Coffee Grind Size Guide: Which Grind for Which Brewer

Same coffee, three grinds, three very different cups. Grind size decides how fast water pulls flavor out of coffee. Match the grind to the brewer and a good coffee gets better. Miss it and the same beans taste bitter or thin. Here is the short guide.

The quick chart

Coarse (looks like sea salt): French press, cold brew, percolator
Standard / medium (looks like beach sand): drip coffee makers, pour-over
Fine (close to powder): espresso machines

That covers most kitchens. The rest of this page explains why, and what to do when a cup does not taste right.

Why grind size matters

Small pieces give up their flavor quickly. Big pieces give it up slowly. So a brewer that keeps water and coffee together for a long time needs a coarse grind, and a brewer that pushes water through in seconds needs a fine one. When the two do not match, you get one of two problems:

Too fine for the brewer: the water takes too much. The cup is bitter and harsh.
Too coarse for the brewer: the water takes too little. The cup is weak, thin or sour.

Coarse: French press, cold brew, percolator

These brewers steep coffee in water for minutes or, for cold brew, many hours. A coarse grind slows things down so the cup stays smooth, and it stays out of the metal filter. For the full method, see French press coffee: the 4-minute method. Making cold brew? Our Cold Brew Coffee is a medium roast picked for it — order it in the Coarse grind.

Standard: drip machines and pour-over

A standard, medium grind is the everyday setting. Water runs through a paper filter in a few minutes, and a grind like beach sand gives it just enough time. If your pour-over drains very fast and tastes thin, go a touch finer. If it stalls and tastes bitter, go a touch coarser.

Fine: espresso

An espresso machine forces hot water through the coffee in well under a minute, so it needs a fine grind that is close to powder. Our Espresso grind is made for this. A stovetop moka pot is a little different: it usually does best slightly coarser than true espresso, so if a moka pot cup tastes harsh, try the Standard grind instead.

Whole bean or pre-ground?

If you own a grinder, buy whole bean and grind right before you brew — whole beans hold their aroma longer. If you do not, that is fine. Order the grind that matches your brewer and buy a size you will finish while it still smells great. Every expectaroma coffee comes four ways: Whole Bean, Standard, Coarse or Espresso. Tell us how you brew and we grind it that way. Either way, store it well and it will stay fresh longer.

Fixing a cup by the grind

Bitter, harsh, dry aftertaste: grind coarser.
Sour, weak, watery: grind finer.
Muddy French press: grind coarser and press more slowly.
Pour-over that takes forever to drain: grind coarser.

Change one thing at a time and taste again. Grind is usually the first thing to adjust, before the amount of coffee or the brew time.

Which coffee to start with

For French press and percolators, a dark roast such as French Roast or Cowboy Blend. For drip and pour-over, Breakfast Blend or a single origin such as Colombia. For espresso, Italian Roast or African Espresso. Still deciding? A sample pack puts six coffees in one box.

The short version

Coarse for French press and cold brew. Standard for drip and pour-over. Fine for espresso. Bitter means go coarser, sour means go finer.

Expect more. Enjoy aroma.