Many coffee lovers know that freshly ground beans produce a more flavorful and aromatic cup of Joe than one made of pre-ground beans. However, you must ensure you grind the beans properly; otherwise, you’re better of using commercially available coffee grounds.
The correct grinding process includes answering the question, “How many seconds should you grind coffee beans?” The amount of time required to grind your coffee beans will depend on various factors. Two of the most critical ones are the grind size you need and the type of grinder you will use, as you’ll find on The Brew Express website.
With these essential factors in mind, let’s find out how long you need to grind your coffee beans to have a good-quality cup of Joe each time you brew your coffee at home.
How Many Seconds Should You Grind Coffee Beans?
Whether you use a manual or electric grinder, grinding the coffee beans of your choice won’t really take much of your time. After all, you should limit the exposure time of the beans to the heat produced by the grinding tool because heat can affect the quality of the grind and, of course, your beverage’s taste.
Below are the collated times used by most coffee enthusiasts that you can use as a guide, especially if it’s your first time grinding your coffee beans at home.
Using a Manual Grinder
It goes without saying that grinding your coffee beans with a manual grinder will take the longest. Remember that not only do you need your physical strength to grind the beans, but the tool also doesn’t come with grind settings.
If you have a manual grinder, here are the recommended total time for each grind size:
- Extra Fine: Up to 60 Seconds
- Fine: Up to 50 Seconds
- Medium-Fine: Up to 45 Seconds
- Medium: Up to 30 Seconds
- Medium-Coarse: Up to 20 Seconds
- Coarse: Up to 15 Seconds
- Extra Coarse: Up to 10 Seconds
With an Electric Grinder
Compared to when using a manual grinder, the estimated times required to grind your coffee beans with electrical models are as follows:
- Extra Fine: Up to 35 Seconds
- Fine: Up to 30 Seconds
- Medium-Fine: 19 to 22 Seconds
- Medium: 16 to 20 Seconds
- Medium-Coarse: 10 to 15 Seconds
- Coarse: 6 to 10 Seconds
- Extra Coarse: 5 to 9 Seconds
How Do You Determine the Exact Time Needed?
As you might have noticed, the times listed above are just estimates and ranges. That’s because different grinder units, even from the same brand, have different specifications. Hence, some can produce the grind size you prefer faster or slower than the other.
Some beans might also take longer to grind than others, so it’s best to take some time to experiment. For you not to waste your beans, time, and effort trying to figure out how many seconds you really need for each grind size, divide the grinding time in several cycles. Doing so also allows the blades and burrs to rest, preventing too much heat production.
The Secret Technique
Start grinding the bean at the lowest recommended time, which is five seconds, for all the grind sizes and whether you use a manual or electric grinder. Then check the grind texture or consistency by rubbing a tiny amount between your thumb and pointer finger.
If you still haven’t reached the desired grind size, grind the beans for another one or two seconds. Then check. Again, grind for another one or two seconds if you’re still not satisfied with the ground’s texture. Repeat until you produce the right grind size suitable for your coffee-brewing machine.
Make sure you keep track of the total amount of time you used to achieve the grind size, so you no longer need to experiment the next time. That said, you need to follow the steps above if you’re going to use a new brand or type of coffee beans.
The Different Grind Textures
As noted, the coffee ground texture is key to achieving the right grind size and determining the exact answer to “How many seconds should you grind coffee beans?” Hence, here’s what you should expect for each grind size:
- Extra Fine: Comparable to non-sifted all-purpose flour
- Fine: Sugar or sea-salt-like texture
- Medium-Fine: Finer than regular sand or similar to table salt
- Medium: Regular sand-like texture
- Medium-Coarse: Comparable to rough sand
- Coarse: Appearance identical to potting soil or chunky with visible particles; sea-salt-like texture
- Extra Coarse: Large chunks with a texture similar to ground peppercorns
Grinding Your Coffee Beans Perfectly
Most of you choose to brew your coffee at home for practical reasons or for you not to spend on coffee-shop-made beverages every day. As you do so, you’ll soon start grinding your coffee beans, which is advisable.
You might not be able to duplicate the taste of coffee found in countries known to have the best coffee, but you’ll always have better-tasting, fresh coffee. Just make sure you keep in mind the grind size recommended for your brewing appliance and don’t exceed the time needed for the grind size.