Freshness is the Essence
The shorter the time interval between grinding and brewing coffee, the fuller the aroma and
flavour of the final product. Coffee in a whole bean offers some level of protection to
prevent coffee going off (the unroasted bean can last years, the roasted bean two weeks - if
kept in cupboard) and two months if frozen before the oils are exposed to the surface.
Coffee once ground, starts oxidizing within seconds, and starts loosing aroma an flavour
almost immediately. This means that if you are a coffee lover, the first step you need to take to start
enjoying more flavour is to own a grinder or have an
automatic machine that
grinds and prepares the coffee for you :).
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Grinds that are going off they become stale and bitter (sometimes perceived as strength). So
purchasing pre ground coffee is a bit like purchasing a great Champaign (or Cap Classique ;) for
us South Africans) and asking them to take the cork out before you take it home.
In the blind tastings we have done, once a coffee has been ground as early as an hour before it it is
brewed everyone noticed the difference, and the freshly ground and the one hour old coffee has
never been linked
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Yes But
What about all the specialist packaging methods, like pods, vacuum packed and sealed tin etc. I hear you
ask. All these methods do is delay the process of the coffee going off, slightly but the coffee bean
is still the most effective. The coffee bean is able to retain the flavour for two (2) weeks if stored in
a cupboard, and two months if placed in a freezer. Read more on the freshness page
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Type of Grinder
There are essentially three types of grind:
- chopping
- milling
- burr grinder
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Of these the most effective method has been found to be burr grinders
If you are on a budget and use a plunger than a electronic blade chopper (sometimes incorrectly called a
coffee grinder), will do. But the burr grinder is the best solution, with a conical burr grinder
being the best. Burr grinders, are able to grind the coffee uniformly and do so with out adding heat and
thereby keeping the taste and aroma intact.
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