How much do I have to grind my coffee beans according to what coffee I want to prepare ?

Brewing coffee at home can be a headache for many coffee lovers, as a lot of thing have to be done properly in order to achieve an enjoyable beverage – the right coffee grind is maybe one of the most important steps.

Whether we prefer to enjoy espresso, Greek coffee or even filter coffee, we must not forget that all beverages are prepared from the very same coffee beans. Surely, there are blends that are more suitable for espresso, or, on the other hand, for a traditional Greek coffee, but what is crucial for the beverage we want to enjoy is the degree of grinding. Each different extraction method requires different coffee grinding in order to be successful.

Which are the most popular grinding deegres and how are they used ;

• Coarse grind: Coffee's texture is similar to sea salt. Coarse grind is suitable for Cold Brew Coffee, but is also used in french press coffee machines.
• Medium grind: Coffee's texture reminds of crystal sugar. Most filter coffee machines require medium grinded coffee beans.
• Fine grind: Coffee has a sandy texture, somewhat like dust but still hard when touched. Espresso, prepared either in a professional machine or a "moka" should be fine grinded.
• Extra fine grind: Coffee's texture is similar to powder and it's soft when touched. Extra fine grinded is used for unfiltered coffee, like Greek or Turkish Coffee.

The above grinding degrees are the ones that we could call "basic". Books dedicated to coffee brewing, whether they are addressed to professionals or amateurs, suggest various intermediate grinding deegrees, depending on the extraction method, according to the machines used. For example, AeroPress requires medium – fine grind, while different machines for filter coffee machines have better results with medium – coarse grinding – coffee grinding is a bit of a science! Coffee grinding may sound difficult to an inexperienced coffee enthusiast, but having a proper coffee grinder and experimenting with it will make thing easier and easier as time passes.

Am I going to face problems, if grinding is not the proper one ?

• If you want to prepare an espresso, coarse grind will result to a sour coffee, with stronger acidity and salty aftertaste, while extra fine grind will ed to a bitter coffee with flat aromas.
• In the case of Cold Brew, any grind deegree other than coarse will end in a dark, cloudy and murky beverage, as the filtering would become quite difficult. 
• It is impossible to prepare Greek Coffee if the beans are not extra fine grinded. The extraction will not take place properly and the "katakathi" (the unfiltered coffee mud) will be very crunchy and bitter. 
• Preparing filter coffee without using the right grind will end in a tasteless beverage, as the extraction will not be proper - even the finest coffee blend will not fully give its aromas and taste.