How to Make Whole Bean Coffee
July 11, 2022 | Kurt Parker
Before starting your day, or maybe ending it when you get back home. You would want to sip a tasteful bean coffee, right? Even the scent of coffee beans out from the box already gives you that jolt you need for the day.
But what if you accidentally bought coffee beans instead of a pre-ground coffee, will you panic? Will you go back to the grocery store to get a replacement? The answer depends on you, but if you’ll ask us, whole coffee beans give a richer taste than ground coffee.
What’s in this article:
6 Methods to Grind Coffee Beans without using a Coffee Grinder
If you don’t ground whole bean coffee, what will happen?
How to brew whole bean coffee?
Which is better, whole bean or ground coffee beans?
Anyways, how do you resolve this concern then? There are a few ways for you to get grinding coffee beans even without that expensive grinder.
In this article, we’re going to show you some tricks on how to do that. Grind coffee beans without breaking the bank, that’s what you’re going to get from reading this article.
6 Methods to Grind Coffee Beans without using a Coffee Grinder
#1 Mortar and Pestle
That’s right, you can use your mortar and pestle to grind coffee beans. This is a straightforward process. If you don’t have one at home, you can buy an affordable set in a pharmacy or big box store.
This is an easy and cheap process of converting your whole coffee beans into a pre ground coffee. You can pound those coffee beans into smaller particles that are easier to make brew coffee.
But there are also downsides to using mortar and pestle:
- Uneven particle size
- Exposure to moisture
- Spillage
- Requires more armstrong force and time consuming
Still, this is your best choice when you don’t have other things to use to grind coffee beans without a coffee grinder.
#2 Get your blender
It’s never impossible to grind coffee beans even without a grinder. You can have other appliances to use like your blender. True, an expensive coffee grinder can give you a more consistent size of ground coffee. But if that’s not workable, then reducing the size of your whole coffee beans using a blender is your next practical solution.
Like the mortar and pestle, there are also setbacks to using a blender. Firstly, you won’t get an even size of your ground coffee. Secondly, you need to use the pulse function to avoid heating up the oils in the coffee as it gets into contact with the blades.
By doing that, you’re also avoiding your brewed coffee from having a bitter taste. The heat generated from the blades can burn the oils inside the beans. That’s why it tastes bitter.
#3 Rolling pin
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, then your next alternative is a rolling pin. You heard that right, the pin you used for baking.
It’s a great alternative for grinding a coffee bean to fine particles. You need to place your whole beans inside a ziplock before starting to grind them. This prevents spillage and making a mess on your countertop. Also, it helps prevent excess moisture from mixing into your grounded whole coffee beans.
Like the mortar and pestle, this one also takes time and arm strength. Don’t expect a uniform grind size when using this. What matters is that you’re making it smaller so that the extraction process will be faster as you brew your ground coffee beans.
#4 Hammer
Using a hammer is slightly harsh but effective in grinding coffee beans. Just like your rolling pin, you’re going to use a ziplock to put your whole coffee beans before grinding. You’ll need to do this process on a flat surface (on your countertop). Use a wooden cutting board to avoid cracking your stone countertops.
Some homeowners wrap the ziplock with a cloth to prevent it from tearing. Just hammer the beans with a force that’s enough to grind them. Expect a coarser grind after this process. But the bean fragments of this method can guarantee you can extract completely the oils of the coffee beans.
#5 Spice grinders for grinding beans
A spice grinder is a good alternative to an expensive coffee grinder. Specifically, it would be best if you have a burr grinder. But then using either an automatic or manual spice grinder would be enough.
If it’s automatic, you need to use the pulse action to avoid heating the oils of your coffee beans. Grinding beans using a manual spice grinder takes more time and effort. You can’t also expect a uniform grind using this tool. Without a grinder, this tool is good help.
#6 Food Processor
Using your food processor is a better alternative to your blender and motorized spice grinder. This appliance delivers more power and consistency when it comes to particle size of your ground coffee beans.
Place your whole beans inside the food process and use the pulse function. The coffee grounds to a more uniform size using this appliance. Compared to another device, the blender slightly produces a coarser size.
If you don’t ground whole bean coffee, what will happen?
A better coffee is made when you get the desired consistency of taste and aroma after brewing. This is ensured when your whole beans have a uniform surface area before brewing. To ensure that, using an expensive grinder is your best shot.
But if you don’t have one, then you can always choose among those six options we mentioned above.
Well, there are other factors affecting coffee taste after the brewing process:
- Brewing methods used
- Storage of the whole beans
- Quality of roasted beans
Brewing Methods Available
When you say brewing coffee, the process generally means using a boiling temperature of water for the extraction process of the volatile compounds inside the ground coffee beans.
The below are the different brewing methods you can find in the industry:
- Drip coffee
- French press
- Cold brew
- AeroPress
- Percolate
- Siphon or Vacuum
- Using espresso machines for brewing coffee
In general, an average brewing process takes one hour. The type of brewing method also affects the duration of making a great coffee.
The type of coffee maker you use for making coffee matters. Each coffee maker produces different water temperatures for its brewing methods. This can affect the overall taste of your coffee.
Can you make coffee with whole beans without a grinder?
Did you also wonder if you can brew coffee with whole beans? The answer is yes. Even when you don’t have a grinder or those alternative methods for grinding whole beans, you can still get a delicious coffee from whole beans.
Coffee grinders are not an end to your delicious cup of grind beans. You still get to enjoy a great cup of your whole beans.
Why do you ground whole beans before brewing?
The main reason why grind coffee beans are to increase their surface area so that the extraction process is efficient.
But there are also setbacks to grinding beans since there will be contamination to the beans. Moisture is the main contaminant for this scenario. It dilutes the oil from the ground coffee, thus, reducing the taste.
When you grind whole beans, it releases the carbon dioxide inside. This gas helps transfer the oil from the beans to the boiling water during the brewing process. If there’s less carbon dioxide, then expect a less tasteful coffee.
If you want to grind your whole bean coffee, make sure to store them right away in an airtight sealed container. This lessens oxidation and moisture contamination on your grounded coffee beans.
How to brew whole bean coffee?
Brewing whole bean coffee is easy! Here are the things you’ll need to prepare:
- Saucepan
- Boiling Water
- Spoon and mug
- Strainer and mason jar
After preparing these things, follow these simple steps.
- Put 3/4 boiling water into your coffee beans filled inside a mason jar.
- Prepare your saucepan and place water inside. Let it boil and then place your coffee jar into the saucepan.
- Let the coffee jar simmer for an hour until you see that you’ve extracted coffee inside the jar.
- Occasionally stir the mason jar to hasten the extraction of coffee oils.
- After, prepare your mug and strainer on the table. Pour your mason jar filled with coffee beans and hot water into the strainer.
- Viola! You have your brewed coffee from whole beans without a grinder.
Take note, that you can still reuse your whole beans for another brewing process. What you’ll get from this method is freshly brewed aromatic coffee.
Which is better, whole bean or ground coffee beans?
The main difference is taste. You get a more tasteful experience with a whole bean coffee than with a ground one. That’s because the oil of the coffee beans is preserved since there’s less exposure to moisture, and less carbon dioxide released.
The volatile compounds inside the beans are preserved since it’s not grounded into smaller granules. Using whole beans during the brewing process, you extract more oil from a cup of coffee.
Takeaway
Now, you know how to make your own freshly grounded coffee beans at home. You have plenty of options at hand. Just choose one that best works for you. Still, it depends on you if you want a grind or a whole bean for your brewed coffee.
If you have any questions regarding how to make a whole bean coffee, feel free to browse our blogs. We’ll do our best to answer your queries within all of them.
Don’t forget to enjoy your cup of coffee!