Coffee Grind Sizes we Offer

Which coffee grind size should you choose at the Two Chimps checkout?

 

Ground coffee is awesome! Especially when it’s done fresh on the day of dispatch. Which, lovely people, is what we do here at Two Chimps. Because it gives the best flavour. Simple as.

But which grind size do you choose at the checkout? Don’t be bamboozled by the options – let’s take a closer look at the grind sizes we offer at the roastery!

 

Row of coffee bags at Two Chimps roastery

 

 

Whole bean or Ground Coffee?

Let’s start nice ‘n’ simple. You can buy fresh coffee in two forms: whole bean or ground.

Whole bean coffee is what it says on the tin: roasted coffee beans in their whole form. The farmers have picked and processed your beans, and we’ve roasted them by hand. We them send them to you in their lush whole bean form. The grinding part’s down to you!

Choose ground coffee, on the other hand, and we do the grinding business at the roastery. And the roasting, obviously. You’ve not got to get the frying pan out.

Ground coffee is simply whole coffee beans ground into smaller pieces you can brew. Far, far smaller in surface area than whole beans, itsy particles of ground coffee will steep with hot water and impart all their scrummy flavour. The result? Awesome coffee for your mug!

 

Ground or Whole: Which is the Better Bean?

 

Three blue trays of coffee beans with white bowls

 

 

 

Ground Coffee Benefits

What are the benefits of ground coffee?

Two Chimps coffee bag in burr grinder

Expertly Ground: you know it’s the right size

You could grind coffee at home. You could use that cheap grinder from Amazon. And, if your really wanted, you could even use a rolling pin. But will your coffee grounds all be the same size? Probably not.

Buy ground coffee, and the pros do the job. Because we’re really quite good at this grinding business. We grind every bag of Two Chimps coffee on the day of dispatch to guarantee maximum freshness, and use high-quality burr grinders to give you perfectly sized pieces. Why all the fuss about equally sized grounds? They’re the secret to balanced extraction and tip-top coffee.

 

Makes Life Easier

Hands up who likes saving time. That’s, errr, everyone, then?

Buying fresh coffee grounds saves oodles of time and faff. Your scrumptious speciality coffee arrives ready to brew straight from the bag. No grinding needed. It’s deliciousness on tap (with a bit of brewing in between).

 

You Get Fresh Coffee Delivered

Not all ground coffee is created equal. Some will be packed and pre-ground and squirrelled away for months. Others will be hand-roasted and ground fresh on the very day it’s sent to you. It’ll be packed with freshness and brimming with flavour. Oh boy, it’ll be INCREDIBLE.

We fall into the second type AT Two Chimps. Just to be clear 😉

 

Freshly ground coffee in tin with white scoop

 

 

 

 

Coffee Grind Size: why it matters

Coffee grinding isn’t a one-size-fits-all kinda issue (we’re not chatting socks).

Fresh coffee needs bespoke sizing! Which is nothing less than it deserves, of course.

Grind size is absolutely key to a good brew. Get the grind size wrong, and there’s a good chance your coffee will over or under-extract and taste a bit off.

 

Three white bowls with ground coffee

 

Think of it like this.

You have two samples of fresh coffee, one ground very finely and one ground much coarser. Put them in two separate filters and pour hot water over the top. The water runs much faster through the coarser grinds, right? It can find the gaps easily, so spends less time steeping and extracting with the coffee. If the grind size is too coarse and the water runs through too quickly, there won’t be enough extraction and the coffee might taste sour.

Grind too fine, and the opposite will happen. Powder-like grounds will pack so closely together that the water won’t be able to get through. The result? Possible over-extraction and bitterish flavours.

Between over and under-extraction lies something very special; the sweet spot! And it’s rather delicious… Get the right grind size type for your brew device, and you’ll be well on your way to finding it!

 

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Fancy a free coffee making guidebook? A real one – not a PDF thingy! Get it here!

Get it here!

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Why do Different Brew Devices Need Different Grind Sizes?

So, we know that coffee grind size is important. But why do different brew devices need different grind sizes? Why is your cafetiere best friends with coarse grinds while your espresso likes extra fine? Scroll down, friend. ⬇

There are two main types of coffee brewing: gravity and pressure. Gravity methods like the V60 filter ask us for a little patience, as we must wait for the ground coffee and hot water to steep together before filtering. Then there are pressure methods like your espresso machine and AeroPress. These speedy superheroes use high pressure to force the coffee through a filter. The whole pressure method shebang only takes a few seconds, which is why we need a fine grind size. Grinding finer increases the surface area and allows flavour extraction to take place much faster.

Use those same fine grounds for a gravity method and there would be too much extraction. There is more time in gravity methods: more time to steep and impart flavour. This means we need a coarser grind size.

 

Simples!

 

Coffee sack at Two Chimps roastery

 

 

 

 

 

 Your Coffee Grind Size Chart

 

Coffee grind size chart

 

 

 

 

 

How to Buy Ground Coffee

Freshly ground coffee popping on your doormat whenever you want it…

Ooooh, doesn’t that sound nice? Doesn’t that sound like the best thing since sliced – no, UNSLICED – bread?!

Let’s make it happen! Buying hand-roasted, freshly ground speciality coffee from Two Chimps is easy. Simply scoot over to our online coffee shop and choose a coffee that takes your fancy. There’s plenty of choice; everything from fruity light roasts to milk chocolate-like medium roasts. Plus some smashing limited editions!

Then, click on the icon with your brew device. This is the method you will be using to prepare the coffee at home. Cafetiere lover? Click on the little cafetiere pic. Need grounds for your espresso machine? Just give that espresso maker icon one big click!

Select the size of the bag you’d like, head to the checkout, then get ready to boogie. Because freshly ground coffee is on its way!

 

 

 

 

So, to recap…

If you are confused about which grind size to choose, follow these simple-pimple steps:

  1. Pick a coffee you love
  2. Buy ground coffee rather than whole bean (so the grinding is all done for you)
  3. Think about the device you will you to brew the ground coffee and select this device in our shop (this is your grind size)
  4. Head to the checkout!

 

 

Keep coffee coming – make it a ground coffee subscription!

 

Find out more!

Charlotte Dibble

Meet the chimp behind this article!
Charlotte joined Two Chimps after completing her BA Hons in Graphic Communication and Illustration at Loughborough University. She also earned two diplomas: Art and Design Foundation and Professional Studies.

What Charlotte does outside of the treehouse:
In her spare time, Charlotte is a keen baker and loves to bring delicious treats for the team to enjoy during their Monday tea break. Charlotte likes to practice her drawing and painting skills to relax, usually with one of her cats sitting on her lap to keep her company!

Charlotte says…
“I’m thrilled to join the Two Chimps Troop after five years of studying. I get to write blogs, design, manage social media, and connect with our amazing customers every day. It’s always exciting, and I learn something new every day!”

Join the troop