I am fixated by coffee. If I don’t get my “fix” I’m not happy and not too functional. This is an addiction, though it’s one I am currently working on ie. reducing my overall daily caffeine intake.
For now I have no intention of giving up coffee.
I do, however, like to try different types of coffee. As I’ve mentioned previously, there are some really nice gourmet coffees out there.
Most people, including me, buy either instant coffee or ground coffee. Buying coffee beans for home use isn’t that common, at least in Ireland. If you have a look at what you can buy in most major supermarket chains you’ll see that pre-ground coffee is the norm.
So is grinding your own coffee worth it?
Does it taste different?
Is it labour intensive?
Up until quite recently I’d probably have said no to all of those questions. I really did not appreciate the difference.
In the office we have “bean to cup” machines, which produce nice coffee, but you grow accustomed to it and don’t really notice the difference.
Recently I picked up a moulinex coffee grinder. It’s a very simple device. You put the coffee beans in and close it and it grinds it all up. Simple.
But the aroma is amazing.
Even coffee that I ground up a few days ago smells better and fresher than any of the coffees that you can pick up pre-ground.
The key to avoiding the “labour” is to just do everything in tandem.
If you want to make coffee you need to boil water, so you can easily grind the coffee while waiting for the kettle to do its work.
And if you have good quality air tight containers there’s no reason why you can’t store ground coffee for some time.
This morning I made myself a pot of coffee using my French press. The coffee was ground a couple of weeks ago in my kitchen using my grinder.
The aroma? Strong and rich. The taste? Rich and deep.
I love it!
