Why is it important to grind coffee beans yourself, right before making coffee?

In many countries, coffee is the second most consumed beverage. Thanks to the caffeine found in the roasted beans, it gives you energy and wakes you up. But the true connoisseurs know that drinking a good cup of coffee means appreciating the aroma and taste. While the roast plays an important role in coffee quality, grinding the beans at the last minute is a crucial step. Maybe you’re wondering why that is. Read on to learn our advice for enjoying a good cup of coffee, made properly.

Unlike wine, ground coffee does not get better with time. After being opened, pre-ground coffee needs to be used within two weeks, because it oxidises and loses its aroma very quickly.

However, roasted coffee beans have the advantage of lasting a lot longer. After being roasted, beans should be used within three months as they release CO2, which breaks down the organic parts of the fibre. They will therefore lose their aromas, along with all the coffee’s complexity and intensity.
You can grind coffee beans in advance, provided you keep the grounds in a dry place, but once ground, you should use them within three days. Ground coffee quickly becomes rancid and flavourless, as the more it oxidises, the more bitter it becomes. It is therefore vital to grind your coffee beans at the very last moment, in order to enjoy all the aromas.

In recent years, we’ve seen consumers become enthusiastic about speciality coffee with different origins. For coffee beans, there are many options available and delicious flavours to discover. There are many more different kinds of coffee beans to choose from than ground coffee sold in supermarkets.

You can take your pick of fruity, sweet, light, full-bodied or balanced coffee, as well as selecting coffee for its origin.

Beyond where it comes from, the roast is what characterises good coffee beans. This is a crucial stage to release the coffee’s aromas, which needs to be precisely timed.
What’s more, you can go and visit coffee roasters yourself, to get advice and taste beans of different origin and roasting methods.

Not only do coffee beans keep longer and have a greater range available, they are also more affordable. Opt for a manual coffee mill to grind them.

Coffee has nearly 800 different aromas, twice as much as wine, which makes it one of the richest foodstuffs.

For lovers of this world-famous nectar, it is essential to grind the beans just before using them for the most flavour. This means that the volatile aromas are preserved and the coffee will certainly be the best. The experts confirm that grinding the beans at the last moment is the best option, because coffee ground too early will oxidise, lose its character and become more bitter. Perhaps that is where freshly ground coffee gets its charm, in its ephemeral and volatile character.

Making coffee properly means you can truly enjoy tasting it.

Grinding the beans just before brewing means you can adjust the coarseness according to your taste and preference. The level of coarseness is essential for the final product, and should be adapted to the method you will use to make your coffee. It differs depending on the method of brewing you choose. For example, Turkish coffee and filter coffee require two different grinds (very fine for Turkish coffee, medium for filter coffee). Before buying a coffee mill, it’s important to know what kind of mills are available on the market.

The Kronos Peugeot coffee mill features a precise and ingenious grind adjustment wheel. 43 different levels of coarseness are available, so you can better adapt the grind to various brewing methods.

The less time the coffee is exposed to water, the finer the grind needs to be so that the aromas are quickly released. On the other hand, if the coffee is in contact with water for a long time, the grind should be coarser, otherwise you risk making coffee that is too strong and bitter in taste.

The Paris Press coffee mill and cafetiere is an innovative way to make and enjoy freshly ground coffee. The Paris Press combines a coffee mill and a French press. This unique two-in-one device brings together extremely accurate grinding and high-quality brewing in a single piece of equipment.

By looking at coffee consumption with fresh eyes, Peugeot is drawing on its expertise and knowledge as a historic maker of coffee mills to create new, ergonomic products with a modern look, for customers with the highest standards. This is the case for the L’Arbre à Café, a manual coffee mill with 11 adjustment settings for a precise grind that can be easily reproduced and adapted for each type of brew, from espresso to cold brew. It was born out of the collaboration of three coffee lovers, all with expert knowledge and exacting standards – Peugeot, Sylvie Amar Studio for the design, and Hipppolyte Courty, roaster and founder of coffee brand L’Arbre à Café.

The world of coffee is set apart by the wide variety of origins, roasts and brews. Freshly ground beans is one of the key factors for quality coffee. Antique hunters, collectors, nostalgic souls and lovers of old-fashioned objects will fall for the Antique, Brésil and Nostalgie models. These mills evoke the designs of the first Peugeot coffee mills, all while proudly staying in fashion.

Coffee mills have been at the heart of Peugeot’s historic expertise since 1840. Known for quality and durability, Peugeot coffee mechanisms come with a lifetime guarantee.