What Happens If The Coffee Grind Is Too Coarse?

Have you ever experienced coffee grind that is too coarse? What happens if the grind is too coarse? Does it make your coffee stronger or weaker? Assuming you've selected a manual grinder but have no idea what grind to go for, what should you aim for?

Before you chuck that pot of coffee, let's learn more about the different coffee grind sizes. Feel free to keep reading our blog article below!

7 Categories of Coffee Grind Sizes

Coffee grind sizes can generally be categorised into seven different categories. These categories include:

1. Extra Coarse - These are the largest-sized coffee particles, resembling peppercorns in appearance.
2. Coarse - It resembles kosher salt in consistency and is only a little bit finer than extra coarse.
3. Medium Coarse - If you look closely at a scoop of medium coarse grounds, you'll see that it resembles sand in texture.
4. Medium - Typically found in regular drip coffee, it looks like sea salt.
5. Medium Fine - The grind size for medium fine coffee is a good compromise between the sizes required for espresso and drip coffee.
6. Fine - Typically used to make espressos and comes as a standard grind size in pre-ground coffee containers. It is similar to table salt in consistency.
7. Super Fine - This is superfine or extra fine, resembling powdered sugar in consistency. It's used to make Turkish coffee.

4 Things That Happen If the Coffee Grind Is Too Coarse

If your coffee grind is too coarse, there are a few implications that come with this. A few examples of these include the following:

1). Reduced Flavour

When the coffee grind is too coarse, flavour extraction is lower, which leads to a watery, sour flavour that lacks complexity or the earthy richness that coffee enthusiasts love. 

This is because the less ground the coffee is, the lower the surface area coming into contact with water, and the lower the extraction. On the flip side, the more ground the beans are, the finer the texture, hence the higher the surface area, meaning higher extraction. 

2). More Extraction Time

As previously described, coarse grinds have a lower surface area coming into contact with water. This means that if you want more flavour, you've got to take a longer time to fully extract the flavour. Be prepared to brew longer and push harder to enjoy the complexity and sweetness of coarse ground coffee!

3). Sour Taste

Coffee, besides its rich flavour, has bitter oils and acids that typically dissolve in water. Unfortunately, when using a coarse grind, it has less flavour and can turn the taste sour, acidic, or salty. 

4). Coffee Sediments

If your coffee grind is too coarse, it will create a gritty texture in your brew. This result will turn out more like a pot of strong tea than a hot cup of joe. That's because the coarser the grind, the thicker and more sediment-like your brewed coffee will be.

What Does All This Mean for You?

The best thing is that most home machines don't require precision. Even better, no single grind tastes great to everyone. It all depends on the specific coffee beverage you like. 

For example, if you like espresso, fine ground coffee is the way to go. On the other hand, cold brew coffee needs an extra course grind. With that said, take time to experiment with grind size, water temperature, and brew time, bearing in mind that the finer the grind, the more the extraction. 

Pesado Coffee-Making Equipment

If you're new to the world of coffee, you may find it hard to grasp all the details that come with brewing the perfect cup of coffee. There are so many factors that influence each cup, such as texture and taste, which rely heavily on tools. 

Pesado 58.5 has got innumerable equipment, tools, and resources that may be used to make everything from cold brew to espresso. Whether it's brewing, grinding, storage, or roasting tools you need, we've got it all.