Poll: You who grind your own coffee beans: Just before brewing? Once a day?

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How often should coffee beans be ground?

  • Just before brewing

    Votes: 22 71.0%
  • Once a day

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Once a week

    Votes: 2 6.5%
  • I buy pre-ground coffee

    Votes: 7 22.6%

  • Total voters
    31

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
7,105
3,575
136
My cheapo Chefman burr grinder is much louder than the krups blade grinder I used in the past. I still grind every day though. I don't like loud noise in the morning so it is pretty annoying but worth it.

I've went from Maxwell House to Folgers to Folgers Colombian ground coffee for years. Then I heard about Arabica beans being a tasty yet cost conscious solution from Alton Brown and started using Eight O'clock Original 100% Arabica whole bean coffee. I tried a french press and aeropress but it was way too much work and cleanup.
 

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,391
1,780
126
I've never owned a burr grinder....only had blades. I used to have a Melitta coffee maker that had a blade in the bottom of the mesh basket. You could load it with beans and set the timer so you'd wake up to a fresh pot. It had multiple settings for a coarse to fine grind so with some tinkering, it would do pretty good.

I was grinding for a while, but it takes extra time/effort/mess without a lot of added flavor. I also have trouble with consistency because I don't measure the beans the same way as I do ground coffee. I can make a really good pot of coffee using ground coffee and save 3 minutes each morning. I grind coffee if I buy legit Kona or want to make coffee to go with a fancy desert. Morning time is going to be a decent ground coffee from a 12oz bag (for freshness).
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,769
10,174
136
I grind every time just before brewing. I also have a Capresso.

Have you considered a manual grinder like the Hario Skerton? You're probably only grinding 20 grams of beans or less so a manual grind wouldn't be a problem. Not sure how fine you need for a moka.
The Capresso is the only coffee grinder I've had. For many years I used to "grind" my coffee in a blender. I only found out how dumb that is after I bought the Capresso. For one thing, blender ground coffee has too much too-finely ground matter, which clogs my coffee setup.

Tip about the Capresso: Jam something between the clear plastic container and the machine to keep the container from twisting its position. It solves what I think is the major complaint. Currently I'm using the tip of a plastic straw as a jam.
 
Dec 10, 2005
28,419
13,375
136
Tip about the Capresso: Jam something between the clear plastic container and the machine to keep the container from twisting its position. It solves what I think is the major complaint. Currently I'm using the tip of a plastic straw as a jam.
I've never had the hopper move from its set position on its own.
 
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BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,350
1,860
126
we use an electric burr grinder each time we make a pot of coffee on our bunnomatic 10 cup drip brewer.

The best are those 100 year old iron and glass hand crank grinders IMO, they arent as easy to adjust, but my grandfathers old coffee grinder is around 100 years old, and my uncle uses it pretty regularly still.
 

JM Aggie08

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
8,404
1,001
136
Just before for all brewing methods. I've got a Baratza Encore for pour-overs and cold-brew, Ceado e37s for espresso.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,503
18,553
136
I grind enough for 4 shots of espresso in the morning, make my first two, drink them, and then make my second two.
 
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TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,558
176
106
My Capresso grinder does both the job of grinding my coffee in the morning and also wakes me up from all the noise it makes. That little guy has lasted 8 years and is still grinding away - I'm impressed.
 
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pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,458
5,650
136
I stopped grinding beans years ago because I just don't give a fuck anymore. Coffee is simply a drug that I need. Day-old and unfinished, I'll toss it in the microwave and I can't really tell a difference.

We went from grinding per cup to grinding up enough to fill a 51oz container to "Fuck it...just get a bag of ground coffee and spend more time doing other things".
Perks of not being a coffee connoisseur.
 
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