I finally tried grinding my beans right before brewing instead of buying pre-ground

For years I just grabbed the big bag of pre-ground coffee from the store, thinking it was fine. Last month, my brother gave me a cheap hand grinder and a bag of whole beans from a local roaster in Portland. The first cup I made with fresh grounds smelled completely different, like actual fruit instead of just 'coffee smell'. The taste was way brighter and cleaner, with none of that flat, bitter finish I was used to. Has anyone else made this switch and found a specific bean that really showed the difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.alex29d agoTop Commenter

Honestly thought it was all hype for the longest time. My old drip machine with pre-ground stuff seemed fine. Borrowed a friend's burr grinder one weekend and it was like a different drink, way more sweet notes and less of that burnt taste. A light roast Ethiopian bean was the real eye-opener for me, tasted like blueberries.

brookefox29d ago

Wait, you were using pre-ground this whole time? I can't even imagine going back to that now. It's like the flavor is just locked in the beans until you grind them fresh. My old pre-ground stuff always tasted like wet cardboard, no matter how fancy the bag said it was. That burnt taste is all I got too, until I switched.

noah_walker165h ago

That "wet cardboard" taste is exactly why I finally got a cheap hand grinder.