Fresh coffee beans vs. pre-ground coffee

Coffee brewed at home usually doesn’t taste as good as the coffee from your favourite café. Time and time again, many people find themselves buying different brands of coffee or upgrading their coffee machine to try to get that same café taste, but are left unsuccessful. So why doesn’t the coffee that you brew at home compare to your favourite coffee shops? 

It’s probably in the grinds. 

It may sound hard to believe, but that beloved bag of pre-grounded coffee you’ve been buying from the grocery store is stale. Coffee begins to lose flavour just ten minutes after grinding. By the time pre-grounded coffee is packaged, shipped, purchased, and then used in your home, weeks have gone by. This results in coffee tasting sour, weak, and nothing like your favourite café’s signature dark roast. 

The solution: Investing in a great coffee grinder is the key to stepping up your coffee game.  

A whole roasted coffee bean can be compared to a turtle’s shell. The thick, shell-like outer layer surrounding the bean protects the internal oils responsible for its rich taste. When you grind your coffee beans, the aromas are quickly released, leading to oxidation. Coffee beans lose almost half of their aromas after just 10 minutes of grinding, so it only makes sense to grind your beans moments before brewing. 

A great coffee grinder will allow you to extract rich, consistent flavours from your coffee every single morning. You can even grind your beans to your preferred level and brew type – there are so many options! A coarse grind is generally ideal for French presses and Moka pots, while a medium grind works well for specific types of drip coffee machines. A fine grind will leave you with a light, powdery consistency ideal for espresso machines, and a pulverized grind will leave you with extremely fine, powdery flour ideal for Turkish coffee. 

In addition, if you do choose to buy a coffee grinder, taking the extra step of purchasing a French press will ensure that your coffee captures all of its rich, concentrated flavours of intensity. Because there are no paper filters involved with using a French press, the coffee’s intoxicating oils will not be absorbed, leaving more flavour to enjoy in your cup. Coffee grounds are also steeped to the bottom of the beaker, ensuring a stronger taste every time.