wendel18 Senior Member Joined: 8 Dec 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Altoona, PA Expertise: I live coffee
Drip: havn't sipped drip since I... Roaster: FRESH ROAST 8
Posted Thu May 1, 2008, 10:34pm Subject: ground vs. whole bean
Okay,
I always grind right before I brew (of course..)
I use a bodum french press, and the black scoop to measue (comes with the press. - 7 grams)
I use 1 scoop of ground coffe per 4oz of water.
Here's what I am wondering...
I use the scoop to measure my whole beans, and then I grind
then I measure out my ground coffee into the press with the same scoop. There is always either not enough coffee for how much I want to make, or too much. Because obviously they do not take up the same space in the scoop after being ground.
I do not want to waste coffee, I roast it at home, and pay decent money for my beans. but if I don't use it right when it is ground --- I throw it away, becasue it goes stale.
What I am wondering is if anyone has figured out a solid ratio or method to avoid this simple problem hahah.
harmolodic Senior Member Joined: 8 Aug 2006 Posts: 56 Location: DC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri May 2, 2008, 5:34am Subject: Re: ground vs. whole bean
It really depends on the bean--some coffees need more volume of beans than others for the same amount made.
You could buy a grinder that measures the amount of cups...though that's a one-size-fits-all solution. I use that method and have also learned to back off or add more depending on the kind of coffee I'm making. I have a Honduran right now that takes noticeably less volume than a Guatemalan I've also been roasting. The Guatemalan is very mild, and I use a little more to make it stronger.
I'd think that if you use the same kind of coffee most of the time eventually you'd get your estimate right.
Posted Fri May 2, 2008, 7:30am Subject: Re: ground vs. whole bean
I always measure my coffee in whole beans. It is just too much trouble and mess to scoop them in, grind them into a container, and then scoop them out again and hope I've got the right ratio. Usually the brewing process is flexible enough that a quarter scoop or so-- about the error of my measurement-- doesn't matter. I do this in spite of the fact that almost all "official" recommendations talk about measurements of ground coffee.
Therefore you can measure by scale the difference between your ground and whole-bean weights per scoop. This would give you the right ratio to adjust your water or scoops appropriately. The amounts are especially flexible with a French press. Measure an amount of coffee in whole-bean form that you can live with, and adjust the water to match. The difference between whole bean and ground should be adjustable enough to get it within a cup's amount of water, I would think.
The measurement is helpful on one level to get a feel for how the difference between the two matters, but also to adjust for grind density. Some grinds are "fluffier" than others, and some beans are less dense than others. The mass (weight) of coffee should be what you go by to compare the two. For me, a flat scoop of whole beans is about 10g, and I use 5 of those to 30oz of water for a drip brew; this gives me 2 large mugs with a small amount left over.
roblumba Senior Member Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 345 Location: San Jose Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri May 2, 2008, 2:52pm Subject: Re: ground vs. whole bean
I would recommend getting a cheap digital scale and weighing. There's an x-treme deals scale that is just over $10 and works great. I bought one. I don't use it so much, but it definitely is helpful for learning.
Posted Sun May 4, 2008, 5:55pm Subject: Re: ground vs. whole bean
Different beans have different densities so you will always have a variation, your grinder burrs may drift a little also making the grind slightly inconsistent. A little waste is usually unavoidable when making coffee. I always measure 3 7g scoops for my 21g basket and usually there is a little left over when levelling the pf, even with a little waste it's still hell cheaper than cafes serving c.............p!!!
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 1:11pm Subject: Re: ground vs. whole bean
You're certainly entitled to your version of frugality, but the amount of grounds I have left over when re-scooping ground beans for a brew would take me a month or more to build up to even half a pound.
Given the economy of green beans today, it seems hardly worth the effort to worry about being that exact.
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