"Excuse me, what grind size should I use for pour-over coffee?" "Why is the grind at setting 10 on your machine different from setting 10 on mine?" "When you say 'sugar-like,' do you mean caster sugar, granulated sugar, or brown sugar?" ... Are you still struggling to find the right grind size for your coffee brewing device? Front Street has an article to [more…]

Grind size is the key variable that determines the direction of coffee flavor, but grinders on the market have wildly varying scales, and the same number may correspond to dramatically different coarseness on different devices. How fine is actually fine? How should you judge something the size of granulated sugar? This article starts from the impact of grind size on extraction, systematically introduces how to quantify the coarseness of coffee grounds with the help of the Chinese standard No. 20 0.85 mm aperture sieve, and for common brewing methods such as pour-over, French press, cold brew, espresso machine, and moka pot, provides reference ranges for grind passing rates under different roast levels and comparison methods, helping you find the grind parameters suitable for your own equipment. [more…]

The essence of coffee extraction is using water to dissolve flavor compounds out of coffee beans, and among the several core variables that determine extraction results, grind size is often the most intuitive and the one that most needs precise control. The finer the coffee is ground, the faster water penetrates into the particles to extract compounds, and the more flavor can be dissolved in the same amount of time, naturally making the taste richer; conversely, the coarser the particles, the lower the extraction efficiency, and the coffee easily tastes weak. So how many levels of grind size are commonly available on the market? What grind levels suit espresso, pour-over, and French press respectively? And how does Front Street Coffee use a 0.85mm standard sieve to define the baseline for pour-over grinding? This article will break down, one by one, the mechanisms by which grind size affects taste, sort out the coarseness spectrum from Turkish pot to French press, and provide a reusable method for judging pour-over grind size. [more…]

Which grind size from 1 to 10 is the finest for coffee beans? In most cases, the smaller the number, the finer the grounds. The grind size of coffee beans plays an important role in extracting a cup of coffee. For example, if the coffee grounds are too fine and used for pour-over coffee, it will result in over-extraction, while if they are too coarse, it will result in under-extraction. Secondly, factors such as the beans from each producing region [more…]

Among the many variables in pour-over coffee, grind size is one of the core factors determining extraction efficiency and the final flavor. The coarseness of the coffee grounds not only changes the speed at which water penetrates the coffee bed, but also directly affects the coffee's strength, body, and the balance of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. In this article, Front Street Coffee systematically sorts out the mechanisms by which grind coarseness affects extraction, and provides reference grind standards for different brewing methods such as cupping, pour-over, French press, espresso, moka pot, and cold brew/ice drip. It also introduces the calibration method using the No. 20 sieve pass rate, helping coffee enthusiasts find grind parameters that suit them. [more…]

The coarseness of coffee grinding directly affects the efficiency of extraction and the final flavor performance, making it one of the key variables that determine whether a cup of coffee is good or bad. From extremely coarse cold brew grinding to Turkish grinding as fine as flour, seven different particle sizes each correspond to the most suitable brewing equipment and methods. This article systematically sorts out the appearance characteristics of each grind size, the applicable scenarios, and why grinding fresh at home preserves flavor better than buying pre-ground coffee powder. It will also explain the taste problems that may arise from improper grind size selection, helping you quickly find the appropriate grinding parameters based on the equipment you have on hand, so that every cup of coffee can present the ideal layering of flavor. [more…]

No matter what method we use to make coffee—whether it's pour-over, cold brew, or espresso—we first need to grind the coffee beans into grounds before we begin. The purpose of doing this is to increase the surface area of the coffee that comes into contact with water, speed up the dissolution of flavor compounds, and give the brewed coffee a fuller taste. [more…]

Coffee beans must be ground to release their aromatic compounds, but different extraction methods and devices have vastly different requirements for grind size. Too coarse or too fine will throw the flavor off balance, so is there a generally accepted reference standard? This article uses the industry-standard cupping grind parameters as a baseline and examines, one by one, the suitable grind ranges for the French press, pour-over, cold drip and cold brew, siphon, espresso machine, and moka pot, while explaining how factors such as roast level and water temperature affect the final choice. Drawing on everyday brewing experience, Front Street Coffee offers practical sieve-passing recommendations to help coffee lovers find a grind plan suited to their own equipment. [more…]

In the process of making pour-over coffee, water temperature, grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio are the three key variables that affect the final flavor. Among them, grind size directly determines the particle size and uniformity of the coffee grounds, which in turn affects the efficiency with which water extracts flavor compounds as it passes through the coffee bed. So, when faced with coffee beans of different characteristics, how do we find the most suitable grind setting? And when the grind is too fine or too coarse, what typical signs show up during brewing? In this article, Front Street Coffee will systematically explain the mechanism by which grind size affects extraction, and introduce a method that uses a standard sieve to accurately determine whether the grind is appropriate, helping you adjust grind parameters on a more informed basis in your daily brewing. [more…]

If you are a passionate lover of pour-over coffee, then you must know that the following factors are among the reasons that affect your coffee's extraction and flavor! So let's count them with Front Street: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, extraction time... Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet [more…]

Grind size is one of the core variables determining the extraction outcome and flavor direction of pour-over coffee. This article systematically examines how coffee particle size affects flow rate and extraction efficiency, compares the typical behaviors when the grind is too fine versus too coarse, and provides reference grind ranges for different brewing devices such as cupping, pour-over, espresso, moka pot, cold brew drip, and French press. It also introduces the calibration method using the No. 20 sieve pass-through rate to help you find the appropriate grind setting between medium-light and medium-dark roasted beans. The article also incorporates Front Street Coffee products such as Huakui, Geisha, Sidra, PWN Golden Mandheling, Queen's Estate, and Blue Mountain No. 1, offering corresponding grind recommendations and extraction approaches. [more…]

Coffee beans must be ground before their aromatic compounds can be extracted, but different brewing devices work on different extraction principles, so grind size is not interchangeable between them. Using the industry-recognized cupping grind standard (70–75% passing through a No. 20 sieve) as the baseline, this article systematically breaks down the grind parameters and adjustment logic suited to each common brewing device, including the French press, pour-over, cold drip and cold brew, siphon, espresso machine, and moka pot. From immersion to pressurized methods, from coarse sugar to flour-fine powder, Front Street will explain one by one why each device requires a specific grind size, and how to flexibly fine-tune it according to roast level, water temperature, and extraction time, to help you find the grind solution that best suits your own cup. [more…]

The same coffee beans can present a completely different flavor profile when brewed with a different device, and one of the key variables determining the extraction result is grind size. Coffee beans must first be ground to efficiently release aroma and soluble solids, but different devices extract in very different ways, so grind coarseness cannot be generalized. Over-extraction brings out bitter, off-flavors, while under-extraction results in a thin, sour taste, so finding grind parameters that match your device is especially important. Based on Front Street Coffee's hands-on testing experience and using the industry-recognized cupping grind standard—the No. 20 sieve pass-through rate—this article provides recommended grind ranges one by one for the French press, pour-over coffee, cold drip and cold brew, siphon, espresso machine, and moka pot, and explains how roast level, water temperature, and extraction time affect grind adjustments, helping you consistently reproduce a delicious cup at home. [more…]

The flavor expression of pour-over coffee depends to a large extent on the grind size setting. If the particles are too coarse, extraction is insufficient and the taste is thin; if too fine, over-extraction easily occurs and bitterness becomes prominent. So what range should pour-over coffee particles actually be controlled within? Different grinders have inconsistent scale standards, so how can this be expressed in a unified way? Starting from the principles of extraction, this article sorts out the mutual influences among coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, time, and grind size, and introduces the method used by Front Street Coffee of measuring grind pass-through rate with a 0.85 mm standard sieve, giving the basic reference standard of an 80% pass-through rate to help coffee enthusiasts quickly find a suitable grinding baseline when facing different beans and equipment. [more…]

Grind size is the key variable that determines the success or failure of a cup of coffee extraction. If the grounds are too fine, they tend to over-extract and become bitter; if the grounds are too coarse, the extraction is insufficient and the flavor is weak. Starting from the practical experience of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically explains the mechanism by which grind setting affects extraction efficiency, sorts out the grind ranges corresponding to different brewing methods such as espresso, pour-over, and French press, and focuses on explaining the setting of the EK43s grinder in the pour-over scenario—medium-light roast beans are recommended at 10, and medium-dark roast beans at 10.5. It also introduces the specific operation of using a 0.85mm No. 20 sieve for sifting verification, helping coffee enthusiasts quickly judge and correct the grind size, so that every cup of coffee can consistently present the ideal flavor. [more…]

The flavor expression of pour-over coffee is directly related to the grind size. The coarseness of the particles not only determines how easily water passes through the coffee bed, but also influences the efficiency with which flavor compounds are released. When the grind is finer, extraction resistance increases, the flow rate slows, and the coffee tends toward intensity; when the grind is coarser, water passes through smoothly, the extraction yield drops, and the flavor tends toward weakness. So in everyday brewing, how can you find the right grind setting for beans of different roast levels? Starting from Front Street's brewing experience, this article sorts out the specific effects of grind size on extraction, explains the typical manifestations of over-fine and over-coarse grinds during brewing, and introduces a method for judging whether the grind is appropriate using a 0.85mm test sieve. [more…]

Grind size is one of the key variables that determines the direction of coffee flavor, especially in the pressurized, short-extraction espresso system, where a tiny change in the setting can tip a shot from balanced to over-extracted or under-extracted. This article focuses on how grind size affects taste. It first explains why a standard sieve is needed to confirm the actual particle size, then compares the different tolerances for grind precision in pour-over versus espresso, and afterward gives beginners a two-step method to quickly lock in the espresso grind range, along with guidance on fine-tuning based on flavor feedback. The article also explains why Front Street Coffee recommends buying whole coffee beans rather than pre-ground coffee, helping readers build a daily grind-calibration management habit. [more…]

Grind size plays a decisive role in coffee extraction, directly affecting the dissolution efficiency of flavor compounds. Once coffee beans are ground into powder, their surface area can expand by about a thousand times. The finer the grind, the shorter the distance water must travel to reach the core of the particle, and the faster the extraction. Different brewing methods require different grind sizes, but due to the influence of equipment and bean varieties, there is no unified standard for grind size—only vague descriptions such as coarse sugar, fine sugar, or flour-like texture can be used to classify it. This article will systematically analyze the principles by which grind size affects extraction and outline the suitable grinding ranges for espresso and pour-over coffee respectively, helping enthusiasts build a clear understanding of grinding. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, follow our WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) No matter what equipment is used to brew coffee, the coffee beans must be ground, the purpose being to allow the coffee's flavor compounds to dissolve more quickly. Of course, not all of the coffee's soluble [more…]

Grind particle size is one of the key variables that determines the direction of coffee flavor. Starting from the practices of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews the influence of grind size on extraction efficiency in pour-over coffee, the grind standards suited to medium-light and medium-dark roasts respectively, and how to use a 0.85mm No. 20 sieve to test the pass-through rate. It also extends to the extremely fine grind requirements of espresso, explains the effect of the grinder burr spacing on extraction time, and provides the specific extraction parameters and flavor description of Front Street espresso. In addition, the article also explains the relationship between the choice of Moka pot coffee grounds coarseness and the oils it produces, helping coffee enthusiasts find a grind plan suitable for their own equipment at home. [more…]