Whole bean or ground coffee, the big divide…
There seems to be this idea that whole bean is the serious option and ground coffee is somehow second best, which I don’t think is fair, because a lot of that comes down to what people associate ground coffee with.
Ground coffee often gets judged on the supermarket version of it, where freshness can be hard to gauge and the bag may have been packed long before it reaches your kitchen. The same can be true of whole bean, so the more useful question is not simply which format you buy, but how fresh the coffee is when it reaches you and how well it suits the way you brew.
Why whole bean stays fresher for longer
Whole bean does have one very clear advantage, because once coffee is ground, much more of it is exposed to the air and it starts to lose flavour more quickly. If you have a grinder at home and can grind immediately before brewing, that is generally the best way to get the fullest flavour from your coffee.
Why freshly ground coffee is different
Ground coffee is a different story when it is being ground specifically for you, just before it is sent out. When you order ground coffee from us, we grind it when your order comes in, rather than keeping bags of pre-ground coffee sitting around waiting to be bought, so it reaches you as fresh as we can possibly make it.
We also grind it specifically for the way you make your coffee at home, because grind size has a huge impact on how the coffee tastes. A finer grind slows the water down and extracts more from the coffee, while a coarser grind lets the water pass through more quickly. If the grind is not right for the method you are using, you can end up with coffee that tastes too bitter or too weak.
You do not need to know any of that when you order though, you just tell us how you brew and we take care of that part for you. If the first bag is not quite right for the way you like your coffee, tell us and we can make the next one a little finer or coarser.
That is one of the nicest things about buying from a small coffee business, because you are not just picking a standard bag off a shelf and hoping for the best, you can actually talk to us about how you make your coffee and we can help you get it right.
How quickly should you use ground coffee?
Because ground coffee has more surface area exposed to the air, it will lose flavour more quickly than whole bean, so freshness matters even more once it has been ground. For that reason, we would usually recommend buying ground coffee in 225g bags more frequently rather than ordering a large amount that may take several weeks to get through.
Once it arrives, keep it sealed in the bag or an air-tight container somewhere cool, then try to use it within a couple of weeks while the flavour is still at its best. It will not suddenly become bad coffee after that, but you may notice it starts to taste a little flatter the longer it has been open.
Whole bean gives you a little more flexibility because the coffee stays protected for longer before grinding, so if you already have a grinder and get through a good amount of coffee, a 1kg bag can make more sense.
So, which should you choose?
Whole bean is the best option if you have a grinder and want to grind immediately before brewing, because that gives you the best chance of keeping as much flavour in the coffee as possible.
Ground coffee makes perfect sense if you would rather skip that step, and the key is making sure it has been ground recently and for the way you actually brew.
If you are not sure what will work best for you, just ask us. Tell us how you make your coffee and roughly how much you get through, and we will help you work out what makes the most sense.
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