Starting & Running a Coffee Shop by Linda Formichelli

Author:Linda Formichelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781465492197
Publisher: DK Publishing

Grinding Guidelines

You’ve picked the beans (from the supplier, not from the tree!), roasted them, and blended them. You packed some for retail sale to customers and have some reserved for use in your shop. There’s one final step to go before you can drink the fruits of your labor: grinding.

As we mentioned in the storage section, coffee begins to lose flavor only 1 hour after grinding, so it’s best not to grind more than you plan to use immediately. This will be tough when you first open your doors for business because you won’t be able to predict how much you’ll sell any given day, but as you gain a sales history, you’ll be able to plan a grinding schedule that provides customers the freshest taste possible and eliminates wasted ground coffee.

Mechanical grinders offer several different grinding levels, and the more experience you get making different types of coffee drinks, the better you’ll get at determining what grind size is best for each. But to start, you could grind the coffee as fine as you can without turning the beans into powder or clogging your brewer’s filter. The smaller the particles, the more surface area is available between the coffee and the hot water. More contact equals more flavor from the coffee oils being transferred to the water, making a brew that better reflects the nature of the coffee. As with anything else, practice makes perfect, so experiment with your grinder’s grind sizes and learn what’s best for the drinks you make.

Also be sure to match the grind to your type of brewer. It’s your responsibility to taste batches and determine whether your grind is appropriate, whether your grinder needs cleaning and adjustment, and whether you need to change the degree of fineness.

A burr or conical burr grinder will be ideal for your business. This device, which crushes the beans between moving and nonmoving surfaces, allows you to grind the beans to a consistent size, which means your coffee will have a consistent taste. Burr grinders create little heat, so the flavor of the coffee won’t be changed during the grinding process.

Avoid blade grinders. Instead of grinding the beans, the blades work like a blender and slice the beans apart. Because the beans move about freely, the blade grinder mashes the beans into a mix of large chunks, small bits, and powder. This varying bean size creates a different taste with each brew. Even worse, the friction of the blades creates a lot of heat, which can start to cook the beans while they’re still being ground. Hardly a recipe for success.

If you serve flavored coffees, consider purchasing a separate grinder for these products so the flavors don’t taint the regular coffee. Flavored coffees have their fans, but folks who prefer the plain stuff won’t welcome an unexpected hit of vanilla or hazelnut.

Making small pots of coffee to test new blends or offer customers sample tastes? Consider grinding the beans old-style—with a mortar and pestle. This tool served humans for hundreds of years, and the personal touch allows you to fine-tune the grinding to perfection.

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