“Should I buy whole coffee beans or ground coffee beans?” That is a question many customers ask.
Whole bean coffee
Most people buy and use ground coffee, mainly because that is the easiest to use and the form that is found on the shelves of every local store. It's ready to brew, and won't require any extra time, skills, or equipment on your part. And that pretty much sums up all the positive aspects of pre-ground coffee. Ease and convenience.
There are a few disadvantages to ground coffee though, so you might want to think twice about taking that route. The most important one is freshness. Once it's been roasted and ground, coffee will go stale fast. All the taste is in the bean oils, and they will evaporate once the beans are ground up. Even cans of coffee that have been vacuum-packed are going to be a lot less fresh than the coffee you grind yourself.
Suggested Read: Recommended ways to store coffee and maintain freshness.
We highly recommend that you buy whole bean coffee if you want the best taste out of your cup of coffee. After purchasing the beans, you will have to grind them. The advantage of buying whole bean coffee is that the flavor is much stronger, and the subtle tastes of your specific type of bean are more noticeable. You will get that "fresh" quality everyone looks for in a delicious cup of coffee.
Suggested Read: Why coffee lovers like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe whole bean coffee
Different brewing methods work best with different types of coarseness, and this is another reason whole beans are suggested. If you grind the whole beans yourself, you can make up a batch of coarse coffee for your French press or some fine grinds for an espresso machine. In truth, it only takes a minute or two to grind up enough beans for a pot of coffee, so the effort is minimal once you get into the habit of doing it.
The bottom line is that between whole bean and ground coffee, the things to consider are freshness, control, and convenience. Whole beans will give you a fresher cup, and you can decide your own level of coarseness, but ground coffee is ready without any work.
Suggested Read: How to make an espresso:
