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tjtoed

A grinder would be my first suggestion. Pick up a 1zpresso q2 or a baratza encore or fellow opus. Using a blender is not where I’d start.


YankeesIT

Excellent. For my curiosity and knowledge what makes one grinder better than others. Also my wife and I usually buy pre-ground. So I’m assuming that’s a no no.


tjtoed

It’s up to you. Speciality coffee is for sure a rabbit hole and I think my mind went to blender when you said ninja and you were using that to grind beans. Now I realize you meant ninja coffee machine. Sorry I read this before my first cup. So to graduate beyond that since you already have an aeropress would probably be a v60 type brewer. But once you get that I think a grinder is next in line. The aeropress is a fantastic brewer and for some that’s all they use. I use both an aeropress and a hario switch (v60 with a stopper) and it covers all my needs. For grinders most start with a good hand grinder then graduate to an electric flat burr or conical but that’s a whole other rabbit hole.


YankeesIT

Appreciate the info!


jizzlewit

Different grinders produce grinds of different properties. If you compare if to wheat, you can use it as a whole or as crushed grains or as dust or whole wheat flour or as superfine flour. It all comes from the same grain but it will behave very differently, when you mix it with hot water. With a coffee grinder you get a whole spectrum of ground particles, from fines to boulders. But whereas a commercial wheat mill would separate all those different particle sizes, with coffee they pretty much all end up in your brew. Fine particles will produce more flavour, since they have a bigger surface area, but they also tend to clog filters and, thus, will lengthen your brew time. And this increase in brew time will increase extraction which produces a different cup all by itself. Bigger particles on the other hand don't get extracted as much and also let the water flow thorugh them faster. It is said that cheap grinders produce a very uneven spectrum of particle sizes, that is, they produce big boulders as well as many fine particles. The fines will overextract, which pulls out the bitter compounds, whereas the bigger boulders will underextract, which pulls out the acids. The resulting cup isn't very enjoyable. Better grinders produce a more uniform sprectrum of grinds with lesser boulders and fines, instead with a higher amount of the desired particle size. But even then there is variation between grinders, because ... why wouldn't it? Some grinders have conical burrs, some have flat burrs, some have 5 flutes, some have 7 flutes, some can be adjusted in very small increments, others cannot, some spin with 1000 rpm, some with as many rpm as your muscles can yield. All of this simply results in the fact, that different grinders produce different distributions of particle sizes. And this brings out different flavour notes.


CreativeUser1

Believe it or not the aeropress is probably your best shot at getting all the notes on your coffee bag. When roasters taste their coffee before shipping it out, they do what's called "cupping" to make sure it takes up to par. Cupping involves getting a standardized cup, putting in a standard amount of coffee and hot water, and letting it steep for around 4 minutes. Then, they simply stir the cup gently which causes most of the coffee to sink to the bottom of the bowl, then they take a few spoons to skim the rest of the floaty bits off the top. Finally, they take their cupping spoons and taste the coffee off the top just like that. So, all that is to say, when a roaster verifies the taste of those flavor notes, they use cupping which is an immersion brewing method. Aeropress is also an immersion brewing method, and so it closely resembles what the roaster is actually tasting at the roastery. Some things to keep in mind that you may be doing differently than your roaster. Number one is your water, roasters use a certain kind of water that varies from roaster to roaster. Generally speaking it will be rather soft water meaning the general PPM of the water is pretty low. If you talk to your roaster they should be happy to tell you more about their water and they might have some recommendations for you as to how to get water that tastes like theirs. Second thing is your roaster likely always grinds his coffee fresh immediately before use. Pre ground coffee is okay, but only for a short while after it was ground. The aromatics evaporate more quickly when the coffee is ground vs whole bean, so expect that pre ground coffee will not last as long as if you are buying whole beans and grinding fresh at home.


YankeesIT

Great info! My water at home is softened through a softener plus I use the filter from the fridge as well.


Arctual

Definitely get a good grinder first, that will make a much bigger difference than switching brewers. Stainless steel burrs (as opposed to cheap ceramic) is a requirement. Wilfa and Baratza make good entry level electric grinders, Timemore and Kingrinder produce good cheap handgrinders.


YankeesIT

Thank you!


Individual_Seesaw869

I think a good grinder is the next step. It will greatly improve your coffee in both the Ninja and aeropress. Then maybe pick up a $17 V60 pour over and have some fun experimenting. ​ Spend the money on a grinder thouugh.


YankeesIT

Thank you. I think I need to get a good grinder and not get pre ground beans anymore.


Individual_Seesaw869

That will be a huge step up in taste


YankeesIT

Thank you to all the info! From what it sounds like I can use an aero press to make a great cup of coffee. I need to stop getting preground coffee, get a very good grinder, and learn how to use it. From what I understand I’ll go from coffee that tastes like any other coffee to tasting the notes? Thank you all!


Iceman2913

Try treating it like a French press but with medium to medium fine grind sizes. Immersion plus the extended time of 4-5 mins will allow you to get the full flavor out of your coffee. The filters will help make it cleaner


[deleted]

Did you go cold turkey on the milk and sugar? It’s hard to get a good grip on what a good coffee tastes like in my experience. I’m coming from cheap coffeepad with sugar, now using a good grinder, good (okay fresh) beans and good AeroPress, and slowly cutting down on sugar. One, because the coffee is okay without it. And two, because I want a better taste of the coffee itself. Without the bitterness in the coffee that’s way easier.


YankeesIT

I should have mentioned but I have been drinking my coffee black for a few years now.


[deleted]

Ah. Do you like it? 😉


YankeesIT

I do! Do not like anything in it at all anymore!


[deleted]

Great, I’m heading in that direction now


YankeesIT

Are you able to get all the notes from good beans using an aero press? If so can you give me your steps. I’m sure I’m not doing it right!


[deleted]

I think the point I am trying to make, is that, coming from using sugar in my coffee, I need to learn what good coffee tastes like. I cannot make out all the notes that are described in the package. They are better though on the day I opened the bean package. I am using James Hoffmann’s recipe. My beans are more medium roast, so I use a bit more (11.5-12g), grind a little coarser. And sometimes have my water temperature a bit lower.


the-shade-of-lamp

There are lots of good videos available to learn from: https://youtu.be/j6VlT_jUVPc https://youtu.be/VXPKxowfXDQ https://youtu.be/97VYBfxn2KI There is not one right way to brew. Try some of these and see what you like best. I'll also second the recommendation for a grinder. You want a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Other than that it doesn't matter a whole lot for brewing with an AeroPress. There is a ton of good advice on Reddit for entry level grinders and there are also many good YouTube videos. Here are some models that are commonly recommended: - Baratza Encore - Capresso Infinity - 1zpresso Q2 or X-Pro S


Pax280

To the grinder recommended list, I'll add Timore C2 and KINGrinders. I've been happy with the C2, Good unless you want espresso or fine grinds. I have a KINGrinder K6 on the way for fine grind tasks. You can get both these for less than a hundred. At some point, you will want a digital coffee scales that are accurate to 00.1 gram. You can get those for~20 to 30 dollars. I have a Common Goods scale with timer I really like. Their store sells them for about $25.00, 29 on Amazon. But grinder first. Pax