So on Memorial Day I bought some BRCC coffee....Beyond Black and Coffee or Die, if it matters LOL. I made my first 4 cups with it this morning, just like I do with my regular stuff....Maxwell House. This may be the root of my problem.

I noticed the ground is much...coarser?...with the BB than with the Maxwell House. I put in 4 heaping tablespoons, as I normally do with the Maxwell House. Same about of water. The stuff that came out was more like coffee-tainted hot water than coffee.

I'm assuming I did something wrong, and my first guess is that though the BRCC stuff is called "ground", it's not like the coffee I just throw in my Mr. Coffee machine.

Tips?

Yes, buy a coffee grinder and buy whole bean coffee.

I own a Baratza virtuoso as its burr grinder can do every grind from expresso (fine) to percolater (coarse). When I first bought it it took me a couple days to get the grind setting right.

Burr grinders are far superior to blade grinders. My old blade grinder was relegated to be a spice grinder.

Coarser grind means less surface area, means longer steeping time. That's why we use coarse grind for French press and fine grind for espresso.

I would recommend either trying a different brewing method, or using more ground coffee in the basket. The downside to that is that you may overload your drip basket and make a mess.

ETA: ^^ that's good advice as well. You can get a burr grinder for good price just about anywhere. Once you start grinding your own, you'll never go back to pre-ground.

I live for coffee, well, coffee and bacon!
Sounds like it is too coarsely ground, might be perfect for a french press tho.
A french press is readily available at most coffee shops and pretty cheap.
If I dont have my espresso machine working I use a french press, I like a bold taste to my coffee.

Next time, order the coffee "whole bean" and get yourself a little coffee grinder, hands down it will taste great ! With practice, youll find the right grind for your dfip maker.

Any questions pm me.

( aw shit, post above beat me by 1 minute, sorry)

Okay, can I get a grinder ( like this one) and regrind the two bags I have now?

I also have no clue how a French press works.

I've never tried re-grinding coffee. The "common wisdom" is you may jam up and destroy an electric burr grinder, but a manual one like you pictured should work. But they're slow. Just how much of this coffee did you buy?

Since you're probably using paper filters (you didn't mention what brewer you're using), so you could also re-grind it in an electric blade (aka: "whirly bird") grinder, such as one of these: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=n...55&crid=OVOS6TBSXKUH

You just keep going until it's as fine as you want.

Oh, just two bags of 12oz each. And I have a Hamilton Beach "Brew Station". I use one of those metal screen filters instead of paper.

quote:

Mr. Coffee machine

An automatic drip maker? That heats the water just barely hot and only runs it through the grounds once? There's your problem, along with the coffee being ground coarser. There used to be for ground coffee, and may still be for some brands, an "automatic drip" grind, which, guess what, was ground finer. I like a percolator a lot better than a dribbler.

At present - the most immediate problem is that the grind (coarse) doesn't match your coffee maker.

You can either switch machines (either temporarily or more permanently), or regrind that particular coffee to work better in your current machine.

Getting a French Press (or a stove top Espresso maker / little percolator) will let you use that coffee as is.

Or grabbing a burr grinder will let you keep your current machine.

Strictly speaking, in coffee snob terms, the real problem is your current machine, and it's real problem is that it probably doesn't get hot enough to truly do any good coffee justice, independent of the mismatch in grind. (Almost all regular drip machines have this issue).

But if you're not yet sure how much you care, as in - enough to buy a *real* coffee maker that would replace yours ($250-ish), then for about $40 or less you can get a nice French Press (Bodhum is a popular brand) or a little stove top Espresso maker / percolator.

quote:

es, buy a coffee grinder and buy whole bean coffee.

I have had the most luck with the Capresso 560.01 Infinity Conical Burr Grinder
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Also I buy coffee from;

http://www.cw-usa.com/

The All Day Gourmet house brand as it is fresh roasted. In fact sometimes you must wait a couple of days until a fresh batch is roasted.

I had the same problem with some fresh Kona coffee my mom bought me in Hawaii last month. I'm using a Keurig and got one of their grounds adapters.

I had been taught a good general rule of thumb is "one heaping tablespoon per cup." That didn't work, so I ended up putting 2 or 3 tablespoons (I don't remember; I've been avoiding "real" coffee in favor of the prepackaged stuff A) because we have a 5 year supply and B) because I got sick a few weeks ago and I'm still dealing with the last of the BS from that).

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Okay, can I get a grinder ( like this one) and regrind the two bags I have now?

I also have no clue how a French press works.

The French Press is easy. Just insert the coffee into the beaker, add hot water and install the lid. After 5 minutes, push the screened press down, pour and enjoy.

Some people boil the water on the stove but I use my automatic drip coffee maker to heat the water.

The French press method produces a stronger coffee but it also brings out a lot of flavors you don’t get with the automatic drip.

Yeah, a French Press is dead simple, and makes a great cup of coffee.

Alton at his very best... Man...I LOVE the way he invokes the science behind everything he does!!

A lot of good info so far.
Let me add some from my experience:
* Weigh your coffee on a scale (and water too)
* Find the ideal coffee to water you like but a guide I use is this Coffee Brewing Ratio Chart
* French Press makes for the richest coffe but is more work and unless you use an additional strainer it can get grounds in the coffee (I use a small strainer to pour through).
* BELIEVE IT OR NOT > I tried a product from Shark Tank where you take distilled water and add back to some basic chemicals to get the right water for coffer brewing from a company called THIRD WAVER WATER .
IT WORKS!

So a French press like this?

My usual morning routine is to get up, fire up the coffee maker while I shower, etc. I make 4 cups for my tumbler. I gather that grinder can only do 1-2 cups at a time and the maker says you should not grind more than 5-6 cups since it loses flavor in the time you're grinding the additional beans?

Still.....interesting. I am very unsophisticated. LOL Heck, I put sugar-free hazelnut creamer in my coffee. So boil water, put in the press (which is full of coffee grounds, I assume), wait a few minutes, then press that screen down to filter out the grounds, right?

quote:

So a French press like this?

Yes, most don't make as much a drip pot.
It works to screen the grinds out but my experience it might not get all the grounds out well.

My wife used a French press for years. Then she tried an AeroPress and proclaimed it the best cup of coffee she'd ever had.

When I decided to drop down to only a single cup of coffee in the morning I gave it a go. I have to agree with my wife: Damn good coffee.

You can use a fairly fine grind without ending-up with "mud" in your coffee and it's easier cleanup.

At Amazon: AeroPress

Hmmm... stainless steel mesh filter...

quote:

sugar-free hazelnut creamer

just regrind that coffee, then, and proceed as usual.

We have the aluminum and the small stainless.

Coarse grind, or espresso is fine. However, it takes a couple of brews to take the metal taste out. By the third try it should please. So take those two first attempts to experiment. More water, less water, more coffee, less coffee--- to suit your taste.

Warning. I would avoid the "heart attack brew".