Worried about accidentally buying coffee beans because you don’t have a coffee grinder machine at home? Well, that’s for sure frustrating, to begin with. But this is your lucky day as we share some of the most effective ways to grind those beans without the use of a coffee grinder machine,
Just remember that different methods of grinding coffee produce different textures and coarseness of your ground coffee. Some methods yield smoother results, while some yield coarser ones.
Well, if you do have a coffee grinder machine at home, that’s obviously the best option. But for those who want to learn about other ways to grind their coffee, this article will be of great help to you. Make sure to have some patience and dedication ready though because some of the methods can really be labor-intensive.
First, let us discuss the importance of this process in achieving that perfect coffee experience of yours.
Why Do You Need To Grind Coffee Beans?
You might wonder why there is a need to grind beans and why not just go along the traditional way of roasting the beans in boiling water. Well, there are only quite a few people doing that today due to its very bitter result. Thus, grinding coffee beans were introduced and enjoyed.
Whole beans and coffee grounds have a lot of differences. Grinding your coffee can release the natural flavor of coffee stored inside the bean. These soluble compounds inside will give your coffee that fresh aroma and taste of your coffee. Moreover, grinding your coffee can fasten the extraction process of the coffee. By increasing the surface area for extraction, the time it takes to be brewed will be cut down.
In conclusion, grinding your coffee gives you the freedom to actually decide how strong your coffee will be. Pre-ground coffee beans that are available commercially normally have the same flavor anytime you make your coffee. But by grinding your own coffee beans, you can actually create your perfect formula for each cup of coffee you will make.
Ultimately, you are given a guarantee that your coffee is fresh every day. However, grinding your own coffee can be tiresome since you have to do it every day. Plus, you also need to be consistent with the size of your ground coffee to achieve the consistent flavor of your own coffee formula.
So, let’s dive right into discussing 6 ways how you can grind your coffee even without using a coffee grinder machine.
Using A Blender
Grinding coffee beans in the blender is among the easiest ways you can do aside from using a coffee grinding machine. However, you should take note that using a blender will not give you coffee grounds in the same sizes. You would still come up in a good consistency though, so there is really no need to worry.
There are brands of blenders that automatically have an option to grind the coffee, so that would be better. But in case your available blender doesn’t have it, then it’s still doable. You just have to set it in a medium to high setting. Just remember that using a blender also allows cooking coffee beans, so overdoing the grinding process in a blender can actually burn coffee beans. And of course, we would not want a burnt coffee afterward.
The prescribed time to grind it in a blender is about 20 seconds to 30 seconds only. This can be done manually by blending it for 5 seconds for 4-5 batches, or until your desired consistency is achieved. After grinding it in a blender, you can already put the coffee grounds to your coffee maker machine and you’re good to go.
Using A Food Processor
If you don’t have a blender in your home but have a food processor, the same result can also be achieved. Just like using a blender, it would not be as consistent as a true coffee grinder when it comes to the size of the coffee grounds. But if you have already no choice and are in a hurry, using a food processor or a blender will already do.
Also, remember that food processors typically have a wider circumference than blenders. So, in grinding the coffee beans, it is advisable to double their amount than what you would normally put in a blender. There’s no need to worry about leftovers because putting them in a ziplock container will already do.
Firmly place the coffee beans in the food processor, manually grind them in batches within 5 seconds each until reaching 30 seconds, or when the desired consistency is already achieved. After grinding it into the food processor, you can already put it in your coffee maker.
Now, what if you still do not have these machines at your home. Well, it seems like it’s really your lucky day because we will be discussing some ways to grind your coffee by hand.
Using A Rolling Pin
If you have a French press coffee maker at home, utilizing a rolling pin to grind your beans is among the best options. This is because rolling pins tend to grind coffee beans in a richer and coarser way, which is perfect for the French press coffee.
In using a rolling pin, it is best advised that you put the coffee beans inside a plastic container while grinding it. This is to avoid a huge mess of coffee beans being splattered in your kitchen. This may seem like a lot of preparation and hard work, but it is definitely worth a try, especially if you lack resources.
After placing the beans in a plastic container, use your rolling pin to crush them as if you’re holding a typical hammer. Afterward, gently roll over the rolling pin in the crushed beans. Roll over the pin until your desired consistency is achieved. Just be patient and don’t give up easily, for the reward is definitely worth the sweat.
Using Mortar And Pestle
Just like the rolling pin, the grinding process using mortar and pestle will be full of sweat and hard work. Also, the amount of coffee ground will be smaller compared to the rolling pin. So, you might have to repeat the whole grinding process again to cater to the needed amount of ground coffee.
Just place the coffee beans in just about a quarter or a third of the mortar to avoid splattering coffee beans around your kitchen. Overall, the grounds that you will come up with using mortar and pestle would be a coarser one that is perfect for French press coffee.
The bottom line is that the consistency and size solely depend on your preference so it’s really up to you how long you grind beans using mortar and pestle.
Using A Hammer
If you feel like using a rolling pin or mortar and pestle is a lot of work for you, then a hammer is definitely one of the best options you can do. It will be a little less time-consuming, plus, you will not be needing a special hammer, just a typical one can do.
You can apply the same method of using a plastic container for the beans as you crush them. However, avoid putting a lot of pressure on grinding the beans as they may pop out due to so much force.
After a couple of strikes, make sure to even out the coffee beans to achieve a consistent size of coffee grounds. The more you strike the coffee beans, the more it will become. Again, how fine or coarse the results are is solely dependent on how you want your coffee to eventually turn out.
Using A Hand Mincer Or A Garlic Press
As you may have noticed, this method is quite a bit different from the previous hand tools that we have already discussed. Nonetheless, it is still an effective way to grind your coffee.
Remember that using a hand mincer or a garlic press can be time-consuming due to several factors. First, it can only accommodate a smaller amount of coffee beans. Typically, a hand mincer or garlic press comes in a small size. Moreover, hand mincer or garlic press generally has huge holes, so if you want finer coffee grounds, repeating the process is a must.
Alternatively, after a run on the garlic press, you can use the rolling pin or hammer method in making your coffee grounds finer. Again, this will be very labor extensive and time-consuming on your part.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Ground Coffee?
If you’re a beginner in making or grinding coffee, there are four major types of ground coffee. These are coarse, grind, fine, and superfine coffee grinds. Remember that each type of coffee ground will give you a different coffee experience. And of course, it will be your judgment which of these best suits your taste.
Grinding It Up
We hope that you’ve learned a thing or two on how to grind coffee beans the easy way even without using a coffee grinder machine. Well, some of these methods can be exhausting, but we would do anything to make a perfect cup of coffee, right?
