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The grind guide.
From espresso to French press. What “fine” actually means, and how to tell when you are off.
5 min read
A rough scale
- Extra fine — Turkish coffee. Like powdered sugar.
- Fine — Espresso. Like table salt.
- Medium-fine — AeroPress, V60. Like sea salt.
- Medium — Drip machine, Kalita Wave. Like kosher salt.
- Medium-coarse — Chemex. Like coarse sea salt.
- Coarse — French press, cold brew. Like breadcrumbs.
How to tell if you are off
Cup tastes sour, weak, watery
Under-extracted. The water moved too fast through the bed. Grind finer.
Under-extracted. The water moved too fast through the bed. Grind finer.
Cup tastes harsh, dry, bitter, astringent
Over-extracted. The water sat too long. Grind coarser.
Over-extracted. The water sat too long. Grind coarser.
Espresso gushes in under 20 s
Way too coarse. Grind finer, two or three settings.
Way too coarse. Grind finer, two or three settings.
Espresso chokes or drips for 50+ s
Way too fine. Grind coarser, two or three settings.
Way too fine. Grind coarser, two or three settings.
A note on burrs
A blade grinder is fine for a couple of weeks while you save up for a burr grinder. Then you will know why we pushed.
Burr grinders crush coffee between two metal disks at a set distance, giving you uniform particle size. Blade grinders chop randomly, giving you a mix of dust and boulders. The boulders barely extract; the dust over-extracts and tastes bitter. Same beans, very different cup.