By Valorie King, Owner & Coffee Maven

​​Helping you win the day by fueling your real-life adventures is one of our top priorities, I want to point out: grind matters. Brewing consistent and enjoyable coffee involves paying attention to the grind of the coffee. Two of the most crucial things to remember about grinding coffee are: 1) grind right before you brew coffee, and 2) match the coarseness/fineness of the coffee grind to the brewing method. 
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Bonus Tip: Finding a grinder, particularly a burr grinder, is something to seriously consider as well because you will get a much more consistent grind. The blog about home coffee grinders is coming, but that’s for another time. For, I think it’s important to know that you will get what you pay for. With the invention of the internet and on-line shopping, you can find a burr grinder reasonably priced. My favorite grinder to recommend is the Baratza Encore conical burr grinder for the typical person brewing coffee at home. It does cost about $120, however, it is a quality grinder and will last a very long time. We are also getting great feedback from family members and customers who are using the Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr coffee mill. Both of these are available on Amazon. Both of these grinders give you basic control of adjusting your grind size. Whatever you favorite brewing method, start with the manufacturer recommendation grind or see the pictorial coffee grind guide to decide on your initial coarseness/fineness of coffee. From this starting point, experiment with one or two clicks in either directions (from coarser and finer) to see if you like your coffee better one way or another. 

​This leads me to the grinding Tip 2: It is important to match the grind size of your coffee with the brewing method you choose. Coffee is ground powdery fine for espresso but coarse, similar to coarse sea salt size, for brewing in the French press. (Although some would argue that coffee should be ground finer than American drip brewed coffee.) American drip coffee is ground somewhere between the two extremes. Manual pour over methods require a precise grind size in order to get the best extraction of coffee in the correct amount of time. Here’s a simple picture to help you choose the correct grind size for how you brew coffee. This has circled back around in the specialty coffee industry. Recently, The Perfect Daily Grind dedicated space and thoughts on this subject. You can read that article here. 

​I truly do want you to win your day and enjoy your coffee that fuels your #reallifeadventures. I would love to hear from you. Please post photos on Instagram. Be sure to tag me @lamppostcoffee and @ coffeemavenval AND use the hashtags #lamppostcoffee #reallifeadventures. Thank you for being a part of our coffee adventure! Now it’s your turn to venture into coffee…

By Valorie King, Owner & Coffee Maven

Winning the day starts with amazing coffee to fuel your #reallifeadventures! In the previous blog, 3 Tips About Water, I stated the truth and reality:  All water is not equal. Remember, to keep it simple, especially brewing that first cup of the day, use fresh drawn, cold filtered water.  I wanted to share on Lamppost Coffee Enthusiast’s story about not all water being equal. From our friend, David Dodd. A few months ago, he posted his water #reallifeadventures on Facebook. This story is shared with you by permission and for your enjoyment!

“It was early morning, everyone else was still sleeping. I reach in the fridge and grab a bottle of cold water for my brew. Start to boil the water. 🤔, hhmmm...I wonder where that fruity smell is coming from? Oh well. Prepare my Aeropress with the freshly ground, Anniversary Blend 2018 (roasted by Lamppost Coffee Roasters). Pour hot water over coffee and brew. 

​I can’t wait! I love that first early morning cup of coffee! It brings with it a sort of peaceful solitude. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans and then the steam rising over the top of the cup. Wait, that fruity smell again… is there a candle burning? 

Oh well back to this cup! Bring it up to my mouth...ahh...it’s gonna be so good, wait a second, this fruit smell sure is messing with the coffee aroma. Did Shanna use a new lotion? That’s strong! Oh well, time for the first sip! AGGHHH!!! Spit it out, spit it out! 🤢

Then I see it, the empty bottle by the grinder. The label says Acai-Grape flavored water. Not good. So bad. So saddening. Cup ruined. Moment ruined. I like fruity notes in coffee but not this!” 

Oh how I know the feeling of the lost cup and moment, whether by operator error or spillage of some kind.

​I would love to hear back from you. Do you have any brewing stories to tell? Could be one about operator error or how a success story! Email (info@lamppostcoffee.com). Facebook tag (@LamppostCoffeeRoasters). Instagram tag (@lamppostcoffee or @coffeemavenval).

Now it’s your turn to venture into coffee…