If you have a grinder, buy whole beans: they stay fresh for longer and you can grind for any brewer. If you don't, pre-ground coffee is fine as long as it's ground for your brewer and you use it within a couple of weeks.
Why whole beans taste fresher
Most of coffee's flavour lives in aromatic oils locked inside the bean. Grinding exposes far more of the coffee to air, so those aromas start to fade straight away. Grinding just before you brew means more of that flavour ends up in your cup. Open a bag of freshly ground coffee and a bag of fresh beans a week later, and you'll smell the difference.
The case for ground coffee
Ground coffee is quicker and you don't need a grinder. To get the best from it:
- Buy it ground for your brewer, as the right grind size matters as much as freshness.
- Buy smaller amounts, enough for a week or two.
- Store it airtight, away from light and heat. Here's how to store coffee to keep it fresh.
The case for whole beans
- Fresher: beans hold their flavour for weeks, not days.
- Flexible: you can grind coarse for a cafetière one day and fine for a moka pot the next.
- Adjustable: if your coffee tastes sour or bitter, you can tweak the grind to fix it.
A burr grinder gives a much more even grind than a blade grinder. Here are the mistakes to avoid when grinding coffee.
Which grind for which brewer?
| Brewer | Grind | Looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Cafetière (French press), cold brew | Coarse | Sea salt |
| Filter machine, pour-over (V60, Chemex) | Medium | Sand |
| AeroPress | Medium-fine | Between sand and table salt |
| Espresso machine, moka pot | Fine | Table salt or finer |
The finer the grind, the faster the water extracts the flavour. That's why a cafetière, which brews for about four minutes, needs a coarse grind, and espresso, which takes about 30 seconds, needs a fine one.
How we send it
With a Blue Coffee Box subscription you can choose whole beans or a grind to suit your brewer: cafetière or cold brew (coarse), filter or pour-over (medium), AeroPress (medium-fine), or espresso or moka pot (fine). You can change it at any time.
Want fresh beans delivered? Our coffee bean subscription sends single-origin speciality coffee from the UK's independent roasters, as whole beans or ground for your brewer.
Discover a new coffee every delivery
Get a different single-origin speciality coffee from the UK's top independent roasters, freshly roasted and 100% arabica. Choose whole beans or a grind for your brewer, including decaf. Free UK delivery, and you can skip a delivery, change your date or cancel anytime.
