How to grind coffee without a coffee grinder at home

Types of grinding coffee beans

The taste and aroma of the finished coffee largely depends on proper grinding.
The roasted beans are ground into particles of a size suitable for the specific method of preparing the drink. At home, achieving perfect coffee grinding is more difficult than using special equipment or a coffee grinder, but the drink does not lose its taste characteristics and gives the aroma of real coffee. Types of grinding:

Large/rough. The size of the ground particles reaches 1 mm. Suitable for preparation in a French press, coffee pot, vacuum coffee maker, since large particles reveal the aroma well and do not end up in the cup. To obtain large fractions without a coffee grinder, use a food processor or blender.
Average. A simple option for grinding coffee beans without a coffee grinder to a medium grind is manual application with a hammer, mortar, or knife. Medium fractions reveal flavor well in drip coffee makers.
Thin. Small fractions of coffee beans are used for preparation in a Turk; espresso is brewed from them, aromatic drinks are brewed in geyser coffee makers and coffee machines. You can grind the beans until finely ground using a rolling pin and mortar and pestle, without using a coffee grinder.
Extra-thin. Grinding the beans to a powder is suitable for making delicious Greek or Turkish coffee. Coffee grounds give the drink a special taste; you can use a mortar and pestle to grind it.

True gourmets will not refuse a cup of aromatic drink, even when there is no coffee grinder at hand. The fineness of the grind directly affects the strength and taste. For example, coffee powder produces rich, thick espresso. The beans, ground to a medium fraction, are suitable for making various drinks, including lattes.

How to make powdered sugar without a special device?

What to do when you need powdered sugar to prepare a dessert, but don’t have a coffee grinder at home? Let's look at the most popular ways to prepare sugar powder .

Using a spice mortar. A vessel made of marble or porcelain is best suited for this purpose - thanks to its smooth surface, you can obtain high-quality and uniform grinding. Pour sugar into it and grind with a pestle until it becomes powdery.
Using paper and a bottle (rolling pin). Fold the sheet in half like a book and pour sugar in the center. Using a rolling pin or glass bottle, roll until the sugar crystals are ground into powder.
Using a woven bag and a hammer. Fill the cloth bag exactly halfway with sugar. Tie it tightly and, armed with a hammer, start knocking on the bag, constantly turning it from one side to the other. This method is inconvenient because you have to untie the bag many times to check the degree of grinding of the sugar.
Using a mixer. You will need an older model mixer with a double blade attachment. To ensure that the sugar crystals are well ground, add it in small portions. The bowl should be deep enough so that the product does not scatter to the sides.

Using various kitchen appliances

There are enough utensils in the kitchen that are suitable for grinding coffee beans into fractions of the desired size. If you don't have a coffee grinder, you can use:

Food processor.
Blender.
Meat grinder.

The grinding process takes a little time, the coffee is crushed into uneven large fractions. When using a meat grinder, both manual and electric models are suitable to grind coffee beans quickly and accurately.

Important! When grinding with a food processor, the grains are ground in short pulses of five seconds, after pouring the grains into a container. After grinding, the processor must be immediately disassembled and washed so that it does not retain the coffee aroma.

Blender

A blender is best for grinding fairly hard beans, especially if you need to get coarse coffee. To prevent the unit from overheating, the device is started in short pulses. How to grind coffee using a blender if you don’t have a coffee grinder:

pour 100 grams of grains into a container;
set the grinding option on the blender;
grind at intervals of a couple of seconds;
add more grain if necessary;
repeat the grinding process.

When enough coarse coffee has been prepared, the product is poured out of the container, the blender is disassembled and immediately washed thoroughly. This helps eliminate the aroma of the roasted beans.

Important. When using an immersion blender for grinding, the grains are placed in a narrow container, and the hole is covered with your hand so that the grains do not “jump out”. Grind the product pulsed at intervals of 10 seconds.

Meat grinder

There is an electric or mechanical meat grinder in every home. It can be easily adapted for grinding coffee at home. The meat grinder needs to be disassembled and washed well so that the coffee beans do not absorb the odors of other products. If the set includes a special knife for grinding spices, you will get medium grinding fractions.

The required amount of grains is poured into the hole of the meat grinder and ground until uniform fractions are formed. Each repeated grinding makes the particles even smaller. The finished product is suitable for preparing the drink in French presses, coffee makers, Turks, and teapots.

Manual grinding

It happens that there is no suitable kitchen equipment to grind coffee without a coffee grinder. Proven methods of manual grinding using kitchen utensils and ordinary household appliances come to the rescue. Such grinding does not take much time and effort - to grind coffee beans without a coffee grinder, you need to spend a few minutes, and you can enjoy the taste of your favorite drink.

Mechanical mill

Many housewives have such a simple device in their kitchen as a spice grinder. It can easily grind coffee beans to a medium grind fraction. Fine powder will not work, nor will large portions of coffee, but you can prepare the beans immediately before brewing the drink.

The grains are poured into the mill and the millstones are turned using a handle or a lid - depending on the design. From the first grinding, large fractions are obtained, after repeated grinding - raw materials that are suitable for brewing coffee, for example, in a Turk.

Hammer

An alternative method for hand grinding is to crush the beans with a hammer. The more intense the grinding, the finer the fraction of the prepared product. A chopping hammer, regular hammer or mallet is suitable. How to grind coffee:

The grains are poured onto parchment paper or into a bag.
The table is covered with a towel and wrapped beans are placed.
The grains are “crushed” with uniform blows of the hammer.

The result is finished raw material of large or medium fraction. Suitable for brewing or steaming. To obtain a fine powder, repeat the manipulations several times. The grains should be laid out in a thin, even layer - this makes it easier to chop the beans.

In a mortar

A simple method of grinding is to use a mortar and pestle. The old-fashioned method requires some effort, since the beans will have to be crushed into fine crumbs. But the time spent is worth it - the grains can be crushed to any fraction.

Pour a small portion of beans into a mortar. Using a pestle, the coffee is first crushed, then crushed to the desired fraction, and vigorously crushed in a mortar. You don't need to add a lot of beans to get a smooth grind.

Rolling pin

If it is not possible to use a coffee grinder to grind coffee, a regular rolling pin will do. With its help, raw materials of medium and fine grinding are obtained. You don't need anything other than a rolling pin and a freezer bag. How to grind grains:

pour a small amount of beans into the bag;
place on a flat surface - table, board;
spread the coffee beans in an even layer;
press down with a rolling pin to break up hard beans;
crush the raw materials to the desired grinding fraction.

On a note. You can use a large carving knife instead of a rolling pin. The grains are placed on a hard surface, pressed flat with a knife and crushed into large crumbs.

Procedure for brewing delicious espresso at home

Turn on the coffee maker.
Warm the cups.
Pour fresh water.
Spill a little water: without inserting the portafilter, keep it under the stream.
Drain the portafilter and wipe it dry with a napkin or dry cloth.
Grind the coffee.
Pour coffee into the portafilter.
Perform grooming - evenly distribute the coffee.
Tamp and remove any remaining coffee from the rim.
Insert the portafilter into the coffee maker.
Turn on pre-flow for a couple of seconds. Wait a few seconds.
Turn on the water supply.
Monitor the coffee being served. Turn off when the color changes to pale.
Rate the drink and foam. Consider whether you need to change the grinding or grooming with a tamper.

What to remember when using household appliances for purposes other than their intended purpose

Each kitchen device has a specific purpose - grinding, cutting, chopping. You can grind coffee beans without a coffee grinder using electric meat grinders, blenders, and food processors. But several important points cannot be ignored:

Using household appliances for other purposes shortens the service life of the appliances.
Parts of devices (knives, cutters) may become dull from exposure to hard grains.
Equipment should be thoroughly washed before and after processing coffee beans to prevent the coffee from absorbing the flavor of the food.

If the equipment is used for a long time for other purposes, its knives may become deformed. As a one-time option, such grinding of grains is suitable, but you should not get carried away so as not to spoil expensive household appliances.

Questions and answers

What are the proportions of coffee and water for espresso?

Italian version

A typical serving is 7 grams per 30 ml shot. 14g - for a double shot of 60 ml.

Regular espresso in Italy is called "normale".

American version

In the States, large volume coffee drinks are popular and they use more coffee. Therefore, American baristas use up to 14 grams of coffee to brew one shot. And the volume continues to increase.

They say that it was in the USA that the triple shot appeared.

Interestingly, due to increasing portions of coffee, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the water, because the coffee in this case absorbs more heat.

Espresso vs latte

Traditional espresso should have a medium strength with an optimal flavor bouquet. Insufficient strength will lead to a decrease in the density of the drink, and too much strength will interfere with the appreciation of the bouquet.

A 350 ml latte should be made from a large dose of coffee and have sufficient strength to ensure a balance between coffee and milk. Strength is more important here because milk mutes the flavors.

If possible, use a single (small) portafilter basket for espresso and a double portafilter basket for café au lait.

Tips for storing ground coffee

According to true gourmets, the most delicious and aromatic coffee comes from beans that are ground before preparing the drink. If you have a supply of ground coffee, it must be stored correctly so that the finished raw material does not lose its valuable properties, delicate aroma, and taste characteristics. Conditions for storing ground beans:

sealed packaging;
cool dark place;
lack of heat, humidity;
away from sunlight, light.

In ground form, coffee retains its properties for a week if stored in a tightly closed container or factory packaging. Once opened, raw materials lose their value within a day. The powder quickly absorbs moisture, which destroys the taste and aroma of the beans. It is best to store ground coffee in an airtight container in a kitchen cabinet with opaque doors, but not on the top shelf.

Subtle aroma, invigorating taste, rich strength - this is coffee, the favorite drink of millions of people. Different varieties, manufacturers, and grinding fractions create a wide choice for preparing the drink. The most delicious coffee is made from freshly ground beans. And if you don’t have a coffee grinder at hand, you can use kitchen appliances and accessories. Grinding beans with a blender, meat grinder, rolling pin and other methods does not in any way affect the taste characteristics of the coffee and the drink does not lose its strength and aroma.

Summarize

As you can see, the problem of how to grind coffee without a coffee grinder is easy to solve. There is a way out of every situation. Even if there is a power outage, if you are smart, you can always get ground coffee from beans.

But be aware that using improvised items for unusual operations increases the risk of breakage or injury. Therefore, manipulations must be carried out carefully, with increased attention. Use such methods only in extreme cases.

What else can you use a coffee grinder for?

Despite the name - coffee grinder - housewives use this household appliance for other purposes. You can grind cereals in it to obtain coarse flour - for example, buckwheat or oatmeal, to use for baking. You can also grind nuts and seeds for culinary purposes, oatmeal and dried herbs for preparing folk cosmetic masks, flax seed for the same purposes or for internal consumption.

This machine is often used for grinding seasonings. For example, if during cooking you do not have the necessary ground pepper on hand. Shouldn't you run to the store to get it? If you have peppercorns or dry red pods, you can grind them.

Many people are concerned about the question: is it possible to grind sugar in a coffee grinder? Devices of previous generations could not always cope with such a load, but modern ones are capable of producing powder. You can also grind coarse sea salt. However, if you do this, you do so at your own risk. Such products are not intended for processing in a coffee grinder, so no one can exclude the risk of breakage.

Advice. To rid your coffee grinder of the smell of other foods, you should grind a handful of white rice in it.

A coffee grinder is a useful household appliance. And not only for lovers of the aromatic drink, because it can also be used for other purposes. However, it must be treated with care and in compliance with the rules. Then the device will serve for a long time and the result will please you.