Grind guide
To make things easier, we've put together our Zab grind guide! It lets you pick the number matching a grind size based on your equipment. That way, we make sure your beans are ground properly for your needs.
We know many of you don't own a grinder, which is why we now offer to grind your beans before shipping them. That said, we do think grinding coffee ahead of time isn't ideal, since it loses freshness faster because more of the coffee is in contact with oxygen. We suggest keeping your ground coffee in an airtight container. Still, as the famous saying goes: “Better a quality coffee ground than a mediocre coffee in beans”! ;)
What does the number mean?
You'll notice that the numbers matching the different grind sizes aren't the same as the ones you're used to at Paquebot; that's simply because our grinder's settings are different. This is true of every grinder, largely because of burr wear, which varies from one machine to the next. Don't worry; your beans will be ground properly! Just make sure to select the number that matches your equipment.
How do you know it's the right grind?
Not sure you've got the right grind? A good clue is how fast your coffee runs during brewing, whether for espresso or any other manual method. Is your coffee running too fast or, on the contrary, far too slowly? That's a solid sign there's a problem with the grind, assuming the other parameters — notably how many grams of coffee you're brewing — are on point.
What should you do if your coffee runs too fast? You'll need to grind finer; if it runs too slowly, you'll need to grind coarser.
Troubleshooting The problem, then the fix.
Runs too fast
Grind finer or increase the amount of coffee
Runs too slowly
Grind coarser or reduce the amount of coffee
Too sour, under-extracted
Grind finer
Too bitter, over-extracted
Grind coarser
Too weak, watery
Increase the amount of coffee
Too concentrated, too strong
Reduce the amount of coffee
Grind chart Find the number that matches your equipment.
| Grind | Method | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial espresso | |
| 1.5 | Home espresso — very fine | Gaggia vintage |
| 1.75 | Home espresso — fine | Rancilio Silvia |
| 2 | Home espresso — medium | Breville (high-end), Gaggia |
| 2.25 | Home espresso — medium-coarse | |
| 2.5 | Home espresso — coarse | Breville (entry-level), Saeco, Delonghi, Cuisinart |
| 3.5 | MokaPot (Italian stovetop) — classic style (strong extraction) | Bialetti |
| 6 | AeroPress | |
| 6.5 | MokaPot (Italian stovetop) — Third Wave style (light extraction) | Bialetti |
| 7 | V60 (pour-over) | |
| 7.5 | Kalita | |
| 7.8 | Drip / filter | |
| 8 | Cold brew — fine | |
| 8.5 | Chemex | |
| 9 | French press & Bodum | |
| 9.5 | Cold brew — coarse |