The Tala Blog
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Karimikui AA: Kirinyaga, Kenya
“Kenya’s coffee story is as rich and complex as the flavors in your cup…”
Pre-Grinding Coffee
No matter how you make your coffee, one of the most important elements in the brewing process is grinding your coffee beans. The best way to grind coffee depends on a number of elements, so in this post, we’re going to go over one aspect of coffee grinding—the when. That is, when is the best time to grind your coffee to maximize its flavor? The answer: right before you brew it.
Burr Grinders v. Blade Grinders
I remember when I first learned about the differences in coffee grinders. I definitely always thought that it was imperative to have top-of-the-line everything: scale, espresso machine, tamp… I didn’t know that grinders could make such a difference.
Fellow Opus Grinder
We just added the Fellow Opus Grinder to our gear lineup as the perfect high-quality versatile grinder for those brewing our coffee at home. If you’re looking for a grinder to step up your at-home brewing game, we’d highly recommend this option.
Utuezi Jimbo: Kirinyaga, Kenya
Uteuzi Jimbo (oo-tay-oo-zee), meaning ‘country select’, brings the best crops from the Kirinyaga region together for a beautiful cup with notes of candied grapefruit, orange marmalade, and caramel.
Common Misconceptions in Coffee
Coffee has been around a long time, and with anything that's been around awhile, there are quite a few rumors and ideas bouncing around about it. So for coffee's sake, we want to set the record straight about a few things.
Changing Variables
Brew methods ultimately determine all other variables. It is important to maintain time above all else, as determined by your brew method of choice. Dose and yield are codependent variables that can be manipulated as determined by how much coffee you want to drink. Your grind setting will change based on your dose and brew method in order to keep your brew time accurate to your brew method.
Making the Most: Coffee Grinding
Grinders either fall into the category of burr or blade. Burr grinders are a little higher-end and therefore tend to be more expensive. Average coffee consumers usually opt for a blade grinder because of its attractive price point. Although burr grinders are more ideal for coffee grinding, you can still yield a quality cup with a blade grinder. Let's explore optimizing blade grinders. There are two obvious potential problems with typical blade grinders that you want to watch out for: gauging the correct grind size and even particle size.
Where to Start
Starting yourself out with coffee gear can be a pretty penny--hats off to you if you can get it all in one go--but there is hope for those who don't want to break bank just to brew coffee at home. While some brewing methods require a special gooseneck kettle or other special equipment, there are some really great brewing methods to start off with very little equipment. Here are some of our favorite options: