Whole Bean vs. Pre-Ground Coffee - Is there really a difference?
I have to admit, when we first got into the coffee world I could not see a difference between whole bean and ground coffee. I thought people who said otherwise were either snobs or were just saying it to sound cool… so, snobs?
But after investing more time, working as a barista, and exploring the world of coffee and roasters, I realized that there is a difference! A tasteable and visible difference.
As a caveat, if you are someone who buys one bag of ground coffee at a time and you drink it within a week of opening it, you might not actually be able to taste a difference in your coffee. You drink it quickly and it maintains its freshness.
But if you are anything like the Brew household, where we have at least five or seven open bags and tins of coffee at any given time, you will start to notice by the time you reach the end of a bag that has been sitting for a few weeks.
Whole bean coffee will maintain freshness significantly longer than ground coffee. It creates a better bloom, releases more gasses and aromas, and often has a stronger flavor. The lipids are visible on the surface of the coffee, and I personally feel like whole bean coffee has a stronger caffeine kick than ground.
Pre-ground coffee tends to fade after a while. The gasses don’t release as well or have already released, the aroma and flavor weakens, and fewer lipids coat the surface of the coffee leaving the coffee less shiny. Although it can still have a strong caffeine kick (it is still coffee after all), I feel like freshly ground whole beans deliver more.
The benefit of ground coffee is definitely convenience! One can simply measure their coffee grounds and move on. With the beans, you have to measure the beans, grind the beans on the appropriate setting for the method, and then brew. I have also seen some coffees in the aisle at the grocery store that do not come in whole beans and only come pre-ground. This can also make it difficult to enjoy that freshly ground taste.
But in the end, that cup of freshly ground whole bean coffee is worth the extra two minutes of prep time.
Cheers,
Mrs. Brew
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