I've been drinking specialty coffee (14-24$ for 12-16oz) for around two years and roasting my own for one. I mostly do pour over but also grind for a refillable Kcup on the rare occasion. I started out with a cuisinart burr grinder and used that for a good 23 months.. I decided I needed to upgrade because all the research I've done points to a good grind=better coffee. I went with the baratza encore. Few things I noticed:
Cuisinart: not enough grind settings, loud, makes a lot of powdery fines, really inconsistent grind size.
Baratza Encore: plenty of grind settings, somewhat quieter, no powdery fines, three times the grind consistency.
So the first cup of coffee I made with it; 100% noticeable difference in the cup. It's profile is cleaner and has better separation in tasting notes. If you are spending a lot of money on coffee (really, I recommend regardless of price) these are golden rules that I think are must follows.
- roast on date
- whole bean (grind right before every brew)
- quality grinder and also knowing your grind setting/size for your method of brewing.
- following a water/coffee ratio makes your cup consistent and repeatable. Also you won't overpower the cup by using too much or thin it out by using too little. I use the SCAA cupping ratio; 1.63 grams (whole bean) coffee per 1 fluid ounce of water.
-when doing pour over or FP, do not take water right off of boil and pour. Let it rest for 30sec to a minute before brewing. (195-205 if you want specifics and feel like checking) brewing too hot will speed up extraction and produce more undesirable flavors.
Before I was ignorant and now I am educated. So when I make coffee (and spend a lot on it) I want to get what I'm paying for. You would be surprised at what a difference it makes When you do it right. My eyes have been opened on numerous occasions, so I figure I'd pass some info down the line. Hope it helps.
You think you have zero fines with your encore? Try the Vario with flat steel burrs! That's no fines, baby!
To add a couple points here to this fine post:
Measuring beans by weight and water by volume is a pain in the ass. It's OK to measure water by weight too. You're looking to get around a 16:1 water:coffee ratio. Makes it a lot easier when using a scale.
Time your brew. Compare to brew guides on the net it get an app with brew timers. Intelligentsia has an excellent and informative app that has brew instructions and timers that you can adjust by weight. It's really well done. (Not sure if it's available on Android)
Timing is a great way to know if your grind is right if you aren't going to go super coffee nerd and get a refractometer asked start measuring TDS levels (total dissolved solids). If you're trying to do a pour over and it's going too fast, adjust your grind to the finer side. Too slow, coarser. The size of the grind depends on the length of contact with water, basically. The longer the contact, the coarser the grind, and vice versa.
Humidity and temperature can affect how coffee brews, especially espresso. You may want to experiment with differing grinds based on other factors.
To counter the advice on brew temperature (he's not wrong) there are other things to factor in. In my case it's elevation. I can't get my water to 205°, so letting water sit off the boil is bad, for me. Also your brew method may call for different temperatures. Some poor over methods lose a LOT of heat in brewing. Check the temperature of your slurry, especially if you're being with something ceramic which sucks heat like you wouldn't believe (pre-heat!)
As for roast on date, there's such a thing as too fresh. Look for coffees that you can use between 5-10 days after roast.
That's enough out of me!