Choosing Your Grind

The biggest factor in the extraction process (the pulling of flavours from coffee using water) is GRIND SIZE.

When the grind is too coarse, water passes through the coffee too quickly and leaves a weak/sour brew - this is known as under extraction. But if the grind is too fine the water struggles to pass through, leading to over extraction and a burnt/bitter coffee. 

There are 5 main grind settings we use at Gordon Street Coffee
Turkish - Espresso - Moka pot - Filter - Cafetiere
 

Turkish (1) - an extra fine grind, almost sand-like in appearance and texture

Espresso (3) – very finely ground, similar in appearance to caster sugar

Moka Pot (3.5) – finely ground, slightly coarser than espresso to prevent over extraction and equipment blockage whilst retaining strength and creamy texture of espresso

Filter (5) – a medium grind, suited to pour over/drip style coffee such as V60

Cafetiere (9) – our coarsest grind, perfect for Cafetiere and cold immersion brewing

Generally, the longer the coffee is in contact with water, the coarser your grind should be. But it also comes down to preference, and Aeropress coffee is a key example of this. Typically, we would recommend our filter grind with Aeropress to bring out the subtleties of your chosen bean, similar to V60 brewing. But if you are looking for a richer and stronger extraction, espresso grind is better suited.

Whichever way you choose to brew, the freshest coffee will always taste best.

Our blends and single origins are roasted to order. We then use and heat-sealed bags to lock in flavour, with a zip lock allowing you to reseal after each use. Coffee loves to be stored in a dark, dry, and cool environment - but that doesn’t mean the fridge/freezer!

Refrigerating your coffee makes it cold, introduces unwanted moisture, and exposes it to odours that are easily absorbed – all of these things affect the brewing process and damage the final flavour of your coffee. Instead, store in an airtight container (our resealable bags work for this) in a cool dark place.

You will get the best and brightest flavours from a bean within 4 weeks of roasting, but unopened bags and properly stored beans can extend this up to 6-8 weeks.