Grinding your coffee beans by hand is the best way to get the most flavour out of your coffee. It allows you to customise how fine the grind is, and you can get a better texture for how you like it. The best and most consistent coffee grind is achieved through a coffee grinder. This is usually a burr grinder, which uses two revolving abrasive surfaces to pulverize coffee beans into the perfect grind size. The higher the quality of the burrs, the finer the grind can be achieved.
But what if you don’t have a coffee grinder? Is it possible to grind coffee beans without one? Actually, yes it is. You can use other kitchen appliances, or even hand-held tools and a bit of elbow grease to grind down your coffee beans. If you want to learn how to grind coffee beans without a grinder, check out how below:
Grinding Coffee Beans with a Blender
Blenders are excellent kitchen tools whether you use them for smoothies, soups, or other recipes. But did you know that some blenders are also capable of grinding coffee beans?
Even though most models won’t grind the entire coffee bean, they will at least grind the outer shell. You can simply take the leftover inner part of the bean and grind it by hand using a mortar and pestle. It’s probably best not to use a blender frequently for grinding coffee beans because it is designed to crush and pulverise whereas a grinder sandwiches the beans between two revolving abrasive surfaces to grind up the beans.
How to Grind Coffee Beans with a Blender
Blenders create heat that may burn your coffee beans so you need to keep the process as short as possible at no more than 20 to 30 seconds. Set your blender to the grind setting if it has one. Otherwise, set it to the pulse setting, or control the blender manually yourself. Each blast of the blender should be for only 3-5 seconds up to a maximum of 6 times. It shouldn’t matter too much if the grinds are coarse, but you can use a mortar and pestle to make a finer grind if that’s your preference.
Grinding Coffee Beans with a Food Processor
This will give you similar results to a blender, but you will need a lot more beans as your food processor is bigger. You can always grind more beans than you need, but immediately store what you don’t use in an airtight bag to lock in the flavour.
How to Grind Coffee Beans with a Food Processor
Add a cup of coffee beans into your food processor and lock the lid. Grind the beans using the pulse setting for 3-5 seconds, or do it manually. Repeat up to 6 times. You may need to tilt your food processor to get a consistent grind size.
Grinding Coffee Beans by Hand
We’re not suggesting you try and pulverise coffee beans with your bare hands—although good luck if you want to try! But, if you want to grind some coffee beans and you don’t have a blender or food processor, do you have any other options? Fortunately, yes, you do. For the following methods, you may find it preferable to stand up, lean in and let the force of your weight add power to your chosen method.
Using a Mortar and Pestle to Grind Coffee Beans
If you only have a small number of coffee beans to grind, for just one or two cups, for example, then a mortar and pestle can help you produce fine coffee grounds suitable for use in a drip coffee machine or a French press cafetiere. The smaller amount of beans you use, the more likely you will produce a consistent blend. You may need to give your arm a workout of anything between 5 and 15 minutes but it will be worth it.
Grinding Coffee Beans with a Rolling Pin
A rolling pin is another option for grinding coffee beans although it tends to produce a coarse result which is more suitable for French press coffee rather than drip coffee. You will need to put the beans in a plastic bag to ensure you keep all the crushed bits of coffee which are liable to fly off in all directions as the rolling pin breaks them up.
Using a Hammer
If you are bereft of kitchen equipment and suitable kitchen utensils, you can always raid your toolbox and use a hammer to break up your coffee beans. As with the rolling pin method, it’s best to place your beans in a plastic bag, which you can cover with a tea towel to prevent damaging your worktop. You are not striking a nail so you don’t need to use a full force blow—low to medium will suffice. The more you hammer, the finer the coffee grounds will become.
In Summary
For the sake of convenience, it is often easier to buy ground coffee in a can or bag but by freshly grinding your coffee beans you can enjoy full-bodied coffee that hasn’t lost any of its flavours. While any of these methods may be a short-term option, a coffee grinder is an essential tool to have in the kitchen if you like to drink freshly ground coffee. Available in a wide variety of sizes and prices, you’re bound to find one that suits your need and budget.
Fascinating Fact:
Grounds for Divorce
In Saudi Arabia, if a woman’s husband fails to bring her fresh coffee in the morning she has legal grounds for divorce.
