That pre-ground stuff I used for a year suddenly tasted like dirt after I tried a cheap hand grinder

I was using that canned pre-ground espresso for like 14 months and thought it was fine. Then I grabbed a $25 hand grinder off Amazon and some fresh beans from the local shop. First shot I pulled last weekend was night and day, way more crema and actual sweetness instead of just bitter. It hit me how stale that old stuff must have been, sitting on the shelf forever before I even opened it. Now I'm kicking myself for not making the switch sooner. Anyone else have that moment where you realized your grind was holding you back big time?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah91724d ago

Wait hold on, "14 months" with canned pre-ground? That's insane, I can't believe you pushed through that for over a year. I lasted maybe 3 months with that stuff before I started getting suspicious, but a full year and change? Man that's some serious dedication. The warehouse thing you mentioned is wild too, I never thought about how long those cans just sit around getting dusty before anyone buys them. Makes total sense why that first fresh grind blew your mind so hard, it was literally the first time you had coffee that wasn't months old.

schmidt.amy24d ago

Oh man, you kinda hit on something there about the crema though. That first shot with fresh grounds is always wild, but don't beat yourself up too much about the old stuff. Those canned beans can sit in a warehouse for months before you even buy them, no wonder they taste flat. The hand grinder makes a huge difference, but the freshness of the beans is probably doing even more of the heavy lifting than you realize lol. Once you start grinding right before you brew, there's really no going back to that pre-ground dust.