Which Coffee Grind Do I Need?
When you order from us you pick a grind, and if you have never bought coffee this way before that dropdown is a small moment of panic. It needn't be. Here is the whole thing in one table.
Match your brewer to your grind
| What you brew with | Choose | Roughly like |
|---|---|---|
| Cafetière / French press | French Press | Coarse — sea salt |
| Filter or drip machine | Filter | Medium — sand |
| Pour-over (V60, Chemex) | Filter | Medium — sand |
| Espresso machine | Espresso | Fine — caster sugar |
| Moka pot / stovetop | Espresso | Fine — caster sugar |
| AeroPress, longer steep | AeroPress Coarse | Medium-coarse |
| AeroPress, short and strong | AeroPress Fine | Fine |
| You have a grinder at home | Beans | Whole, untouched |
Still not sure?
Choose Filter. It suits most home machines, and it is forgiving in both directions — slightly wrong for a cafetière is still perfectly drinkable, which is not true the other way round.
What actually happens if you get it wrong
Grind size controls how fast water pulls flavour out of the coffee. Finer grind, more surface area, faster extraction.
Too fine for your brewer and the water takes too much: the cup turns bitter and harsh, and in a cafetière you will get sediment through the mesh and a plunger that fights you.
Too coarse and the water runs through before it has taken enough: the cup tastes thin, sour and disappointing — the flavour most people describe as "weak" even when they have used plenty of coffee.
Neither ruins anything. You will still get a drink. But matching the grind is the difference between coffee that is fine and coffee that is properly good, and it costs nothing to get right.
Should I just buy whole beans?
If you own a grinder, yes — coffee keeps its character longer as whole beans, and grinding just before you brew is the single biggest improvement most people can make at home.
If you do not own a grinder, there is no need to buy one to drink good coffee. Tell us your brewer and we will match the grind for you. A burr grinder is a nice thing to own eventually, but it is not the entry fee.
One more thing: how much to use
Grind is only half of it. The other half is ratio, and it is where most home coffee actually goes wrong. Aim for about 1 gram of coffee to 15 grams of water — roughly two heaped tablespoons per large mug. If your coffee tastes weak, this is almost always the reason rather than the grind.
Our French press guide has the full ratios by cafetière size.
Pick a coffee
Every blend we sell comes in all of the grinds above. If you are starting from scratch, Näyte gives you 250g of each of our four main blends, delivered free, so you can settle the question of which coffee you like before worrying about anything else.
Otherwise: filter and cafetière coffee, espresso beans, AeroPress coffee, or decaf.