# Grind changes as beans age



## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

Just wondering what people think and more importantly why they change the grind as a bean changes. Obviously answering my own question it is to keep the tast and flow the same but I'd have thought that as a bean ages it dries out you'd grind tighter but it appears that people open the grind out more. Ultimately I guess taste is what counts irrespective of whether you tighten or loosen grind, just interested.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I normally find I tighten, but usually beans do not get the chance to really stale a lot. I put 250 in the hopper which lasts about 3 or 4 days and the rest into a vacuum container


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

I tighten as beans age.

Sometimes I have to loosen the grind but I attribute that more to changes in weather, temp, atmosphere etc.


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

That is what I was thinking too. As they dry out grind finer but on h-b it seems they open up i.e. Coarser the grind and I can't think of a logical answer as to why.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Lefteye said:


> That is what I was thinking too. As they dry out grind finer but on h-b it seems they open up i.e. Coarser the grind and I can't think of a logical answer as to why.


With the greatest of respect, stick to getting your knowledge from this side of the pond! Humidity and heat and altitude play their own part.......they have a climate whereas we just have weather


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## Dan430 (Apr 29, 2016)

there are too many uncontrollable variables. i would say i would adjust according to the time and yield for "consistent" taste as the beans age.

eg: when i dial in the shot i aim for 28-32s for yield of 36-38g with a double of 18.5g dose. and as the bean age i need to fine tune it for the same time and yield it can be coarser or finer depends. but basically the idea is to get the same time and yield. well thats my "method"


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

If beans are very fresh it can require a slightly tighter grind, as they age a little more you can loosen the grind a little...then as they age further you need to gradually tighten the grind. The reason for this is the ongoing chemical processes in freshly roasted coffee...and then the loss of volatiles and ageing as the coffee passes a 3-4 weeks post roasting.

These changes are subtle and not large...f you find you are having to make quite large changes, especially the period of weeks after 7 days post roast...perhaps try another roaster.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

The advice I saw recently on Hb was that as coffee ages to up the dose and keep the grind the same ( from mr schulman ) . Then again this advice is based on stopping flow when the pour blondes as opposed to weighing .


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## christos_geo (Feb 9, 2016)

Lefteye said:


> That is what I was thinking too. As they dry out grind finer but on h-b it seems they open up i.e. Coarser the grind and I can't think of a logical answer as to why.


I know people would coarsen grind as beans age but only in conjunction with dosing higher. That way they still get more flavour and better mouthfeel from beans that might have otherwise lost their potency while aging. I would always stick to dose and tighten grind off necessary, although I find humidity is far more out of my control and quite often tend to have to coarsen. Each bean will vary as will the same bean on a different day/week. As long as you stick to your optimal dose and yield you can work around the rest.


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## Kahweol (Apr 26, 2016)

I would agree with dave in that very fresh beans need a tighter grind, otherwise the pour is very variable with uncontrollable crema. Then after a few days the grind is loosened, followed by a slow and steady tightening to achieve the same flow rate.

I only ever remove a single dose of beans from my 1-way valve bag so I don't think humidity is the primary factor - this was in Aus and I never noticed any differences between seasons. I expect that leaving them in the hopper for days would age them faster.

Also I dose by volume not mass, filling the basket flat by scraping it off. If anything tho, finder grinds are more dense. I.e. as the beans age, I grind them finer AND dose more grams in the basket, both of which would slow the flow rate. Its not a huge factor tho, until one runs out of beans and has to resort to the bag you lost at the back of the cupboard 3 months ago... then you notice!


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