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A Grind and Brew Coffee Maker for the Freshest Coffee

Fresh ground coffee; there’s really nothing like it.

And without a doubt, the fresher the coffee, the better – as time passes, coffee beans become less aromatic, less flavorful – the best coffee is doubtlessly made from fresh-ground beans. Which is why a Grind and Brew Coffee Maker is such a great addition to your kitchen.

Let’s break it down.

It Starts with Coffee Beans

Everything that coffee heads love about their brews starts with the humble coffee bean. Whether you’re into coffee pour-overs, supercharged lattes, or a classic, solid, cup of coffee, it all starts with the beans. Better beans equals better coffee, plain and simple as that.

But it takes awhile to get there.

Coffee beans have a long journey to your kitchen. They start life as green beans – not those green beans – and while they contain the raw potential for them, they don’t yet have the rich, complex flavor profiles that give coffee its characteristic aromas, flavors, and other traits.

It’s not until the beans are roasted that the signature traits of coffee – the hints of chocolate, fruit, and floral tones – truly come alive. Subjected to the extreme heat of a coffee roaster, the green bean’s intricate mix of amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, lipids – and of course, H20 and caffeine – coming together through the power of chemistry to create the wonderfully nutty aroma and flavor that we all know and love. Coffee!!

Father Time is Undefeated

Beans become coffee beans by the act of roasting, but even with all the applied chemistry, they’re still decidedly organic in nature. And while that’s great, it means that like everything that grows and lives, coffee beans are vulnerable to the effects of aging.

From the moment a roasted coffee bean is introduced to oxygen, the effects of entropy start to set in, and it starts losing integrity, with its rich characteristics starting to degrade, losing valuable flavor as time goes on. The answer is straightforward enough; the smart play is to reduce the amount of time between roasting, grinding, brewing, and ultimately drinking your coffee. And that means starting with the freshest beans, and taking them grind to cup with as little time between as possible. A Grind and Brew Coffee Maker can help with the last stage, but the noble coffee bean still has a long way to travel before we get there.

Fresh Roasted is Best Roasted with a Grind and Brew Coffee Maker

The process of roasting coffee beans  produces an intense heat, evaporating moisture from the bean’s heart, while simultaneously pulling out a volatile, oil-like (but not oily) substance, coating the bean’s exterior.  These solubles aren’t actually oils – they evaporate once exposed to the air, which is why the longer a bean sits out, the less slick and glossy it becomes. We’ll want the shiniest beans possible once we get to grinding them – more on that in a bit.

When selecting fresh beans, it’s important to remember that different types of beans produce different amounts of oil. By itself, shininess isn’t the same thing as freshness; it all depends on the type of bean you’re using.

A light roast isn’t roasted for as long as a dark roast – hence the name – and therefore won’t be as shiny to begin with. Decaffeinated coffee beans get that way through the Swiss water process, which leaves a much duller, less shiny bean to start with.

The Daily Grind

Of course, fresh beans are just a part; you still need to turn them into coffee. The solubles extracted in the roasting process are still trapped in a sense – we need to set them free, as solubles are the prime ingredient in granting coffee its signature flavor. When you grind a coffee bean, that’s what you’re extracting. Grind your beans just before brewing, and you’ll have an amazing cup of coffee. Grind them even ten minutes before, and you’ve already suffered a significant drop-off in flavor.

And it’s here where a Grind and Brew Coffee Maker earns its keep; taking beans straight from grind to brew, ensuring prime access to the essential characteristics of the beans. Using a coffee grinder at home can be fun as well, plus you can use the freshly ground coffee in most coffee makers including drip coffee makers, french press coffee makers, and percolator coffee makers too.

There are many great brands of grind and brew coffee makers to choose from. Well know brands like the cuisinart gring and brew automatic coffeemaker, black & decker mill and brew coffee maker, Hamilton Beach Grind and Brew single serve and Kenmore Elite 12 cup coffee grinder and brewer.

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