Ground coffee

Khannie

After how much time would you consider freshly roasted but ground coffee beans ruined? (i.e. unsuitable for drinking).

All the coffee geek sites say to grind and brew within 1 minute but I'd imagine that during the degassing stage that there's some forgiveness there. I have a reason for asking and it is partly laziness based.

Gran Hermano

Ideally grind and use straight away but on occasions I'll grind straight into
an airtight mason jar and use a couple of hours later. I don't do this for
use with an espresso machine but for use with an Aeropress/french press.

How long are you planning on grinding and leaving, how will you store?

Khannie

I was thinking maybe a few days max. The coffee was only roasted 2 days ago. I'd be storing it in an airtight container alright. It'd be for a french press too.

Gran Hermano

Khannie wrote: »

I was thinking maybe a few days max. The coffee was only roasted 2 days ago. I'd be storing it in an airtight container alright. It'd be for a french press too.

I can't help thinking it'll still be fresher than 90%+ of the coffee in Ireland
and beat buying preground. I'd also suspect a finer espresso grind to 'go off'
quicker than a coarser press grind.

I'd say worth a punt and it'll make you appreciate freshly ground more when you're back to your normal routine.

uberwolf

I've been buying my coffee freshly ground recently (since the Gaggia arrived), about a two week supply or so. I thought I was imagining it at first, but it definitely loses substantial flavour over the time.

Khannie

Cheers lads. Suppose I'll suck it and see. Will report back.

RE*AC*TOR

I have a few hand grinders now, the best of which is the Hario Skerton (japanese). No excuse for preground.

Ruined / undrinkable is of course very different from at it's best, so who knows. I'm sure if it's good coffee it'll still be drinkable for a while.

uberwolf

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

the best of which is the Hario Skerton (japanese).

Ebay? or is there a better option?

RE*AC*TOR

Haven't seen them on ebay.

Got mine for barismo.com - had to email them though for shipping to Ireland.

ch2008

I had to pregrind some Aricha (yes, I know) for the trip to edinburgh.It was a 10 hour journey with all the ferry traffic. Wasnt as good as fresh ground but infinitely better than what they were selling in the petrol stations and convenience stores along the way

Khannie

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

No excuse for preground.

Haha. You're such a crazy.

edit: What was the cost of shipping then?

Here's an image for the lazy among you. This could be a fine addition for me and my travels.

RE*AC*TOR

I dunno how much it would cost for the grinder alone.

For 2 bags of coffee, the grinder, and a pouring kettle it cost me $48.50, which would be about €35.

Khannie

What what what? The pouring kettle on that website is $54 alone and the mill is marked at $43. Did they drop a 1 from the front of your bill maybe?

Gran Hermano

I've seen those Hario grinders getting great reviews on the American fora
and replacing the old Zass grinders as the 'go to' manual grinder.
Think I may have to pick one up to pair with the Aeropress for when travelling.

RE*AC*TOR

It's not perfect - there is some play in the burrs at coarser settings (ie French Press), but I've found the results to be pretty good (in the cup) nonetheless.

To the point that I am reaching for it at home over my Nuova Simonelli Grinta, despite the extra effort of having to do the grunt work.

I've had a new Zassenhaus, and I also have a couple of vintage PeDe grinders. The new Zass was a piece of crap. Poorly made, hard to adjust, took an age to grind any amount. (I promptly returned it).

The PeDe grinders are pretty good, condition not bad considering they are 40+ years old. They grind close to the speed of the Hario, and actually have less play on the burrs, but the condition is a big variable (some of the burrs are not perfectly centered), and I find the adjustment a bit awkward.