The short answer
Grind size should match your brew method. Turkish coffee needs a powder-fine grind, espresso a fine grind, pour-over and drip a medium grind, and French press a coarse grind. The slower the water contacts the coffee, the coarser the grind should be, so the cup tastes balanced rather than sour or bitter.
Interactive · Grind size by method
Grind
Extra fine
Feels like
Powder
Why
Grounds stay in the cup
Why grind size changes the cup
Grind controls how quickly water pulls flavour from coffee. Finer grounds expose more surface and extract faster, coarser grounds extract slower. Match the grind to how long the water and coffee stay in contact and you get balance. Mismatch it and the same beans can taste sour or harsh.
Matching grind to method
- Turkish: extra fine, like powder. The grounds stay in the cup.
- Espresso: fine, like table salt, for fast pressure extraction.
- Pour-over and drip: medium, like sand, the everyday all-rounder.
- French press: coarse, like sea salt, so the metal filter runs clean.
Reading your cup
Let taste guide your adjustments. Sour, thin or weak usually means the grind is too coarse or the brew too quick, so grind finer. Bitter, harsh or hollow usually means it is too fine or brewed too long, so grind coarser. Change one thing at a time.
We can grind to your method, or sell you whole beans to do it yourself.