How To: Grind coffee beans

Learn how to grind coffee beans. You don't have to do everything the easy way. Coffee tastes better with fresh-ground beans, and it doesn't take long to learn how.

You Will Need

* Whole coffee beans
* And a coffee grinder or blender

Step 1. Measure the beans

Measure out the coffee beans you will need. A good rule of thumb is one tablespoon of beans for each six-ounce cup of coffee you want to make. If your first pot is too weak or too strong, adjust your measurements.

Grind the beans right before brewing for the freshest tasting coffee.

Step 2. Pour in the coffee beans

Pour the coffee beans into the grinder or blender. The finer the coffee granules, the stronger the coffee. Coarser grounds produce better flavor and less bitterness if you're making drip coffee or using a French press.

If you're using a blender, choose the "pulse" setting.

Step 3. Run the grinder or blender

Run the grinder or blender for several seconds, then check the beans. Grinding for too long generates unnecessary heat.

Step 4. Finish

Once the beans are as fine or coarse as you want them to be, brew some coffee. If you've never had coffee using freshly ground beans before, you'll notice the difference!

FACT: When coffee was first introduced to Europe it was called Arabian Wine.