SIZE MATTERS: Find your perfect grind
Since coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, you would think that almost everybody would own a bean grinder and would know how to distinguish grind size and why the size matters. BUT, the reality is that most coffee drinkers are in a hurry and in their half awake morning grog, they just want their coffee quickly and easily. Drip coffee makers are the most commonly purchased and utilized brewing system. 75% of coffee purchased in the United States is pre-ground.
So I thought I’d take a minute to talk about grind size for those who want to learn a little bit more about it. Whether you’re a person who buys pre-ground coffee, or a person who buys whole beans and grinds them yourself, you may find something helpful here.
While most Americans opt for the ease of a drip pot and pre ground coffee, it’s fun to experiment. Each brew system works best with a specific grind size (see chart). Have fun learning new techniques and let us know if you have any questions. 
Smart Owl Coffee is ground to a medium/coarse grind so people can use it in a French press or cold brew (which work best with a coarse grind). Also, many coffee experts will argue that brewing with more coarsely ground beans beneficially affects the flavor of the resulting coffee. The more finely it is ground the more bitter it will potentially taste.
That said, with drip pots, like the Keurig or regular coffee pot, sometimes water passes through the coarse grounds too quickly, resulting in a coffee that isn’t as strong or flavorful as one might prefer. In this case, you can either add more coffee grounds OR grind the beans more finely to achieve a stronger brew.
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Your goal in choosing a grind size: extract the perfect amount of flavor from your coffee. Too little extraction and you’ve got weak, acidic, grassy tasting coffee, too much extraction and you’ll have a bitter, muddy brew.
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GRINDERS: Burr Vs Blade?
Burr grinders use two revolving abrasive surfaces to grind up coffee while blade grinders use a propeller-like blade, like a blender. Most coffee lovers will tell you that a burr grinder is far superior when it comes to grind size and flavor. While more expensive than a blade grinder, burr mills are widely recognized for their consistency, quality, and overall uniformity.
While this may all seem trivial, it’s important to understand that poorly ground beans will result in a bad cup of coffee. If your coffee grounds are not all the same size, some will be over extracted, some will be under extracted, resulting in poor tasting coffee.
STORAGE:
Whether you have purchased whole beans and are grinding them yourself or have pre-ground coffee, proper storage is the key to fresh, good tasting coffee. Coffees worst enemy is moisture, so store coffee in an airtight container away from direct sunlight to retain maximum freshness (our resealable bags do the trick).
DRINK SMART. THINK SMART.