Month: October 2021

Our previous model assumed uniformly sized particles of ground coffee. However, real coffee grounds usually have a bimodal size distribution which looks something like this: The size of the larger particles, often called “boulders”, is controlled by our grind setting. But there is also a peak on the left, corresponding with smaller particles called “fines”.… Continue reading An Improved Model of Grinding

When I think of what a grinder does to coffee beans, the simplest idea that comes to mind is that it breaks the beans into uniform chunks whose size is determined by the grinder setting. This process is illustrated below. When the ground coffee is put into a portafilter basket and tamped, it forms a… Continue reading A Simple Model of Grinding

Let’s kick things off with something I’ve been exploring recently. I had noticed that dark roasts take up a lot more space in the basket than light roasts, and thought I would try to measure the density of the beans to see how it correlated with the type of roast, where the beans came from,… Continue reading Measuring Density