3 Things Your Barista Wants You to Know

A constant debate between coffee lovers is the topic of freshly ground coffee vs pre-ground coffee. Both have their pros and cons but we’re definitely leaning towards whole beans and here’s why. 

Whole Beans Release More Flavour

Although ground coffee is a lot convenient for consumption, the reason why more coffee drinkers are choosing to freshly grind their beans is for the freshness and flavour! When you grind the beans, you can control the size of the particles. So the finer you ground the beans, the more flavour you’ll get from the beans. Plus it also shortens the time it usually takes to brew! P.S If you’re wondering how long it takes for the flavour to really come out

Coffee beans oxidize really really fast

How fast, you ask? Well in under two minutes after you grind them, the coffee beans start losing their oil extract as a result of oxidization and this applies even to vacuum packed ground coffee. This is sad because the oil is where the rich flavour is at. So the next time you’re having pre-ground coffee just remember that it has none of the good stuff.

It’s All About the Grinder

An important aspect to making a cup of coffee that will make you satisfied beyond words lies within the grinder and when it comes down to it there are two famous types of coffee grinders - Blade and Burr.

Blades grinders are the more cheaper option between the two and are similar to a normal grinder that has a propeller in the middle. All you need to do is press the button to get the blades whizzing away. While it’s definitely easy to use, the coffee grounds are inconsistent because of the way the blade chops the beans. Blade grinders also tend to heat up if left grinding for more than 15 - 20 seconds which results in the beans having a burnt and bitter taste.

Burr grinders on the other hand have two surfaces a.k.a burrs where one moves and the other doesn’t. You can control the space between the burrs which affects the size of your grounds and because of this, Burr grinders produce grounds which are more consistent and flavourful than Blade grinders.