How to Get the Best Tasting Ground Coffee

Anyone who loves their coffee knows that the best-tasting brew is made using ground coffee beans. While this sounds simple, grinding coffee beans to get the perfect cup of coffee full of all the flavors you’re looking for can seem a bit challenging.

Grinding Coffee Beans for the Best Taste

The good news is there are a few tips and tricks that can help you get the best tasting ground coffee. We’ve explained some of the most important ones below, so you can be sure of getting the perfect cup every time!

1. Grind your coffee beans fresh for the best flavor

Whether you’re using a coffee maker, French press, or even just making pour over coffee, the best way to get the most flavorful cup of coffee is to grind your beans right before you are ready to enjoy them.

This is because when coffee beans are ground, the flavor is released into the air in a very subtle way. As these flavors are exposed to oxygen, they begin to dissipate, resulting in a less flavorful cup of coffee. So the longer your grounds are stored waiting to be brewed, the more flavor you risk losing.

2. Use a quality coffee grinder for even grinding and no burnt taste

It stands to reason that if you want the best quality ground coffee, you’re going to need a good quality coffee bean grinder. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune, but it does mean that you should try to do your research before making a purchase.

There are many coffee grinders available on the market, ranging in price from less than $20 to upwards of $2000 – if you’re able to spend this much, more power to you! For most people, especially beginners, it may be best to go with a solid mid-range option, which will give you great quality results without breaking the bank.

3. Experiment with how fine or coarse you grind your beans for different brewing methods

One thing that many people are unaware of is that the coarseness of the ground coffee affects each brewing method differently. For instance, if you were to use finely ground coffee for an espresso, the coffee would taste weak and watery. On the other hand, if you used finely ground coffee for pour-over, it would result in a gritty cup of joe that is unpalatable.

This is because fine grinds are best suited to small amounts of water at high temperatures, while coarse grinds are best suited to larger amounts of water at lower temperatures.

This is why it’s important to experiment with how fine or coarse you grind your beans for different brewing methods, in order to get the best-tasting coffee.

4. Grind only the amount of beans you need for one or two cups

This is a tip that a lot of people miss, yet it can make all the difference in your coffee experience. If you grind too many beans at once, you will have to keep the unused coffee in an airtight container, and we’ve already explained how this can mean your ground coffee can lose its freshness and taste.

On the other hand, if you only grind enough for one cup of coffee at a time, you will get maximum flavor and aroma from your coffee beans. If you would like to enjoy more than one cup of coffee, you might be better just grinding more beans for the next cup, rather than risk having unused ground coffee sat around losing its flavor.

5. Grind your coffee with a burr grinder instead of a blade grinder

If you’ve researched coffee grinders before, you may have heard people talking about them in two different ways – either as being “burr” or “blade” grinders.

The difference between the two is that burr grinders use an actual metal plate to grind beans, while blade grinders use a spinning blade.

Burr grinders are actually a more advanced version of these coffee grinders, and they do a much better job of reducing the size of the beans uniformly. This means you get a more consistent cup of coffee when you use a burr grinder for your grinding.

6. Use filtered water for the best tasting coffee

Another tip that people often forget is to use filtered water when making their coffee. This is because the quality of your water can affect the taste of your final brewed cup.

Tap water usually contains many minerals and particles that are not beneficial for brewing coffee. In the worst cases, this can result in a harsh tasting cup that may be difficult to drink.

Instead of using tap water, it’s a much better idea to use filtered water that has been run through a reverse osmosis system or a solid carbon filter – this will give you a better cup of coffee.

7. Experiment with different types of coffee beans to find your favorite flavor

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of coffee beans in order to find your favorite flavor. Depending on where you live, there may already be many popular brands of coffees that you can buy at the store or online – try them out and see which one you like most.

8. Store your coffee beans in an airtight container at room temperature

Like any type of food or beverage, you need to keep your ground coffee in a cool, dry place. However, be careful not to store it anywhere that is too humid, as moisture can ruin the quality of your beans and give you a bland-tasting cup of coffee.

Airtight containers like mason jars and simple pantry storage bags are ideal for storing your coffee beans, as long as you keep them somewhere with good air circulation.

9. Brew your coffee using the correct ratio of grounds to water for the perfect cup every time

If you follow all of the tips mentioned above, but your coffee still isn’t tasting as good as it should, then try adjusting the ratio until you find what works for you. For example, if you like a strong cup of coffee, use more beans and less water – this is just one example. Be creative and experiment with different ratios until you find the perfect mixture.

10. Use the best quality coffee beans you can find/afford.

This should be obvious but we thought it was still worth mentioning. Even if you follow all the other tips for getting the best-tasting ground coffee, if you start with poor-quality beans, you’ll end up with a poor-tasting cup of coffee.

In general, the best coffee beans are ones that have been grown at high altitudes. Arabica beans from Central and South America usually contain the best flavor, as do those from East Africa and Indonesia.

Try to avoid buying your own coffee beans from a grocery store, as most of these beans have been pre-roasted and processed at a factory. Instead, it’s best to find a local coffee roaster that you can buy them from – this will give you a fresher taste and increase your chances of finding a coffee that you will enjoy drinking every day.

The Last Drop

Grinding your own beans every time you want a cup of coffee and making sure to follow all the other tips above may seem like a lot of fuss, but if you really want the most flavorsome cup of coffee possible, then the extra effort will be totally worth it.