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Ultimate Cold Brew Grind Size For Your Cold Brew

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Brandon Pierce
October 7, 2022

While making cold coffee at home, one of the biggest confusions you will encounter is when choosing the cold brew grind size. Grinding the coffee beans to the right size is undoubtedly one of the most vital tasks when it comes to brewing coffee at home.

Did you know that the grind size alone may radically impact the taste of your cold coffee? If you don’t then you shouldn’t worry because we’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ll discuss all there is to brew coffee with the right coffee grounds size and how to make the perfect cold brew coffee.

If done right, the consistency and size of the coffee grounds are what will make your coffee taste amazing or not! There is no right or wrong grind size. The only thing you’ve got to remember is that each brewing method requires a different grind size. This must make you wonder why something as small as the grind size affects the taste of coffee. Let us tell you why.

Why Does the Cold Brew Grind Size Make a Difference?

The size of the grind has an immediate impact on the flavor of the coffee in your cup. For a decent quality extraction, the water should saturate and travel through the coffee uniformly while brewing. 

If you wait too long, the coffee will taste harsh; this is known as over-extraction. If the water flows through the coffee grounds too rapidly, it will taste watery due to under extraction. You can grind the coffee finer to improve surface area. The higher the extraction rate, the shorter the contact time. A finer grind might lower the water flow rate, increasing contact duration. 

Let’s talk about the common grinding sizes and which brewing method best suits them. Here’s a coffee grinder size chart for you:

  1. Extra Coarse Coffee Grinds – Best for cold brew coffee
  2. Coarse Coffee GroundsMost suitable for French press brewing, and coffee cupping.
  3. Medium Coarse Coffee Grinds – Work best with pour-over brewing.
  4. Medium Coffee Grounds – Best with siphon brewers and flat bottom drip coffee makers.
  5. Medium Fine Coffee Grinds -Works well with an Aeropress
  6. Fine Coffee Grounds – Mostly used by an espresso machine to make coffee.
  7. Extra Fine Coffee Grinds – Only used for making Turkish coffee

Of all these different types of grinds, the one that works the best for cold brew coffee is the extra coarse grind. If you are thinking about why this is the case, then we’ll explain it to you.

Why Are Extra Coarse Grinds Used For Cold Brew Coffee

The coarse grind is utilized for cold brewing since it has a greater particle surface of the coffee beans and hence extracts more slowly. This is the inverse of the fine grind, which extracts faster and takes less time.

As the coarse grind has a greater surface area to volume ratio, more water may cover the grounds during steeping. Since cold brew extractions generally take longer while mixed with water, larger grinds ensure no leftover soot afterward. This is why you need to be careful to choose the right coffee grind size while making cold brew coffee. You need to choose the right coffee grinder to get your grinds right. We’ll tell you which one to choose.

How To Get the Best Coffee Beans Grind Size

Coffee grinders are classified into two types: blade grinder and burr grinder. To chop up coffee beans, a blade grinder spins metal blades in a propeller-like action. A blade grinder will shred coffee beans into arbitrarily sized fragments ranging from dust to chunks, making constant particle sizes impossible and resulting in inconsistent extractions with poor flavor and murky coffee.

You’ll need a good grinder to get the correct grind size. For the best possible grind, the burr grinder is the best option.

Coffee beans are crushed between rotating burrs in burr grinders. They usually have many grind size settings that change the spacing between the burrs. Burr grinders, which may be either manual or electric, are often more costly but offer more consistent results. Now that we’ve talked about the coffee grinds let’s proceed to make the coffee.

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Now that you’ve got the right size of coffee grounds, let’s teach you how to make the perfect cup of cold brew coffee

Here’s what you need:

  1. Extra Coarse Coffee Grinds – 30g
  2. Water – One Cup
  3. Paper Coffee Filters
  4. Two Mason Jars

Here are the instructions for what you need to do:

  1. Begin with a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio and let it rest overnight. That is 30g of coffee to 420g of water for me.
  2. The cold brew coffee is to be divided into two jars, one for 8 hours and another for 16 hours.
  3. When you’re finished steeping, strain your brew through a paper coffee filter to remove all of the grounds.

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you may select which coffee best matches your taste, or you can alternate between the two if you prefer both.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can you make cold brew with fine-grind coffee?

Yes, you may use fine-grind coffee to make cold brews. The truth is that you may use any of your preferred grind sizes for a cold brew. The finer the grind size, the more intense the brew will be since the coffee taste and fragrance is extracted much faster. 

Can you make cold brew with regular ground coffee?

Many of you are unaware that the response is a yes. Cold-brew may be made using ordinary ground coffee. However, keep in mind that it will take a longer time to brew.

Because there is no heat involved in the cold brewing process, it differs from hot brewing. Typically, you should wait 12 hours before drinking your cold brew.

Pro Tips We’ve Got for You

  • Always grind your coffee beans right before brewing.
  • Never use a blade grinder.
  • Always prefer a burr grinder.
  • Do not over-brew or under-brew your cold coffee.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We’ve done our best to teach you a lot about cold brew coffee and the perfect cold brew grind size that you need to brew the perfect cup of cold coffee. Now, with our instructions at hand, you can confidently grind your beans to the perfect size.

You must have realized that there are several grind settings ranging from extremely coarse to extra fine; depending on what type of coffee you wish to make. We hope our coffee grind size chart has answered all your questions and has assisted you in brewing your cold coffee with the perfect cold brew grind size. May you have a perfect cup of coffee, always!


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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