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Can You Grind Coffee Beans in a Blender? 5 Tips

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Brandon Pierce
October 12, 2021

You've just returned home with a fresh bag of coffee and are anticipating the intoxicating aroma as it brews.

You take a deep breath, open your coffee bag, and then... Panic.

You bought whole beans of coffee instead of pre-ground coffee. So you start getting them ready to grind, but you have nothing else handy instead of a blender.

You might wonder ‘’ Can you grind coffee beans in a blender?’’

Yes, you sure can, and in this segment, we’ll discuss all the dos and don’ts of grinding coffee beans in a blender.

Does the Grind Size Matter?

No matter how you make coffee from your own coffee beans, you have to get the coffee oils, caffeine, and flavor out of the coffee grounds.

The finer you are grinding beans, the more surface area of the grounds is exposed to hot water, resulting in quicker extraction.

Because of this, you should always use finely ground in espresso machines, where water moves quickly and under high pressure through the grind beans.


Cold-brew coffee, on the other hand, is made with coarsely ground coffee because the cold-extraction method lets the coffee sit by the water for a much longer time.

If your coffee feels watery and acidic, your ground coffee beans may have been grounded too coarsely.

Try a finer grind on the spectrum and see if it solves the problem.

If your pre-ground coffee feels bitter, you might be grinding it too fine. A coarse grind may increase the quality of your brew.

blender

Things to Consider Before Grinding Coffee Beans in Blender

We all know that a consistent grind is key, but there are also some other aspects to look out for when you ground coffee beans in a blender. Which by the way usually uses for the liquid stuff to blend in.

Heat:

Heat is harmful to coffee beans. So, in order to avoid ruining your beans, you should be using your blender in such a manner that it does not create too much heat when you ground coffee.

This could include pulsing it, not leaving it on for too long, or simply letting it rest or cool off every now and then.

And yes, it's different when we brew coffee with hot water, which also requires heat.

Grinding beans in a heated blender can make stale coffee. And nobody wishes for a stale coffee.

If your coffee grinder heats up, then use the pulse setting for a consistent grind.

Coffee ground Size:

If you use the wrong grind size, you may get an acidic or sour coffee, which is not something anyone wants in the morning.

If you have proper control over the grinding, you get to choose the best grind size for your brew, whether it's a medium to coarse grind size for a French Press or a fine grind for espresso.

You can manage the consistency of your beans when you grind them yourself using a decent burr grinder.

Uneven grinds will also leave an unpleasant aftertaste in your coffee.

While a blender will not provide the most consistent grinds, do your best and you'll have something drinkable if you use freshly ground coffee.

Now let's start Grinding coffee beans in a Blender!

How to grind coffee beans in a blender 

When grinding coffee beans in a blender, you cannot simply toss the beans in and blend them like you would when making a protein shake.

You must take steps to avoid spoiling the tastes of the coffee beans. As its a blender, not a burr grinder, which is hard grinding hard and small foods such as Coffee beans.

Things you’ll need to grind coffee beans in a blender

  • Roasted beans
  • A blender
  • A measuring cup

Process of Grinding your Coffee Beans in a Blender or a Magic bullet.

Start with Measuring the Coffee Beans

Start by figuring out how many coffee beans you'll need. This depends on how many cups of coffee you want to make.

Once you know how much you want, pour the measured whole coffee beans into the blender and grind them up into small amounts by dividing the whole beans into batches.

Then Add your Beans to the Blender or Magic bullet

You should put the whole coffee beans in the blender slowly to get a more even grind.

Even though it won't be as uniform grind as a burr grinder, blending the beans in small batches will help you get a more even grind.

If you have a regular blender that holds six cups, you can grind 1/4 cup of coffee beans at a time. But if you have a smaller blender, like a magic bullet, you should cut this amount down for a consistent grind.

You might want to get fine grinds otherwise you'll be left with just bitter coffee.

Start Grinding your Coffee Beans

You can properly grind beans if your blender has a grind setting. If you have this option, you can start the grind by just pressing the start button.

If your system doesn't have this setting, you'll need to gradually increase the pulse setting or the default blend level.

Only allow the beans to grind for no more than five seconds at a time. Even with pauses in between the five-second blends, you shouldn't grind the beans for longer than 30 seconds in total.

 Give a Shake  to your Blender

It's a good idea to tilt the blender while it's mixing the coffee beans to give it a little shake.

More beans will make it to the blades if you shake them in the direction of the motor. If you do this, coarser grind will be a little bit more even than if you just left the blender up.

Empty the blender and repeat the same method

When you've reached the proper consistency for your coffee beans, you can remove the coffee grounds from the blender and add fresh beans.

Coffee beans should be added gradually until you have the proper amount of ground coffee beans for brewing. Once they are ground up.

You can brew them any way you want, whether in a coffee maker or a French press coffee.

Your freshly ground beans are ready to be brewed into a delicious cup and Enjoyed!

What's the difference between coffee ground with Burr grinders and Blender?

Blade coffee grinders are the most frequent and affordable variety. It works by cutting coffee beans into small pieces with a blade, like a small food processor. 

The problem with a blade grinder is that it makes coffee particles of different sizes.

When you are grinding coffee beans to a medium grind or coarser grind with a blade grinder, some of the coffee particles will always get a finer grind.

When the coffee particles are all different sizes, they are extracted at different rates, which makes the cup taste different.


Also, the blade's friction creates heat, which can alter the taste of the beans and your coffee.

burr grinder

Instead of cutting the coffee beans with blades, some of the best burr grinders tend to grind coffee between two solid rough discs called burrs.

With this technique, you'll get a more consistent grind because the size of the particles is determined by the space between the burrs.

Burr grinders occur during manual (like a hand-cranked pepper mill), electric (more adjustable; common for commercial use), and electric conical styles (quieter; popular for home use).

FINAL THOUGHTS

Where there is a will there is a way! If you ever need freshly ground coffee beans and you don't have any classy equipment in handy then you can always grind your coffee beans in a blender.


Not just a blender, you can grind your coffee beans by using a plastic bag or a ziplock bag with a knife, a rolling pin method, a mortar, and pestle and so many more exciting techniques are out there.


They do require some elbow grease, but man they are worth it. So if you are ever left with whole unground beans here are some methods you can grind them without a grinder.


Brandon Pierce

About the author

My name is Brandon and I love cold-brew coffee. If you're a fan of everything homebrew, then we'll get along just fine. I also enjoy riding my Onewheel around town, and going on adventures with my future wife! As an online work-from-home advocate, it's important that I stay connected to the world while being able to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

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