Better Coffee with a Blade Grinder

(note: if you’re not familiar with the difference between a burr grinder and a blade grinder, check out this post.)

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. I definitely think that burr grinders are better than blade grinder for brewing great coffee. But, if you don’t have a choice, blade grinders are still better than getting pre-ground coffee.

But say you only had a blade grinder and still wanted to up your coffee game. What would you do? Let’s face it, sometimes you’re not at home with your own coffee setup and your own gear. Making coffee is often essential for survival in these situations.

I came across this video from the amazing James Hoffman (you really need to follow his YouTube channel) and it’s amazing. I’ve tried this method and it actually does make pretty stellar coffee. If you give this method a try, let us know how it turned out in the comments. 

The Short How-To

For those of you not watching the video, James mentions 3 things that you can do. The main goal is to get a consistent size particle so the coffee extracts evenly. The three steps he mentions are: 

1. 1. 1. Shake the Grinder – as you’re grinding, stop grinding for a second, shake the grinder, and start grinding again. 
      2. Use a sieve – also known as a strainer. There’s probably one around somewhere. This will get out the really big boulders in the coffee. 
      3. Put the grounds on a paper towel and spread them out with your fingers. Then pour off the grounds that don’t stick to the paper towel. The really fine ones will stay behind on the paper towel. 

What you’re left with after all of this is a pretty even grind that will be a whole lot better than what you started with.