How to Grind Coffee Beans at Home, Step by Step

Start with fresh beans and a scale

Whole beans keep their aroma far longer than ground coffee, because grinding exposes a much larger surface to air. Grind only what you are about to brew, and keep the rest of the beans in an airtight container away from light and heat. If you need a container, the coffee bean storage containers guide compares the common types.

Measure the beans by weight, not by scoops. A scoop of dark roast weighs less than a scoop of light roast because the beans are less dense, so volume drifts from cup to cup. A common starting point for filter coffee is a ratio of 1 gram of coffee to 15 to 17 grams of water, which is about 60 grams of coffee per liter. For a double shot of espresso most home baristas use 16 to 20 grams, depending on the basket size. A scale that reads to 0.1 gram makes this easy to repeat.

Compare coffee scales →

Grinding with an electric burr grinder

A burr grinder crushes beans between two rings of metal or ceramic, so the pieces come out close to one size. Set the grind dial for your brew method, weigh the beans into the hopper or the dosing cup, start the motor, and let it run until the beans are gone. Do not press the beans down into the burrs. Empty the catch cup and tap it so the grounds settle before you pour them into the brewer.

Grind settings are not standard between models, so a number like 15 on one grinder is not the same as 15 on another. Start from the middle of the range for drip, go finer for pour over and espresso, and go coarser for French press and cold brew. Change the dial by one step at a time and taste the result before you move again. Our coffee grind size guide lists the target for every brew method.

Stepped grinders have fixed clicks, while stepless models let you change the size in tiny increments, which matters mostly for espresso. For espresso you also want a grinder that reaches fine settings in small steps, which is what the espresso grinders guide focuses on.

See burr coffee grinders →

Grinding with a blade grinder

A blade grinder chops beans with a spinning propeller, so the grind size depends on how long you run it and not on a setting. The result is a mix of fine powder and larger chunks. That is workable for a French press or a drip brewer, and poor for espresso, where the fine powder clogs the puck and the chunks let water rush through.

Add the beans, hold the lid down, and grind in short pulses of 3 to 5 seconds, shaking the grinder between pulses so the beans near the top fall back to the blades. About 15 to 20 seconds in total gives a medium grind for most small blade models, and longer gives finer grounds. If you want to remove the fine dust, tip the grounds through a mesh sieve. For a deeper comparison, read burr vs blade coffee grinders.

Read burr vs blade →

Grinding by hand with a manual grinder

A manual grinder is a burr grinder you turn yourself, and it is the cheapest way to get an even grind. Pour in the beans, close the lid, hold the body steady with one hand and turn the crank at a steady pace. Grinding 18 to 20 grams usually takes somewhere around one to two minutes, depending on the burr size, the roast and how fine you set it, and the finer the setting the more effort it takes.

Most hand mills adjust by turning a dial under the burr until it stops lightly, then counting clicks back out. Write down the click count that works for each brew method so you can return to it. Hand grinders are compact and quiet, which suits travel and small coffee bars, but large batches for a full pot are slow work.

Browse manual grinders →

What to do with no grinder

Ask the store to grind the beans for you, and tell them the brew method, since the grind setting at a store grinder is usually labeled by method. The coffee will go stale faster than whole beans, so buy a small bag and use it within a week or two.

If you only have whole beans, a blender on pulse can work for a coarse grind, though the pieces will vary a lot. A mortar and pestle gives a better result for a small amount, and crushing beans in a sealed bag with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan works for a coarse French press grind. None of these gets close to a fine espresso grind, so treat them as backups.

Fixing uneven grounds, static and bitter or sour coffee

If the cup tastes sour, thin or salty, the grind is probably too coarse, so go one step finer. If it tastes bitter, harsh or dry, go one step coarser. Change only the grind between brews so you know what caused the difference. For espresso, the same logic applies to shot time, and our guide on how to dial in espresso walks through it.

Grounds that cling to the catch cup and fly around the counter are caused by static. A small spritz of water on the beans before grinding, often called the Ross droplet technique, reduces it, and the static and clumping article covers it in detail. Wipe out the grinder with a dry brush every week or two, since old oily grounds can taste rancid and change how the burrs feed.

Grinder cleaning brushes →

Frequently asked questions

How fine should I grind coffee beans? It depends on the brew method: fine, like table salt, for espresso, medium, like sand, for drip and pour over, and coarse, like sea salt, for French press and cold brew. Shorter contact time needs a finer grind, and longer contact time needs a coarser one.

Can I grind coffee beans in a blender? Yes, with the pulse setting, and it works best for a coarse grind of a small batch. Expect uneven pieces, and do not run it continuously, because that makes dust and heats the beans.

How long before brewing should I grind? Right before is best. Ground coffee loses aroma much faster than whole beans, so even a few hours of waiting changes the cup noticeably.

How many beans do I need for one cup? For a 12 ounce mug of filter coffee, about 20 to 22 grams of beans at the usual 1 to 16 ratio is a good start. A double espresso uses roughly 16 to 20 grams.