Whether your old coffee grinder has finally given out, or if you’re just curious about different methods you can use to grind your beans, you don’t always need to rely on a grinder to get the perfect cup.
In fact, the most important thing isn’t the tool you use to grind your coffee at all. Instead, it’s the quality of the natural coffee beans that you buy in the first place.
As long as you know how fine to grind the beans based on your desired roast, the flavor, and even the way in which you typically brew your coffee, learning how to grind coffee beans without a grinder is much simpler than you might initially expect.
So, what are some of the best ways to grind coffee beans without a grinder? Keep on reading to find out — and learn where you can go to find high-quality natural beans from the best coffee farms across the globe.
1. Use Your Kitchen Blender
Your traditional kitchen blender can be used for much more than just making delicious smoothies or soups — it’s also a great tool for learning how to grind coffee beans without a grinder. In fact, some modern blenders even come with a specific setting designed to be used for grinding coffee. Still, be aware that if you don’t use the right technique, it can be tough to blend for a consistent grind.
The trick for grinding coffee in a blender is several short pulses, rather than one long continuous blend. If you don’t take breaks, the blades of the blender will actually heat the natural oils in the beans, making them unpleasantly bitter to the taste. And of course, the most important tip of all is to give your blender a thorough cleaning before and after using it to grind your beans! If you don’t have a blender, you can also use this method with a food processor, using the same pulsing technique as mentioned above.
2. Try A Rolling Pin
If you don’t have a blender on your hands, or if you just want to try something a bit more labor-intensive, a simple rolling pin will do the trick nicely. Rolling pins work especially well for grinding beans because they can crush and grind beans simultaneously. This makes this method ideal for those who plan on using a typical drip coffee machine or prefer a pour-over method.
To minimize your mess when using the rolling pin, place tin foil underneath the beans, with the edges bent up to act as a barrier. (A cutting board also works well, but it’s one more thing you’ll have to clean.) Start by crushing up the beans by using the rolling pin as you would a hammer, first. Then, once the beans are broken into manageable pieces, roll over them. If needed, repeat the procedure.
3. A Mortar and Pestle
While learning how to grind coffee beans with a mortar and pestle takes some serious elbow grease (and even more patience) you’ll be surprised by how finely you’re able to grind the beans with this method. After all, this was the traditional way that pharmacists crushed medication and made pastes for centuries.
Because of the fine grind a mortar and pestle create, this technique is ideal for those looking to use either an espresso machine or brew a small cup of Turkish-style coffee. The trick here is to work in small batches. Usually, you should only grind about 1/4 of a cup of coffee at a time. Hold the mortar with one hand and the pestle with the other, and press and roll down on the beans.
4. Use A Hammer
If you need to grind coffee beans without a grinder, then you should consider a hammer as one of your “last resort” options.
It can be tough to get the desired consistency with a hammer, and applying too much force will actually destroy the flavor of your beans. That being said, using a hammer to grind coffee is a great way to make an incredible cup of cold brew, and it even works for those who want to use coffee makers like a Chemex.
If you don’t have a hammer, you can also use a meat tenderizer. To keep mess to a minimum (but there will definitely be some mess with this method) we strongly advise you to put the beans inside of a plastic bag. To avoid damaging your countertops, put a cutting board underneath the bag of beans.
The trick here is to avoid pounding the beans in the same way that you’d force a nail into a wall. Instead, you need to gently “tap” and press down with the hammer. You should also frequently shake up the contents of the bag as you go, to get as consistent of a grind as is possible.
Try These Methods for How to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder
Whether you’re stuck on a camping trip with limited supplies, accidentally grabbed a bag of whole beans instead of a pre-ground option, or if you just like to do things differently, you’ll enjoy these methods for how to grind coffee beans without a coffee grinder. But where can you go to get wholesale green coffee beans that you and your customers can enjoy no matter the method of grinding you use?
That’s where we come in.
We have ten years of experience as specialty coffee importers, and we’re committed to protecting the rights of the farmers we work with to ensure you can feel great about buying from us.
Feel free to browse through our current coffee offerings to find the perfect natural coffee beans to fit your preference and the expectations of your clients.