If you are a coffee lover who is looking for ways to blend your beans better, then this article is for you.
Coffee beans nowadays are a lot easier to purchase, and there are many different choices and brands available. No longer do you have to suffer from buying regular coffee at your local supermarket, but now you have the opportunity to obtain your preferred beans.
Grinding coffee beans is now something which people can do at home. Most people choose to do this using a coffee grinder; however, there are other ways. If you have never ground coffee beans before, then not to worry as there is more than one way to go about it.
Perhaps you have found yourself asking, can you grind coffee beans in a blender? Well we will answer that and more in this article.
Grinding Coffee Beans
As we briefly mentioned, coffee drinkers can grind their favorite coffee beans using a simple coffee grinding machine. These can be found from popular brands such as Delonghi, Bialetti, Cuisinart and a variety of others.
Depending on where you choose to purchase, these coffee grinders can be rather expensive, and may seem pointless if you are on a budget and want to save money.
Therefore, the other ways to grind coffee beans include using a food processor, and even better, a blender. The difference lies in how these products grind the beans, and that’s what we will discuss next.
Grinding Using a Coffee Grinder
Coffee grinders are designed to include two abrasive surfaces which are positioned apart, and which rotate in different directions. As the coffee beans are placed in the machine, they are pulled down by gravity between the two surfaces, and this breaks up the beans until they are broken into tiny particles.
Using a coffee grinder gives you much control over the size and consistency of the granules, and the result? A fine grind of coffee in a powderlike substance.
Grinding Using a Food Processor or Blender
When it comes to grinding with a food processor or blender, it can also be done. Unlike the coffee grinder with its abrasive surfaces, the food processor and blenders feature blades which breakdown the beans into smaller particles. When using either method, the types of grind you receive will differ.
The Medium-Fine Grind
If you are looking for more of a medium-fine grind, you can certainly achieve this when using both a food processor and a blender. By merely pouring your coffee beans into the blender, and leaving them to blend for a few minutes, you will receive a grind which is perfect for espresso-style coffee.
A medium-fine grind is excellent for pour methods, however a little too fine for a standard drip brewer. Using this grind in a drip brewer is likely to give your coffee a strong flavor, so if you like your coffees strong, then this should be no problem.
The Courser Grind
The disadvantage of using a food processor or blender when it comes to grinding coffee beans is that it is difficult to grind anything other than a medium-fine consistency.
If you stop your blender before the medium-fine, you will most likely notice a mixture of large and small particles together, which will result in an uneven grind overall.
One solution to this is to use a pulse setting on your food processor or blender if you have it. Grinding your beans in shorter periods and shaking the blender between each grind will help to make the particles more even in size. Doing so will grind the beans coarsely near the blade and shaking will allow the large pieces to fall and be crushed together with the rest of the mix.
However, even when using the pulsing feature, you still won’t receive the same result as when using a specific coffee grinder. The more you practice grinding, you will learn how to produce finer grinds.
Benefits and Downfalls of Using Blenders to Grind
When using a blender to grind coffee beans, you have one main advantage over a more traditional coffee grinder. Thanks to the large size of a blender, you will have a lot more space to grind larger batches of coffee. This is great for cafes and bars, for example, who may need more.
Doing larger batches however may cause a substantial buildup of heat. Coffee beans have certain oils which provide their distinct flavor and aroma. These are vulnerable however to heat, and so it’s recommended not to use too much heat when blending, and keep the temperature low.
Conclusion
So can you grind coffee beans with a blender? The answer is yes, you can. The results will be slightly different than when using a coffee grinder; however, it is possible to improve your grinding as you gain experience. As well as this, using a blender will save you from having to purchase a grinder, and save you some money.