You do not have a coffee grinder and want to buy ground coffee . You also want, and above all, drink very good coffee! 😋 This is good, because this guide aims to answer (among other things) the frequently asked questions that one may ask when buying ground coffee:

What criteria to choose your coffee?

Where to buy your coffee?

How to store ground coffee?

So first of all, let's take a look at the pros and cons of buying ground coffee.

Should I buy ground coffee or beans?

I have already written an entire article dedicated to the differences between ground coffee and coffee beans . You can go read it if you are interested. Here I am focusing on ground coffee and together we will see that there are advantages to buying ground coffee, but there are some disadvantages to be aware of.

coffee beans and ground

Benefits of ground coffee

The main advantage of ground coffee is that it is ready to use . No question to ask, just take a few spoonfuls of ground coffee and place it in your coffee maker. It couldn't be simpler .

In addition to being simple to use, it is also very fast . It will only take a few seconds to start brewing your coffee. Unlike coffee beans that you would have to grind beforehand.

Besides, with your ground coffee , you don't need to buy a coffee grinder.

Then the grind will normally be the perfect size for your coffee extraction. Indeed, if you buy, for example, ground coffee for a filter coffee machine, it will have been designed to perfectly suit the flow of water for a filter coffee machine.

Disadvantages of purchased coffee already ground

There are limits to this however, especially for making espresso, since there, depending on your machine, you will need a more or less fine grind. If the size of the grind is not perfect for your machine, then you will have to play on other aspects of the preparation, such as the tamping of the ground coffee in the filter holder.

After focusing on the size of the grind, it is also important to discuss the freshness of the coffee. And yes, ground coffee is considered less "fresh" than coffee beans. We are not talking about the freshness of the roasting, but the grinding. Indeed, a freshly ground coffee will always be better than a coffee which has been ground hours, days or even weeks before the preparation of your coffee.

The main disadvantage of ground coffee is that it quickly loses its taste qualities , compared to coffee beans that are ground at the last moment.

Some coffee lovers will tell you that it is sacrilege not to grind your coffee just before you taste it. For my part, I am more measured since not everyone has the desire or the patience to prepare their coffee from A to Z. A coffee that is simple and quick to make , without the fuss, is suitable for a majority of people. . You just have to be aware that a coffee bought already ground can never be as good as if you buy it in beans.

How to choose your ground coffee?

The right grind size

There are dozens of ways to extract coffee (to brew your coffee). You are most likely familiar with the bean or capsule espresso machine, or even the filter coffee maker or the Italian coffee maker… All of these methods of preparing coffee require coffee grounds of different sizes. It is therefore important to know what size of grind you should use for the method (s) you use on a daily basis.

And yes, an unsuitable grinding does not allow all the aromas and flavors of the coffee to be extracted under the best conditions. You risk missing out on many taste aspects ...

So which ground coffee for which coffee maker?

Ground coffee for filter coffee maker

Ground coffee for filter coffee machines, you can find it everywhere! It really isn't rocket science, if you go to any food store you will find it. Be careful though, the big brands do not necessarily offer fresh coffees or high quality coffees. We will see how and where to choose your coffee a little later. non stick cookware spray

ground coffee for filter coffee maker

ideal grind for filter coffee

The ground coffee for filter coffee makers is a medium size grind. The grind is not as fine as for making an espresso, but finer than for making a coffee with a French press for example.

Ground coffee for espresso machine

There, and as with the following extraction methods, it is not so easy to find the right grind in the store. In fact, most of the time, you will need to supply yourself directly from a roaster or in specialized shops (physical or online) that can grind the coffee to the right size .

ground coffee for espresso

espresso grind

The espresso grind should be really fine so that the water has time to soak up the oils from the ground coffee. Indeed, as its name suggests, espresso is made quickly. The water passes through it very quickly. So if the grind used was coarse, the water could not soak up the coffee well and would not really taste.

Grind for Italian coffee maker

The Italian coffee maker is another great classic for making coffee. Just like making an espresso, pressure is used here, by heating water which will rise to the surface of the coffee maker through the grinding. Here too, the coffee should not be too thick, as this may result in a tasteless coffee.

The grind size is similar to espresso coffee, but (very) slightly coarser.

Grind suitable for French press

The French press is one of the only coffee makers to offer free brewing of coffee in water , just as it does for herbal teas or tea. We just drop the ground coffee in the bottom of the coffee maker, then add hot water and let it infuse for several minutes.

coffee grind for french press

ground coffee for french press

Since the water is in constant contact with the ground coffee for several minutes , it must be rather coarse to avoid over-extraction (and therefore a coffee that is much too strong and bitter). In addition, the stainless steel filter must not let anything pass (or almost), so it is for this reason that you cannot use a finer coffee at the risk of finding the ground coffee in your cup.

Favor a freshly ground coffee

As I mentioned briefly above, fresh coffee will always be better. Of course, by buying your coffee already ground, the freshness of the grind will not be optimal. If you still want to enjoy good coffee, then you will have to be careful to get freshly ground coffee .

This is obviously hardly possible in supermarkets. The ideal is therefore to choose specialized stores that can grind the coffee on demand . So you can also choose the right grind size and the coffee will be freshly ground.

Ground coffee: All you need to know to make the right choice

ground coffee on demand!

Be careful, however, as soon as the coffee is ground, it oxidizes much faster and therefore loses its taste qualities. This is why we will have to pay attention to its conservation, as we will see later.

Optimal storage with the seller

Speaking of storage, I urge you to pay attention to how the ground coffee you buy is stored. If when you buy it it is already ground, that will be even more important.

If you can't get access to ground coffee on demand, then you have no other options but to buy pre-ground coffee (or turn to online stores). So if you buy a coffee that has been ground in advance, be careful that it is in a suitable box or bag, which avoids contact with air.

Coffee should also be protected from light, in a dry and cool environment. If the coffee is in the open, in bright light, run away! 😅

I will explain a little further on the optimal storage conditions for your coffee, whether in store or at home: one of the keys to enjoying good coffee!

Pay attention to the roasting date

Regarding the roasting date, be aware that it is generally advisable to consume a coffee that has been roasted between 10 days and 6 weeks after roasting .

Ground coffee: All you need to know to make the right choice

The roasting date is always indicated on packages containing quality coffee 🤗

If you consume roasted coffee yesterday, you may unfortunately not be satisfied with the coffee since it will not have had time to evacuate all the gas created during cooking.

If, on the contrary (and this is unfortunately the case with many coffees found in stores), the ground coffee you buy was roasted several months ago, there again you risk being disappointed (e ).

Indeed, a coffee which has been roasted months earlier will inevitably have lost many of its qualities, both aromatic and taste ...

Of course, the way the ground coffee is stored will have an impact on the cup result, but even if the coffee is perfectly stored there will be a loss of flavors if the roast is too old.

Your preferences

Finally, I can only recommend that you turn to varieties of coffee that you like, which have aromatic notes that you like.

If you do not yet know your coffee tastes, because you have so far only consumed coffee from supermarkets, excessively roasted and very often bitter and without real aromatic notes… I invite you to explore! Go to the local roaster and ask him to serve you small quantities of very different coffee: very fruity, spicy, chocolatey, with citrus notes… In short, explore and lead your palate to new flavors!

Where to buy a good ground coffee?

If you have never before bought your ground coffee elsewhere than in food stores (supermarkets in particular), you will see that a new world awaits you! I present to you 3 solutions to buy quality ground coffee .

Specialty shops

There are a few large brands specializing in the sale of tea and coffee, sometimes only coffee, for example the Coffea brand. Otherwise, whatever your city, you will inevitably find a small shop that sells coffee beans or ground .

These shops can advise you and offer you different coffees. However, be careful with the way the coffees are stored there. Very often and in order to satisfy the eyes of curious customers, the coffee is displayed in large transparent jars and sometimes worse, in open bins!

We therefore think of buying very good coffee, better than what can be found in supermarkets. Sometimes we even put the price there when it comes to rarer wines. However, it will have been only a waste of time and money since a coffee, as exceptional as it is, will not be able to deploy all its riches in a cup if it has not been properly preserved.

Ground coffee from roasters

Overall, roasters are normally considerate of their products and will therefore keep each coffee in the best possible condition. If you want to supply yourself at the source, and especially if you have the opportunity, go for it! 😃

In addition to taking care of their coffees, the roasters will also be able to advise you the best and you will talk about their different blends for hours ...!

Online stores

Finally, you have another solution that may be more comfortable for people living far from specialty shops or roasters. These are online stores. In addition to being very practical, buying your coffee online allows you to have access to an almost endless range of coffees, both “single origins” (a single origin of coffee), as well as “blends”. "(Mixtures).

Do not hesitate to do research on the net!

How to store ground coffee?

Even more important than the storage of coffee beans, the storage of ground coffee must follow very strict rules to try to retain the most aromas and flavors. As we have seen, coffee beans keep a little better, it oxidizes less quickly than when it is ground. The storage conditions are the same for coffee beans as for ground coffee. But you will have to pay much more attention to it from the moment you choose ground coffee ...

Here are the rules to follow to keep your coffee in good condition as long as possible. Be careful, however, you will not be able to keep it for months, your coffee will stale too quickly.

Keep your ground coffee dry

We sometimes hear some people advise to put their coffee in the fridge in order to keep it cool. Yet a fridge is far from the best place for a sachet of coffee, both bean and ground. Not to mention the many smells that coffee could enjoy, a refrigerator is a particularly humid environment. Too humid for coffee!

Indeed, coffee needs to be dry, otherwise it risks losing its flavors or even worse, molding! I advise you instead to put your coffee in a cupboard that is not too close to the cooking systems (to avoid steam). Be careful, however, not to store it with your spices or any other food or condiment with strong odors that the coffee could soak up.

Avoid the light

To preserve all the organoleptic properties of your coffee, I also invite you to avoid any exposure to light. The ideal is an opaque sachet or box, which does not allow the sun's rays to pass through.

Have the right bag or box

This box can be interesting for ground coffee . For coffee beans that have just been roasted, it is advisable to have a bag with a freshness valve allowing the gases of the coffee just cooked to escape.

If you buy your coffee from a roaster or a specialist shop, the bag with the freshness valve is essential, even for ground coffee. This is an index of quality 😉 Then nothing prevents you from putting your coffee in a suitable box if you have one.

Avoid temperature changes

Finally, it is important to avoid extreme heat or too cold temperatures as much as possible. Overall, the coffee will keep better and will thank you (retaining its aromas!) If you avoid any thermal shock.

In the event of a heat wave, try to keep your ground coffee in the coolest room of your home.

Recycle used coffee grounds?

Now that you know how to buy good ground coffee and how to store it in the best possible condition, I wanted to end this article by giving you some cool ideas for reusing your coffee grounds .

Indeed, coffee generates a lot of waste both during its production and after tasting. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to share with you some original uses for your used ground coffee .

An eco-friendly scrub with coffee grounds

There are many beauty products on the market to remove dead skin from our face or other parts of the body. However, it is often difficult to understand all the ingredients of these products as the words are so complicated and often lead us to not really natural elements ...

Here, I suggest you reuse your coffee grounds and add just one other ingredient to make a scrub that is both effective and gentle on your skin.

I suggest you use a fine grind. If you drink your coffee with a French press, perhaps you should ask those around you for finer ground coffee grounds, it will be much more pleasant for your skin.

Take a tablespoon of coffee grounds and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (eg oil). Mix well, until you get a paste. All you have to do is come and massage your skin with the mixture and then rinse well!

Do you have a green thumb?

If you own plants, you have probably encountered small animals like midges for example. If so, be aware that the coffee grounds would repel these insects.

 

By placing a little used ground coffee on the soil of your plants, you could save their life! Be careful, however, that the marc is dry before placing it on the soil of your plants.