Collection: More on our Pre-Ground Coffee

More on Our Pre-Ground Coffee

When it comes to the level of control you have over your coffee, grinding on demand cannot be beaten. Not only are you able to continually tweak and tinker with the fineness of your grind to amend the recipe for your favourite brewer, you're also able to rotate through a plethora of brewing apparatus depending on your mood and preference. That's not to mention the fact that, by opting for whole bean coffee, you're ensuring the preservation of as much aromatic complexity as possible.

However, there are circumstances in which a grinder becomes a luxury you can't afford to have. Whole bean can also represent a considerable step for the as-yet uninitiated to take, creating a barrier to introducing friends or loved ones to the coffees you like most. 

Our pre-ground coffees aim to bridge that gap, allowing a broader range of coffee lovers to enjoy our seasonal range and offering habitual brewers the ability to make exceptional cups in a greater number of situations. The culmination of several months of trials, tests and iterations, we've made several adaptations that we consider important in helping to maintain the quality both in the cup and in the brewing process and you can read more on each of them below.

Shelf Life
Since introducing nitrogen flushing on our packing line back in 2018, the freshness of our whole bean coffees has become less of a concern. Just before sealing, oxygen in the regular atmosphere (which causes coffee to stale over time) is displaced by an inert gas, in this case nitrogen. This slows the process of oxidation and staling down considerably, keeping our whole bean coffees fresh for up to 6 months if left unopened. 

Unable to extend the same process to our pre-ground coffee, the timer starts ticking a lot quicker, at the moment we grind the coffee in our roastery. We're therefore advising drinkers to get through the contents of a pre-ground bag within two weeks of the ‘Ground On’ date.

The 'Ground on' Date
Once coffee is ground, it begins degrading and losing aromatics. Due to its increased surface area it is more exposed to the air, and so it degrades at a far quicker rate than its whole bean counterpart.

The date the coffee was ground on is therefore far more pertinent to note down than the roasted on date which we stamp our whole bean coffee with. In this instance it should provide a more useful guide for knowing when your coffee is still at its best. We are advising drinkers to enjoy their pre-ground coffee within two weeks of the ‘Ground On’ date. After this point, it won't be terrible, but you will have missed the window for it to be at its most characteristic and vibrant.

When it comes to the roast date of your coffee, you can rest assured that we'll continue to send you coffee that's been freshly roasted, within 7 days of grinding and despatching. 

Our Grind Settings
We are running a quality control program to ensure the grind sizes we offer are entirely appropriate for whatever filter brewer you are using to prepare your coffee.  Making use of a Mahlkönig VTA6S grinder, which enlists very large 120mm flat burrs, we are offering the following filter grind settings:

• Fairly Fine: Suitable for V60 01 Cup or AeroPress brewing
• Fine to Medium: Suitable for V60 02 Cup or Clever Dripper brewing
• Medium: Suitable for French Press brewing
• Coarse: Suitable for Moccamaster or Chemex brewing

These settings are designed to map onto a particular dose of coffee as much as the brewers mentioned. If you’re looking for more specific advice on getting the most from your grind size and recipe, contact our Home Brewing Helpdesk.