Approximately 64% of Americans drink coffee every day. It’s an important ritual and a major pick-me-up for a large portion of the population.
One stereotype associated with coffee drinkers is that they’ll only accept a complex cup from a big-name chain like Starbucks. That’s not entirely true because 79% of them prepare it at home.
Going to a roaster or popular shop isn’t the best way to get the perfect cup of Joe. Getting the right tools to make it yourself is often a better alternative.
Read on to learn about the many reasons you should grind your coffee beans at home and how to learn how to do it effectively.
Higher-Quality, Fresher Beans
There are several types of beans you can use in your coffee. They include coarse ground, medium ground, fine, extra-fine, and coarse. Picking the right one to suit your tastes is an important choice.
The problem with pre-ground beans is that they’ve already degraded in quality by the time you get them home. They’ve come into contact with air and moisture.
This explains why pre-ground beans only stay fresh for about 30 minutes after grinding. Fresh beans from home can last for up to 2 weeks. Grinding them as soon as possible is still recommended. It maintains freshness and reduces waste.
If you do have any fresh beans left over, put them in an airtight container. It keeps them safe from heat, moisture, oxygen, and light.
Avoid storing them in the fridge. Coffee beans are prone to contamination and may end up tasting more like the contents of your fridge than the delicious cup of Joe you were hoping for.
Better Flavor, Fragrance, and Aroma
Freshly ground beans maintain their fragrance and aroma better than preground beans. There are several reasons for this, and all of them become a great case for brewing your own coffee at home.
Coffee grounds are soluble in water. Even the slightest bit of moisture in the air or the area you’ve prepared them on beings the oxidation process.
Preground beans also have a larger surface area. This lets the C02 within them escape.
Oxidation, moisture, and C02 depletion increase every time a bean is ground, a serious problem for pre-ground beans. Preparing them at home is the best way to maintain their natural flavor and aroma.
Improved Health
Approximately 80% of Americans drink some form of caffeine every day. 64% get it from a cup of Joe.
Caffeine is tasteless and has no nutritional value, but it does affect the body in several ways, both positive and negative. This includes:
- Central nervous system stimulation
- Increased antioxidants
- Heartburn
- Upset stomach
- Increased urination, blood pressure, and heart rate
Certain studies show that caffeine decreases your risk of certain conditions, including Alzheimer’s, dementia, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. It can even lower suicide risk by 45%.
Grinding your beans at home helps you get the most of these health benefits. Pre-ground beans can lose essential vitamins such as those in the B-complex family.
Controlled Grinding
Buying pre-ground beans means using whatever you’re given in the bag. They come in a limited amount of sizes and shapes, and if you can’t find the ones you want, you may have to go back to the store.
Grinding your own coffee beans gives you much more control. You can determine the size, flavor, and aroma of each cup.
Finding the perfect cup of Joe is a wonderful experience, but it requires a bit of experimentation. If you don’t like the way you’ve been making it, it’s easier to make a change when grinding them yourself.
This flexibility also lets you match the size of your beans to your preferred kitchen tools. Take the time to find the right grinder or brewer for you. Don’t forget to find a great coffee grinder brush to keep things clean.
Better Investment
Americans spend $1,097 per year on coffee, with millennials upping that number to $2,008. The coffee market is worth $81,166 million.
If your daily cup of Joe is a major part of your budget, you’ll need as many ways to save money on it as possible. This, of course, starts with the way it’s made.
Grinding your own coffee requires upfront expenses such as quality beans and kitchen gadgets. It may seem like a more expensive option when compared to pre-ground beans, but it’s a better investment.
Getting the perfect cup every time is worth the effort and money. You won’t have to go to expensive stores and buy a cup that isn’t to your liking. You won’t waste your time and money on price-hiked beans that are the wrong size and shape.
Better Experience
Making a morning cup of Joe is part of many drinkers’ routines. What they may not realize is the psychological impact the way they get it can have.
Dumping a few pre-ground grinds into your coffee maker is easy, but it’s almost too convenient and easy to have any lasting effect on your day other than a jolt of caffeine.
Grinding your own beans may make the process take a few minutes longer, but the extra effort is worth it. You’ll create a more enjoyable ritual that you’ll look forward to.
You’ll love that moment when the aroma of your coffee hits your nose. You’ll feel accomplished when your cup is ready. It may even become, as the Fulger’s jingle says, “the best part of waking up.”
More Tips for Getting a Great Cup of Joe
Convincing anyone to give up their daily cup of Joe is almost impossible, but you may be able to convince them to change the way they make it.
Pre-ground beans lose their flavor and aroma within a few minutes. Grinding them at home creates a better-tasting cup, improves your health, and gives you more control.
The process requires an upfront investment but is less expensive in the long run. You can also turn the task of doing it every morning into a relaxing ritual.
Read the rest of our content for more coffee brewing and grinding tips.
