sometimes referred to as “cowboy coffee.”  It is obvious that the grounds in the bottom of the cup will ruin the taste of your coffee, so other methods were developed.

2.      Steeping coffee is accomplished using a cafetiere or a French press.  This is a tall narrow cylinder with a plunger that includes a metal or nylon mesh filter.  Coffee or tea is placed in the cylinder and boiling water is poured in.  After a few minutes the plunger is pushed down, leaving the filter immediately above the grounds, allowing the coffee or tea to be poured out while the filter retains the grounds.  Just like there are tea bags, coffee bags can be purchased in some stores.  Using these bags will eliminate any need for extra filtering.   You can purchase a French press at coffeemaker-outlet.com.  They have them in two sizes.  They even come with a handle so you can leave the tea or coffee in the cylinder.

3.      Filters are used to “drip brew.”  This is the American method of brewing coffee.  Coffee is placed in a filter, hot water drips through the coffee grounds filter the coffee and leaving only the liquid with no grounds.  There are tons of different types of coffee makers from automated to manual, large to small and everything in between.  There are the old timey percolators that are used on a stove top.  They’re great for camping trips too.  The percolator has a bottom chamber that is filled with water, a middle section and an upside down pot placed on the top.  When the water boils, the coffee maker is flipped over to let the water filter through the coffee grounds.

4.      Pressure is used in making espresso.  Usually the water is 91 degrees Celsius and forced through a lightly packed matrix (called a puck) of finely ground coffee.  Espresso is traditionally served by itself or with dessert.  It is not usually drunk with a meal.

I love a good espresso from time to time, but you really can’t beat a good drip coffee maker!  American or not, they make a fantastic cup of coffee great for any time of day or occasion.  Next time we will look at American coffee makers and see which ones are the best for you.