Does Grinder Matter for Cold Brew

You might be wondering if you need a grinder to make a pot of your favorite cold brew. Because you are thinking you can get pre-ground coffee from the shop easily why would you need a grinder anyway? We can clear all your confusion and answer all of your questions because that’s why we are here.

So, the vital question is, does grinder matter for cold brew?

Yes. Grinder obviously matters while you make cold brew because you need to use coarse coffee ground for making the perfect cup of cold brew. For the best cold brew experience, you will have to get whole coffee beans and grind them in coarse size.

We have covered a lot more regarding coffee grinders. Let’s jump into the article to learn right away.

Does Grinder Matter For Cold Brew?

Indubitably, yes. Using a grinder will change your whole outlook on your coffee-making process because the size of the coffee grounds decides the taste of your cup of joe. And it is absolutely important while you are making a cold brew.

Coarse coffee grounds are important to make your favorite cup of cold brew. The larger coffee grounds come closer to less friction and heat and that helps savor the flavor of the coffee in the grounds.

So, when you use coarse coffee grounds while making cold brew, your coffee grounds steep much longer in the water and you can retrieve the best taste out of it. And to get perfectly coarse coffee grounds, you need a good grinder.

Hence, we can come to the conclusion that grinder does matter while you are making yourself your favorite cold brew.

What Kind of Grinder Do You Use For Cold Brew?

For the best cold brew experience, you need a coffee grinder with an extra coarse grinding setting. You will find many sorts of grinders in the market for your cold brew. But among all of those, burr and blade grinders are the best options out there.

There are also other types of grinders you can use in making your pot of cold brew. Let’s discuss below which coffee grinders are best for cold brew coffee.

Manual Coffee Grinder

Manual coffee grinders are widely used, affordable, and way more popular than electric grinders. But as it is manual, you will need to do the grinding with your hands.

And this process can be quite time-consuming and tiring as you will have to do the work by hand. Also, you will need to figure out on your own how long you need to grind the coffee to get your desired texture.

You can even use a rolling pin as your manual coffee grinder but it will take you a lot of time to learn how long you need to grind to get the perfect ground size for your cold brew.

Electric Coffee Grinder

Electric grinders are very popular for grinding coffee because they come with various levels of coffee grinding settings. It is very easy to put your coffee ground into the grinder and just stand there till it’s done.

But it is very important to look out for the fact that you don’t over or under extract your coffee. Otherwise, your coffee might taste bitter or salty.

Blade Grinders

Blade grinders are the easiest option out there to grind your coffee. Using a blade grinder is pretty easy and very affordable so you won’t have to spend a lot of money to make a decent cup of cold brew.

You just need to stand there and push the button on the grinder and press stop once you are happy with the grind.

Blade grinders are low maintenance as well as pretty handy. So, you can move it around all the time.

Burr Grinders

Even though blade grinders are very easy and handy to use, burr grinders are always better than the blade ones because of their grinding ability. There are two different burrs in the grinder moving in the opposite direction and that is very helpful in grinding your coffee faster.

You can use it in any kind of coffee you want to make, so it is just as good for your cold brew coffee. But as the grinder comes with very capable burrs, this type of grinder is not cheap.

They can be pricey, but it will be worth it when you experience your cold brew after grinding your coffee in the burr grinders.

Blender Coffee Grinders

Blender types have bullets inside them that help grind your coffee faster. But you may grind it finer than you need so make sure you are not grinding your coffee for a long time.

The only issue with using the blender is you will need to clean it thoroughly every time you use it. Otherwise, it is a good option for your cold brew.

Best Coffee Grinders for Cold Brew in Video Review

How Ground Size Impacts the Flavor of Cold Brew?

Caffeine lovers already know that ground size has a huge impact on the taste of the coffee but it might be a bit surprising to you if you are new to the coffee world.

You need coarse ground coffee for your cold brew because that ensures a long steeping time into the water and helps bring the best flavor out of the coffee. So, it is a must to keep an eye on the texture and size of coffee grounds while making a pot of cold brew.

But if you use under extract coffee grounds that are much larger in size for your cold brew, your coffee will taste salty, sour, and acidic which will make you feel bloated.

Again, if you use over-extract coffee grounds that are too finer in size then your cold brew might taste bitter, hollow, and tasteless.

The perfect size for your cold brew coffee grounds is 1 to 1.5 millimeters which have a consistency similar to rock salt. If your coffee grounds are smaller or larger than this, this might affect the taste of your cup of joe and that is the last thing you want.

So, keep an eye on the coffee grounds while you are putting them in a grinder.

Can You Use a Blade Grinder For Cold Brew?

Of course, you can. The blade grinder is one of the best choices out there for your perfect cup of cold brew. You can choose one for your coffee without any hesitation. Blade grinders are very user-friendly and portable. You will need to spend 8-10 seconds before the grinder to get your perfectly coarse coffee grounds for your cold brew. The grinder requires very low maintenance so you don’t have to spend much time cleaning it.

And the best part is, it won’t put a hole in your pocket but it will certainly provide you with the best service possible. This is not good for your cold brew only, but also a great choice for you if you like flavored coffee. But just like every other thing around us, there are also some drawbacks of using blade grinders. The blades run very fast in the grinder and also produce static charge.

And for that reason, it’s often hard to get even ground size and there is no consistency in the grounds either. And the coffee grounds tend to stick to the grinder or anywhere you put it. Also, the grinder produces a good amount of heat while grinding and it affects the quality of your coffee grounds. But these problems can be easily avoided if you have proper instructions on how to use a blade grinder.

Some Pointers for Using a Blade Grinder

Can You Make Cold Brew With Fine Grind?

Yes, you sure can. But it might not be a good idea to use a fine grind for your cold brew because your coffee won’t taste good. If you use fine grind for your cold brew, then you are using over-extracted coffee grounds which will lead to producing a coffee that tastes bitter, hollow, and tasteless.

The reason for this happening is that you need to steep your coffee in cold or room temperature water for long hours. Fine grind coffee loses its essential oils during the grinding process and that is why no matter how long you steep your coffee into the water, your coffee can not retrieve the taste you want out of the coffee.

On the other hand, because of the grounds being too fine, sediments can pass through the filters while making a cold brew and it’s definitely not good for your health. You might try to steep the coffee into the water for a shorter time but it still won’t taste good or doesn’t decrease the possibility of passing sediments.

So, it’s better not to use fine grind for your cold brew.

Why Is a Burr Grinder Better Than Blade Grinder For Cold Brew?

Burr and blade grinders both are pretty good options for making your decent cold brew. But burr grinders are always better than blade grinders. Wondering why? Let’s take a look at the following chart to learn why burr grinders are better.

The mechanisms of burr grinders and blade grinders are completely different. Burr grinders have burrs and you can easily control size settings according to your need.

But blade grinders contain two blades and you can not control the size of the ground according to your need. So, you will need to count your time when you are using the blade grinder. You can control the speed of a burr grinder and it produces coffee grounds that are all in the same shape and size. And this quality makes your cold brew taste much better.

But, on the other hand, you cannot control the speed of a blade grinder and it produces uneven shapes of coffee grounds. For this reason, the taste of your cold brew goes a bit downtown as the uneven coffee grounds don’t steep in the water all in the same manner.

Because of the size setting controller on the burr grinders, they can maintain consistency while grinding the coffee. But blade grinders are unable to maintain this consistency for not having a size settings feature. Burr grinders can be pretty expensive compared to blade grinders. But don’t think of it as money down to drain because burr grinders have high durability but the blade grinders don’t.

So, even if it’s expensive, it will serve you in the long run. Blade grinders are very easy to maintain. It won’t take much time for you to clean it. Whereas burr grinders require heavy maintenance as they are pretty hard to clean.

If you want your burr grinder to last longer, you will need to take time out of your busy schedule to maintain this piece of coffee gear. So, we can establish without any doubt that burr grinders are better than blade grinders.

Why Your Grinder Is the Most Important Piece of Coffee Gear?

If you are thinking of getting new coffee gear to amp up your coffee experience, then going for a good coffee grinder will be the wisest decision of all.

Because only a nice coffee grinder can bring a drastic change in your coffee experience. You will see how different your coffee tastes when you learn to use it properly.

Let’s see some reasons why a grinder is the most important of all your coffee gear.

Freshly Ground Coffee Always Rules

You might think why even bother going through the hassle of grinding coffee while you can buy it from the market. If you are having this thought, then scrub it out of your head because it does matter.

Pre-ground coffee does not have a long shelf life. If you store it for a long time, the coffee gets oxidized and loses its essential taste and flavors. And when your coffee loses its wild flavors, no matter what you do, your coffee won’t taste good.

It loses all of its aromas while oxidized. Also, pre-ground ground coffee goes stale pretty soon so you will have to buy it again and again and it will cost you more money.

On the other hand, whole bean coffee has a long shelf life. You grind them just before making your coffee so it contains all its natural and wild flavors and aroma that enhances the taste of the coffee.

If you taste the freshly ground coffee once in your life, you will not be able to go back to pre-ground coffee no matter what.

Use Any Brewer of Your Choice

Pre-ground coffee only comes in the fine ground. So you can not always use the right ground size for your choice of coffee. But if you use whole bean coffee, then by using a grinder, you can the size of the ground you need for your favorite cup of joe.

Brew Better Coffee at Home

If you own a coffee grinder, you can easily make any coffee of your choice any time you want. You don’t have to step outside just because you are craving for french press or Moka pot or cold brew late at night or whenever.

With a decent coffee grinder at your home, you can brew any coffee you want. You can experiment with making different coffee at home and become your home barista.

Conclusion

Hope you could figure out if grinder matters for a cold brew from this article. Now you can make your own pot of cold brew and enjoy sitting on your balcony or crawling up in your bed with your favorite book in your hand.

But make sure the kind of a grinder that can provide you coarser grounds. Otherwise, it will be money down the drain and your coffee won’t taste good.