Do I Buy Coffee Beans or Ground Coffee? and Why?

Should I buy coffee beans or ground coffee? That is a question that gets asked a lot these days and today, we are going to do our best to break it down so that you will have better knowledge about both. For starters, let me just go ahead and say that you should buy coffee beans and grind your own. Why? That's a great question. Let's look at the facts, shall we?

Why Do We Grind Coffee?

The basic goal of making coffee is to get what's sealed inside the bean (those delicious flavour complexities that roasters create) out of the bean. By grinding the coffee beans fresh, you help the water to extract those aromas and flavours that you find in your morning cup of coffee (or evening cup). Whole beans are more flavourful and produce that fresh quality that both you and I look for in each delicious cup of coffee that we drink. Ground beans, if you choose to purchase them instead, tend to lose the fragrance. For example, have you ever popped open a bag of fresh coffee beans and discovered the aroma that hits your nostrils? It's amazing, right? Now, take a moment and open a bag of ground coffee. What's missing is that fresh flavour scent that is sealed inside the bean and is only released once the bean has been ground. The sooner you use coffee after grinding it, the more of the originally intended flavours there will be.

The Pros and Cons of Ground Coffee

If you are a person who prefers convenience over flavour, then I can assume you are the purchaser of ground coffee instead of whole bean coffee. Yes -- you can make coffee quicker this way because the hard part has already been done for you. You need to remember that when you buy ground coffee you will be sacrificing a little flavour but you will be saving yourself a few extra minutes in the day. If you prefer the convenient route and really only want to purchase ground coffee, these tips will help you get the most out of the grounds you buy:

• Buy in smaller batches such as a week's worth of grounds at a time. This will ensure that you get a fresh cup of coffee each time. Most ground beans tend to lose a lot of their flavour after about two weeks.
• Store your grounds properly away from coffee killers like heat, light, etc. This extensive list of coffee storage containers should help you do the trick.

Even cans of coffee that have been vacuum-packed are going to be a lot less fresh than the coffee you grind yourself. If you've never had freshly ground coffee, then you might think that there really is not a lot of difference. But if you buy whole beans, and then grind them up minutes before you brew up your pot of coffee, the flavour is much stronger and more noticeable.

Whole Coffee Beans: You Won't Find Any Cons Here!

If you want to get the most flavourful coffee possible, your best option is to buy your beans whole. Grinding whole beans for an amazing cup of coffee is an overlooked but crucial part of the brewing process. Whole bean coffees come from better lots because it's impossible to hide negative qualities in a bag of whole bean coffee. Check out our list of past roasters that have been featured in each Blue Coffee Box Subscription box. The majority of the coffee's aromas and flavours are released when it's ground. If you buy whole bean coffee and grind it at home, you will notice the coffee's enhanced flavours.

You Get to Control the Grind of Whole Coffee Beans

One of the reasons we choose to buy coffee beans and grind them ourselves is because we get to control the grind of the coffee. Yes -- the size of the grind can change the flavour of your cup of coffee all the way around! Here is a small breakdown of what the grinds look like. These can be accomplished simply by changing the size on your grinder(Click here for a list of amazing grinders to choose from).

Extra Coarse	The size of really small pebbles
Coarse	The size of coarse salt.
Medium	The size of brown or white sand.
Fine	The size of regular table salt or sugar.
Extra Fine	The size of powdered sugar.
Turkish Grind	The size of baby powder.

The amount of time that water and coffee need to be in contact with each other is directly related to the particle size of the grind. The finer the grind, the more surface area of the bean is exposed to water. The more surface area, the less dwell time is needed.

If you grind it yourself, you can make up a batch of coarse coffee for your French press. Or, you can also make some fine grinds for an espresso machine. Even the simplest coffee bean grinder will give you the control over your grounds. Since you'll only be grinding small amounts right before you brew, you can change the fineness whenever you want.

Finally

The bottom line is that whether you buy coffee beans or ground coffee there are things to consider. Those things are freshness, control, and convenience. Whole beans will give you a fresher cup. You can also decide your own level of coarseness, but ground coffee is ready without any work.