Finally someone in coffee culture takes care not to completely demonize an idea that they don't necessarily agree with and comes up with something useful. All too rare but much appreciated :)

@yupp9393

5 жыл бұрын

For real. I use this grinder and a French press every morning. I figured out the sieve trick on my own, but it really is the super fine grinds that makes making a GREAT cup pretty unattainable. Will definitely try the paper towel trick.

@marinduque-theheartoftheph

5 жыл бұрын

Well said!

@delotte2321

4 жыл бұрын

Holy cow that’s the pro strat

@ArchibaldClumpy

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah this is a pretty intuitive way of getting workable results without asking somebody to buy a $100+ piece of equipment.

@EvenTheDogAgrees

4 жыл бұрын

That's what I appreciate about this channel. It's far too easy to be a snob about a subject, especially when you're a pro in the biz and have access to all the best tools. We see that all the time. What I love about James's approach is that he strives to make good quality coffee more accessible to the rest of us, and tries to find ways to make great coffee with the tools most of us have at home already. Those of us who have the desire and the means to upgrade to more pro-level equipment can do so at our own leisure, while those of us who aren't as fanatic can still elevate our coffee experience without much in terms of investment.

This reminds me of that feeling you get when someone really skilled visits you and is able to get a level of performance you didn't know was attainable from your tools that you previously regarded as low quality. It inspires you to stop blaming your results on your tools and start developing more talent.

@EvenTheDogAgrees

4 жыл бұрын

Keep practicing those chords, and you'll be an espresso rockstar in no time! :D And yeah, James has helped me realise the importance of a couple of things as well. I'm still experimenting with the best way to make coffee in my moka pot, but if it weren't for James, I'd never have known you're supposed to start with water that's already as close to boiling as possible in order not to cook your grounds while they're waiting for the water to arrive.

@zacharywinter1273

4 жыл бұрын

@@EvenTheDogAgrees Where does he bring up preboiling water for moka? (I'm interested) But through my research and experimenting, it has much more to do with initial water volume in the chamber, but definitely not boiling. If you're still playing around, feel free to write back what type of moka pot you have and I can try to give some good starting parameters.

@EvenTheDogAgrees

4 жыл бұрын

@@zacharywinter1273 He mentions it in his video on "the ultimate moka pot technique" or something like that. If you search his name + moka pot, you'll find it. The reason is so that your ground coffee is not exposed to the heat for as long. Mine's a Bialetti Venus, which is stainless steel.

@zacharywinter1273

4 жыл бұрын

@@EvenTheDogAgrees I missed that video because it's not on his channel. Thanks. There's a few physics papers out on this, and I've also worked out the calculations, and it seems boiling water only ends up boiling the beans. The initial water temp is important, but more important is the initial water volume. Filling the reservoir full is a big reason it takes so long as there's not enough over pressure buildup. Maybe I'll write him about this sometime. If you want something fun to try, for a 4 cup bialetti, start off with 120 ml of room temp water and turn your heat to full.

@KreGgiants

4 жыл бұрын

It's like chefs. Chefs that are truly great can do very good dishes, great dishes with "low quality" or not so tender meat etc. Of course it will be much easier with top of the line tools and products, but thinking outside the box and being a master at what you do is what really makes you stand out.

James: When you go to someone else's house and they don't have the necessary equipment. You can use a blade grinder. Me: I'm watching this because all I've got is a blade grinder, let alone making coffee at someone else's house.

@TJDawgs72

4 жыл бұрын

I know right… I don’t wanna spend $80-$100 on a burr grinder. I barely wanted to spend the $18 on my Krups grinder. I bought a coffee sieve for $13 as well...with what’s showed here and the coffee sieve instead of the paper towel it comes out great.

@kristof1230

4 жыл бұрын

@@TJDawgs72 burger grinder. 😂😂😂

@samuell.foxton4177

3 жыл бұрын

Same, my blade grinder was a birthday gift. I've been shaking and that on its own can get a more uniform grind than some of the preground out there. Got to try the sieve

@TJDawgs72

3 жыл бұрын

A Shamal f*cking auto correct...

@crabbyhayes1076

3 жыл бұрын

I apologize to the coffee gourmets out there; but when I visit relatives I take along my own K-cups and a manual gizmo that allows me to heat the water in the microwave and get a cup of my own joe quickly.

I'm just getting into coffee culture, and to be honest, a lot of things related to coffee culture is really intimidating price wise. This is exactly what I needed. I've recently stopped using pre-ground coffees and trash, bottom of the barrel blends, and it's markedly more expensive. I'm not yet ready to make the investment into a good burr grinder, but am more than ready to give this a try! Thanks for the tips.

@sultanateofoman

4 жыл бұрын

Pre ground are not as bad as you think

@stgflt

4 жыл бұрын

Seven months late, but hey. The tips I give to curious friends that want a cheap-ish way to get better coffee at home is to start with the Wilfa-grinder. Can be found, occasionally, for $50 or less (Swedish prices). Then it depends on what you have. Got a French press? Great, now it's only technique. Want better filter coffee at home? Take a look at Cleverdrip, super easy and costs $25 or less (again, Swedish prices). Want portable-ish? Check out aeropress. Around $50 here. Bit more fiddly though. Personally, I have gathered V60:s, Kalita Waves, Cleverdrip, Percolator, Minipresso, Aeropress, French Press, pots for Kokkaffe, a mokapot and an automatic filter Brewer over the years. Would I be asked to only keep one, it'd be the Cleverdrip, probably the cheapest of the gadgets I have. I do use them all, for different types of coffee, but I can still make any coffee taste good in the Cleverdrip. It even makes the bottom shelf stuff taste better IMO, although I wouldn't skip the grinder. So, what's that... $75 for grinder and Brewer? Regarding the coffee, I keep one "luxury" and a semi-cheap bag at home at all times. The semi-cheap is the everyday coffee. The luxury one might be a seasonal for the more enjoyable moments. No need to use the more expensive stuff on the barely-awake cup. That's my pennies on the subject.

@guidog3068

4 жыл бұрын

Start roasting greens; it’s cheap to start and the coffee is better than anything but the absolute premium retail that costs you lots more than standard supermarket beans plus you can roast just what you need for each week. Yes it does take a little practice to nail your preferred roast but even you don’t get it perfect it’s good! Look up heat gun dog bowl (I use a stainless steel cooking pan)

@timma_thy

4 жыл бұрын

Like any hobby, you get diminishing returns the more money you spend. You can make a damn good cup of coffee with whole beans from Costco ($9), a blade grinder ($15) and a Bodum French press ($20). Don't let the gatekeepers scare you away from a decent cup o' joe

@TheRealRealOK

4 жыл бұрын

Timothy Engelstad Good point.

I've lived in quiet shame for years, and now I'm so relieved to hear that it wasn't just me who was doing this. My first grinder was a blade grinder, and I soon found myself using the grind and shake method, and then I progressed to the grind-shake (ad nauseum), sieve and regrind method. I was over the moon when that blade grinder finally burned out, and I could go and buy myself an affordable (but still miles better) burr grinder. Here's a crazy hack: why not put the paper towel in the bowl you're sieving the coffee into? Kill two burrds with the one stone, so to speak.

@larss337

2 жыл бұрын

🤣👍

@tr0wb3d3r5

5 ай бұрын

That's a good one 📝

As an alternative to the paper towel trick, I've been using a tea strainer with very small holes to sift out fines and then use those to add to baked goods, like brownies :D

@duLuded

Жыл бұрын

Smart idea! No waste!

@will_silvano

Жыл бұрын

Only just barely more than I’m doing already (with unsatisfactory results). Adding the sieve and paper towel trick… should be a happy sipper today! Thanks for sharing this. Burr grinder is on hold (for now) 😊

It's 4 am, you're sleeping over at a friends place, and get up to make coffee. You are forced to use your friends blade grinder, but remember a James Hoffmann video about how to get more uniform grinds with one. You get to the paper towel trick, and your friends parents walk into the room.. Legit happened to me yesterday.

@holograce5726

3 жыл бұрын

their reaction? XD

@spamcan9208

3 жыл бұрын

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~President Teddy Roosevelt This quote came to mind when I watched this video. For once a "hack video" that wasn't useless clickbait.

@toknowlj

3 жыл бұрын

lol

@amuslim3706

3 жыл бұрын

They are probably wondering what the hell was that noise at 4 am. And, oh my God he's going into withdrawal. He's not going to snort that is he? ~ the things that parent's friends think but do not say.

I feel like he's gon be so mad when he sees what I drink

I have been grinding with a blade grinder for over 50 years. I shake while the button is depressed. I do not stop and start. Makes a huge difference in the uniformity of the grind. Thanks for the paper towel trick.

Keep in mind that if you do shake your blade grinder like this that you only shake it hard once, then grind, then shake it hard once again, then grind and keep repeating. You want the shake to be hard enough to move the beans around but you don't want to do multiple shakes before the next interval of grinding because finer particles will sift towards the bottom of the grinder while bigger particles come up to the top. If you shake 5 times or so, chances are you will end up with finer particles towards the bottom, so now when you grind, those first few seconds is going to grind those already small particles to an even smaller particles. You don't want that.

Joke's on you. Try this with my blade grinder and your coffee's gonna taste like cumin.

@ARA-gy7ri

4 жыл бұрын

Goddamn 😅

@stradglider

4 жыл бұрын

you probably can make some turkish tasting coffee out of it??? :-P

@bloodgain

4 жыл бұрын

@@stradglider Moroccan coffee!

@DovidM

4 жыл бұрын

Just toast uncooked rice in a pan, and grind them. This will neutralize the taste left behind by cumin, caraway, etc., in your blade grinder.

@bloodgain

4 жыл бұрын

@@DovidM I actually do that quite regularly. Toasted rice powder, aka khao kua, is a common ingredient in northern Thailand and Laos. Larb just doesn't taste right without it.

Holding the grinder at a 45 degree angle while grinding and shaking works well too...forces the larger pieces above the blades

@StarKnightZ

2 жыл бұрын

Don't quite understand what you mean. Could you go into a bit more detail please?

@MrOfigenko

Жыл бұрын

I hold it at 35-40 degree angle and rotate 360 degrees while the blades are spinning, without stopping (with a hand meat grinder). This way I create a pretty even espresso grind and use it for all my drinks

@williamhamilton9168

3 ай бұрын

@@MrOfigenko Quite agree. I do the same, while blades spinning in my ancient ancient Braun, tilt over and rotate to and fro - coffee can clearly be seen inside grinder rotating to and fro as well, above and below the spinning blades. 10 secs for filter coffee, 15 secs for espresso, result: excellent coffee

@MrOfigenko

3 ай бұрын

​@@williamhamilton9168 Yeah I'm always surprised at how the taste is so clean compared to all 'dedicated' grinders I've tried below 200-300 USD

Makes me feel smart to see him do the same pulse-shake thing I developed when using a blade grinder. Sifting and paper towel tricks sounds great. Will definitely try them next time.

Really love this! There is far too much snobbery in this hobby, and people that look down on anybody that would "stoop" to using a cheap blade grinder. Not everyone can afford a grinder that's equivalent to a rent payment. Kudos to you for not being that snob and finding a way to make great coffee on a blade grinder budget. Those grounds are seriously impressive; if you told me those came out of a $200 grinder, I'd believe it.

And this is why I like James... Yes he covers the really fancy stuff, but also how to make the best out of whatever you have access to! I think I'm going to try a back to back comparison between the 2 to see just what kind of difference it makes.

this person is the only one who cares about the poor mans coffee. not every one can splurge 5$ on coffee everyday . thankyou for your generosity sir.

Love the paper towel tip,

@JimBobe

4 жыл бұрын

I love you

I get good results from a blade grinder: 1) Shake WHILE grinding 2) Grind in 1-2 second bursts and let the blade completely stop between each grind I've also seen a blind taste test done where the expert tasters couldn't taste the difference between bur grinder and blade grinder (and they used the method I mentioned above for the blade grinder). Love your videos, man. You're teaching me a lot, but I'm still good with my blade grinder :-D

@YaamFel

4 жыл бұрын

Which burr grinder did they use though

@dtonpbac

4 жыл бұрын

You saw this from America's Test Kitchen? :)

@gozzoo123

4 жыл бұрын

I do all these things but I noticed that the coffee tends to stick to the walls of the grinder. That's why I do one more thing: 3) after each burst open the lid and with a spoon stir the ground coffee making sure to remove all residue from the walls of the grinder

@CoffeeTraining

4 жыл бұрын

YES - this is the easiest safe method. Rotate that blade grinder Contra Style... NES fans know the routine: up-up-down-down ... left-right-left-right ... B.A. Start! You can learn to tell with your ears when those grinds go from French (coarse) to medium to pulverized by listening.

@SuperBG78

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you my coffee is a lot better, but i have to shake with grinding,and shake a bit when stop. I use the cheapest black and dacker but if you want give another option,go for it,thanks and sorry for my english :)

And this is why I ALWAYS travel with my Lido 3 😜 Great video, James.

@TeeBee997

3 жыл бұрын

I also take my libido with me anywhere I go, luv it

@TheAnotherOSC

2 жыл бұрын

@@TeeBee997 cool

I was feeling discouraged after I bought a blade grinder today (my first coffee grinder ever) and read article after article that said things to the effect of "The first step to using a blade grinder: don't." I'm relatively new to coffee and just want to make cold brew with something better than preground supermarket coffee. When I lived in the city during the school year, I was able to buy coffee beans and grind them to French Press grind right in the bulk food store. When I return in September, I plan to buy the beans and then grind them with my blade grinder as needed. I appreciate that you make videos for all coffee lovers, not just the ones who can afford top of the line equipment.

@Platypi007

4 жыл бұрын

I've been a coffee snob for quite some time. In the early 2000s I worked at a coffee shop and started roasting coffee there, and then at home with a modified bread machine. I always insist on the freshest coffee I can get. I only got my first burr grinder about 4 years ago. I couldn't afford anything worth getting, so I just stuck with my burr grinder. It worked fine for french press and I didn't even bother with the sieve. Was my coffee muddy as hell in the bottom of the cup? Yep, it was. Was it better than anything I'd get with pre-ground coffee that was who knows how old? Absolutely. The steps James showed in this video probably work really well for cold brew since you're likely going to be making larger portions in advance. It would be a pain for a single french press every morning. :) (Well, shaking the grinder isn't. Do that absolutely, any time you use a blade grinder.)

@Johnny_Shikari

3 жыл бұрын

Honestly blade grinders probably get too much of a bad reputation. America's Test Kitchen did a blind taste test comparison between coffee that's been ground with a burr grinder and the same coffee with a blade grinder. There wasn't a significant preference for either of them. Some people preferred the first, some the second one. It's definitely trickier to get really consistent results with a blade grinder but it's not like you can't make really good coffee with it. Especially with little tricks like this.

@Platypi007

3 жыл бұрын

@@Johnny_Shikari did they test multiple brewing methods with a blade vs burr grinder? Drip is one thing, but getting consistent results with French press in a blade grinder, or getting good espresso shots at all would be nearly impossible.

@Johnny_Shikari

3 жыл бұрын

@@Platypi007 they took the top tested blade grinder and the top tested burr grinder and made several test rounds with their top tested drip coffee machine (I think it's the same one James uses, when he uses a coffee machine). They also ran the same taste comparison with coffee experts and came to the same result. I think French press might actually be better suited for blade grinders since the risk of overgrinding is lower, but for proper espresso made with an espresso machine you will definitely need a good burr grinder. But starting out there's nothing wrong with using a decent blade grinder for French press or pour over coffee until you're ready to invest in a burr grinder. kzread.info/dash/bejne/qYdsy8mTqcu0dto.html this is the video btw

@Platypi007

3 жыл бұрын

@@Johnny_Shikari French press is definitely better with a good burr grinder as you get fewer fines in the mix. More fines mean muddier French press. It's not terrible, but can be off-putting to some folks. If it really bothers someone, however, they could always pass the brew through a paper filter. Like I said originally, though, even the worst brew made with fresh beans ground in a blade grinder is going to be worlds better than pre-ground coffee even if it was only ground a day or two before use.

Back when all I had was a blade grinder I found that shaking it continuously while pulsing the grinder worked pretty well to get a relatively even grind. The paper towel idea is magic.

I just hand chop my coffee so it’s the exact size I want it.

@ilikeyourname4807

2 жыл бұрын

He did try that as well

Amazing video, I’ve never heard anyone talk about the pressure of coffee making in someone else’s home before. The struggle is real! I am visualising the exact blade grinder I will be wrestling with over the Xmas period right now. 👍👍👍

James, thank you very much for the insightful video. I have been using the paper towel method to remove the fines for some time. The adhered fines can be removed from the paper towel by bouncing the finger on the back it, preferably at the sink to avoid the powdery mess on the ground. Then, the paper towel can be reused for lighter duties later.

this technique might actually give a better consistency than what I'm getting using my manual burr grinder. Thanks for sharing.

@claudio32577

3 жыл бұрын

What manual grindr are you using? I bought one of the cheapest ones and its horrific.

@Sibula

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I have a cheap hand grinder with a ceramic burr that's way off center. Produces both tons of fines and some boulders. When grinding to filter consistency or finer you can hear he burrs touching on every rotation on one side...

Wow this is actually so useful. James this is your most productive and best tip ever. This and your french press technique are level 100

I love the cinematography on all of these videos! The slow-motion coffee grind in the intro is amazing

This has absolutely made a huge difference in how I can work with cheaper grinders. Thank you so much

I am sitting and smiling, just thinking about how good this is. Haven't even tried it yet. Love your work

Been using the kitchen towel method at home (alone while none of my flatmates are there to see) with my cheap burr grinder to make filter coffee and it's made a MASSIVE difference in flavour. Sooo much more flavour clarity than before.

This is all I have, I’ve been trying to get into coffee, but I’m a die hard tea drinker. Type of tea, temperature and time all matter to tea, so the same should apply to coffee, but these tips open up the world of coffee!

I'm so happy with myself at this moment. I watch a ton of James Hoffman videos and somehow I didn't come across this one. A few weeks ago I actually did the exact same things he did in order to fix my cheap coffee grinder results.

This is great! I just started to appreciate better coffee and went and bought a blade grinder, only to see people completely saying it was a waste of money. I immediately felt like I just ripped my money apart. Found this video and saw what a true master is like, finding a way to do your best without the best tools available!!

This is absolutely phenomenal!! The paper tower!!?? Omg, the absolute game changer! It brings the coffee to another level. Thank you for this brilliant hack.

Personally one of the most useful videos I have seen lastly because I am actually going to see my family for the holidays and they have a blade grinder. I was worried about the quality of my future brews with them but now I’m confident it’s going to be more than just fine! Thanks James your videos are awesome!

James, i'm here to thank you! I just tested those hacks you taught, and man, my coffee taste so much better now! 💯☕

“There are times of the year when find yourself making coffee in someone else’s house....” Right, my parents used to only drink instant coffee. I ended up leaving a grinder and a moka pot at my mom’s.

Just got your second edition book in the mail. I really enjoy your input on coffee very informative. Cheers!

I'm a recent convert to coffee drinking, pushed over the edge from your excellent moka pot clip on chefsteps. This channel is a goldmine of info, loving it. Bravo.

WHERE WAS THIS WHEN I NEED IT THE MOST

"Coffee anyone ?" "Yes please !" a few hours later...

@pinkyandorbrain

3 жыл бұрын

I know you're joking but this entire process would take perhaps 1.5 minutes to complete. It would still be embarrassing though to have anyone walk in while you're gently spreading coffee around a paper towel

Appreciate this James!!! As someone who often gets asked to make coffee with subpar tools, it's helpful to have a few hacks to make it easier! I think it shows extra expertise to know how to do more with less!

Combined this with your French press video revetly and it changed my life (coffee wise). The coffee I make now is fundamentally different and better than anything I've made before. Thanks

I love this, several times I run in this situation. I love the humor in this as well. Thanks James

Awesome information! I always looked my nose down at blade grinders, but you made lemonade out of those lemons. Thank you for sharing this, and teaching me to be creative. I will work with what I have :)

So far the most valuable vid of yours I’ve watched so far, nice work.

I started using a sieve just last weekend in a self-discovered eureka moment - great to see it here.

I've been using a blade grinder for some time and after watching your video I've decided to try this method. I must say it was the best coffee I've been getting from my Aeropress since I've bought it. Thank you !

We need a 2021 revisit of this. America's Test Kitchen conducted an experiment with burr and blade grinders where they served coffee to amateurs and coffee pros alike. The results suggested that people, regardless of coffee proficiency, could not taste the difference between the grind styles.

@sandrino5

3 жыл бұрын

Its not about grind styles, but uniform result. Average person (e.g me) just grinds the coffee with blades once, no sieve and paper towel technique. Clearly the coffee that comes from my french press is worse in quality and taste, than if I'd use burr grounded coffee. Of course I probably can attain the similar result by using different size sieves and doing it multiple times, although while using more beans.

@awesomecubed

2 жыл бұрын

Can you link the article/video?

@alxbly

Жыл бұрын

Just watched that video and it misses an important point. The grind doesn't matter as much when simply adding water to the bean grounds, which is what ATK did. It makes more of difference for espresso, which didn't seem to feature in their test.

@rplf

Жыл бұрын

@@alxbly I’ve learned so much about coffee in the year since I posted this comment. I gotta agree with you here that grind is super important outside of just basic cupping

I always find hacks like this really helpful, thanks 🙏🏼

Thank you very much! I am just starting to drink coffee and at home my parents have a blade grinder and I didnt want to go out and get a new grinder when I have one available and this has worked amazingly.

God bless you because of this video! After i was viewing it, i was buying a blade grinder. Now my coffee experience is lot better! Thanks James! 🙏

I have a Comandante C40. I’m still curious about the paper towel hack. Gonna try it out next morning, thanks James!

I’m very protective of my morning screen time allocation... you have just made the cut.

SUPER useful! This is the most helpful video I've seen all week. I'll be traveling this holiday season and I'm sure the folks I'm visiting have a blade grinder.

Man, gotta say, you´ve have changed the way i enjoy coffee. Loved the V60 vid, and the french press technique. Thanks for the education

OK. This was actually practical tip that I can see making a perceivable difference.

This is com-puh-leeet-ly brilliant.

Brilliant content James. I applaud your attention to the under-rated sieve, I have used it with my Sette 270 to make actually great pour-over and it's been saving me a ton of money (in exchange for some time and recycling of grounds)

That 'I could have though of that' thought came through my mind. But it's simple things in life, that are the hardest to think of. Thanks again James!

James, might be worth a try. Many folks have tried the method of really maxing out the capacity of a blade grinder like that. Fill it up so there's little space. You'll be surprised by the uniformity you get. Less bouncing around seems to keep less particles turning to fines down under the blade.

@robertmatthews1023

5 жыл бұрын

I found combining the max capacity method with shaking every few seconds gets more consistent results than those two techniques on their own.

@marinduque-theheartoftheph

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you, @TomChips. Your tip may be expanded to choosing a blade grinder model with narrower diameter to confine the beans to a smaller space, hence more uniform resultant grinds.

@sl4983

5 жыл бұрын

Okay, but what if you're not going to drink that much coffee?

Well that's funny. I've got Thanksgiving coming up with the SO's family, and in the first 5 seconds, my thought process was explained to me by another individual. I can't wait for her mother to catch me doing this.

Wow! So much work for blade grinders. Glad I upgraded today to my first burr grinder, Baratza Encore.

Love the video, great tips. Will definitely try out the sieving and paper towel trick next time I find a blade grinder in an AirBnB on one of my travels.

Thanks for the ideas. I usually shake and tip my blade 'grinder' during operation but still get a wasteful mix of fines, chippings and the odd whole bean, The sieving idea is OK but laborious and time-consuming, I think that I shall cut my losses, dump my Bodum blade 'grinder' and get a coffee mill that works maybe a vintage/antique one.

Next up: Blade Grinder Espresso - Dialing In

Can't be more grateful for this guide. Just got into whole bean and having a cheap grinder, wasnt able to produce a good cup and the sour aftertaste kept lingering. Until I found this was due to uneven grind from this video, I tried the sieve and instantly made way better coffee. Can't wait to try the paper towel hack.

I just bought a french press yesterday and didn't realize that the blade grinder I already had wasn't really suited to french pressed coffee, so this video is super helpful! I don't have the money to run out and buy a burr grinder right now so good to know I can get something decent out of a blade grinder with stuff I already have. Most coffee folks I saw on places like Reddit just shut down the idea completely so this is awesome! I'm really excited to try it!

Thanks for this video, I want to start taking coffee more seriously but one of the things holding me back is the cost of a good burr grinder. It would be nice to see this method compared to grounds from a proper burr grinder and how it affects the actual coffee.

lol, borderline excessive... I'm in!

Genius, James. I would expect nothing less from you. Thanks for making and sharing this.

Thanks, James. Never thought I'd reach this level of science but since I'm stuck with a blade grinder, your advice is invaluable. And you make it quite amusing!

I appreciate a barista having pity on blade grinder owners and making the effort to help.

I cant tell if this man is 25 or 60 years old

@george.carlin

5 жыл бұрын

He looks 25, but he is wise as 60.

@AJ-ox8xy

4 жыл бұрын

I think he is 42

@Tungsteno391

4 жыл бұрын

(25+60)\2 = 42.5 😀

@AJ-ox8xy

4 жыл бұрын

@@Tungsteno391 shhhh you exposed my secret

@zeebecks8704

4 жыл бұрын

Autarky Bear you truncating dog you

Thanks James, I have the same type of grinder I find that it helps to also have a small size paint brush to keep everything clean.

Thanks for sharing that! Your videos are really useful! I'm from Brazil and just found out about you last week and I'm watching all your videos haha I'm just a home barista and I'm enjoying every minute of your videos. Keep doing it! :) Now I have more tips to practice on my blade grinder

Good old KZread algorithm bringing good coffee tips during the quarantine!

smart hacks, thanks James.

I've had this exact problem. Thank you, James!

i have a very old blade grinder i more or less inherited (aka my family had one lying around, and - it’s working, and it’s free!), so i’m really glad this exists

To say I was skeptical when I watched this would be an understatement, but just for kicks i gave it a shot this morning. I feel like I unlocked the intended flavor of my beans and that up until now my coffee was had a range of flavors within the cup, but not in a good way. I wish I could afford a burr grinder so I didn't have to do it this way though.

Thank you. This was super helpful. I’ve been searching everywhere and all I found was “don’t buy blade grinders”.

I'm mostly impressed by the flawless execution on that paper towel; how was he able to rip just one, perfectly down the perforation, without completely whiffing it??? A mystery, a legend... Incredible video. I'm going to be watching many more tonight.

Your channel is the best. Thanks, James.

Holy caffeine! I am that family member with the blade grinder! 😱

I’ve discovered, If you do small ratios of beans instead of the full amount you want in your grinder, it will help get a more even grind with the grind getting too fine. More work but worth it to me.

Awesome! I knew about the shaking part but I didn't know about the sieve nor the paper towel. Nice!

This is so cool! I figured out the first shaking hack intuitively by myself, but now I will try the rest of them before investing in the burr grinder. Thank you !

And keep apologising for having standards. "Just because your coffee is shit, please don't feel bad about drinking if it makes you happy". "I appreciate you serving me coffee. I really do. But I appreciate making coffee too, really it's no bother let me do it, please?"

@ashlynnanderson1744

5 жыл бұрын

I'm honestly quite happy for people who can enjoy shit coffee, I think that's incredible that something so terrible makes them happy and honestly I'm sometimes scared to ruin it for them by giving them coffee that's too good because I know I'll be costing them a metric ton of $$ if I put them down this hellish road 😂

@ashlynnanderson1744

5 жыл бұрын

(the hellish road bit is a bit of a joke, but man, I've got too many expensive hobbies... coffee, audio equipment, ergonomic keyboards (it's worth it to save my hands though since I type all day))

@noemivela9524

5 жыл бұрын

Ashlynn Anderson This is gold, Ashlynn!🤣 I actually had one of these “ruin it for them” moments recently when I had an unexpected guest over in the afternoon, offered him a cup I had just prepared for my hubby. He noted how yummy it was then went about his business. Next day he came knocking at my door asking what I had given him to drink because he could not sleep the night before. Long story short, he realized that he’d been drinking coffee flavored water all this time & not “a strong cup of black coffee” several times a day. Needless to say, our nephew has a new found appreciation for freshly ground, & lovingly prepared coffee that you don’t need but rather want to sit & enjoy, process & all.

@nonesuchone

5 жыл бұрын

Noemi Vela we should all be so lucky to be shown the light by someone like yourself. For some, coffee is our love-language (corny as that may be)

@christinearmington

5 жыл бұрын

Ashlynn Anderson Stay away from wine. Or at least wine 🍷 over $10 US or out of a box 📦

Yes James, it's other people's kitchen that doesnt have a burr grindr

I am so glad I already instinctively did step 1!

Thank you so much for this video! It's been a real pleasure watching your channel and I am looking forward to viewing more! How-to videos are the best!

This is what I always tell to my friends, to grind at home with a small thing that came with a blender.

This video is actually a perfect argument against buying a blade grinder

@groadoswaggins

4 жыл бұрын

What! I use mine all the time,... ...for spices

@itsaUSBline

4 жыл бұрын

I believe it's meant for people who already have a blade grinder. But thanks for letting us all know how pretentious you are.

@dilmurodavalbaev1392

4 жыл бұрын

@@itsaUSBline I know this is meant for people using blade grinders. But that does not mean it cannot help all others make better decisions. You can make arguments for or against buying a product, and there is nothing pretentious about pointing that out, I believe. This video shows how much trouble you can avoid by getting a similarly priced burr grinder, and there are plenty of options nowadays. You completly misunderstood my point there, and are jumping to conclusions

@chianti95

3 жыл бұрын

@@dilmurodavalbaev1392 similarly priced? The Krups is $16 - doubt you can get a burr grinder for a comparable price

What I love about you is your passion for all things coffee. It makes me want to try everything you suggest. Thank you so much

I had thought about the first two steps this weekend, but the paper towel idea never occurred to me. Thanks for sharing because I bought a blade grinder without knowing that there are better methods out there!

The paper towel method presented here also had such a profound effect on my v60 pourovers with a Baratza Encore that i've now taken to doing it every day. I was very unhappy to discover this, because now I look like a crazy person every day, but hot damn is my coffee better. Also, not every brand of paper towels is effective for this. My girlfriend bought different paper towels once and my coffee was noticeably worse for a week. (The dimples were too large and didn't catch any grounds.)

@rblossey

4 жыл бұрын

he's going to be reviewing different paper towels with that patreon money soon 😂 seriously though, I kind of gasped when I saw that part of the video, that was the missing link! 😁 I think I can hold onto my Mr. coffee blade grinder juuust a little bit longer now....

@starry_lis

4 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering if it might fix my Melitta Molino's issues with fines.

America's Test Kitchen tested blade vs burr grinders and found that uneven grounds only contributed to consistency of flavor. Taste testers found that the blade grinder coffees were just as pleasant.

@nkbtnk

4 жыл бұрын

Keyword “America’s”

@felipemaldonado8028

3 жыл бұрын

Have you ever had a decent coffee in the US?

I've figured myself to shake the grinder and to use the sieve. But I was never able to remove the super fine parts. I can't afford a good grinder and other good equipment, so I use the french press for coffee and then for milk, and a cheap grinder. This video is gold

Yes! This is what I need to start my journey with fresh coffee! We have a blade grinder in the drawer I’ve been unable to really start because of cost being a barrier to entry. Knowing I can get an ok result about of a blade grinder gives me confidence to start and I can invest in better equipment down the line