Grind House Blend Ground Coffee: Brewing It Right

Most disappointing cups of this coffee come down to the dose, not the beans. Grind roast it medium for a London coffee-bar palate, so it needs a proper measure and a patient brew before its body shows.

A London medium roast in the bag

The label is short: roasted Arabica coffee and nothing else. In Grind's own words it is a smooth, sweet medium roast, the notes it names are milk chocolate and almond, and the roasting is done at the company's London roastery. Medium is the word that matters. Set beside the dark Italian-style blends many people buy ready-ground, it carries less charred bitterness and more brightness, so anyone expecting a tarry hit may think at first that it tastes light.

That is a question of expectation rather than strength. A house blend is what a roaster pours from opening to close, so it is built for balance: nothing leading, nothing missing, and enough body to stand up to milk mid-morning. Grind began in 2011 as Shoreditch Grind, which served coffee by day and cocktails by night, and a blend shaped behind a busy counter gets judged on the second and third cup of the day, not only the first.

Dose, temperature and four minutes

This is a medium grind, cut for a cafetière, a filter machine or a moka pot. A pump espresso machine wants something far finer and will push water through this too quickly, leaving a thin, sour shot; for espresso, buy the whole bean bag and grind it yourself. In a cafetière, sixty grams of coffee to a litre of water is a sound place to begin, roughly 12g in a small pot, and a stronger cup comes from more coffee rather than a longer steep.

Aim for water around 94 degrees rather than boiling, which in practice means letting the kettle sit for half a minute once it switches off. A medium roast shows scorching more readily than a dark one, where the roast flavour covers it. Steep for four minutes, stir through the crust that forms on top, lift away the foam, then plunge gently and pour the whole pot straight away so the coffee is not left brewing on the grounds.

Where it sits in the Grind range

We stock seven Grind lines, and the House Blend runs through three of them: this ground bag, the whole bean bag and a ten-pod pack for original-style Nespresso machines. Choose ground if you brew in a cafetière or filter and have no grinder. Choose beans if you own a grinder or an espresso machine. The pods are for capsule machines, and Grind make them from plant-based PHA with no plastic or aluminium.

Beyond the House Blend there is a House Decaf in the same ground format, a Single Origin Colombia for anyone who wants to taste one country's coffee rather than a blend, and the Smooth Barista Blend instant in regular and decaf. Once a bag of ground coffee is open, its aroma fades quickly because so much surface meets the air, so fold the top down tightly after every scoop and keep it away from heat and light.

The packs we stock

• Grind House Blend Ground Coffee, 200 grams (barcode 5060574953237)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Grind House Blend Ground Coffee, 200 grams names none of the 14 major allergens. Recipes shift, and so can allergen advice, so read the current Grind House pack first.

Ingredients, as published: 100% Roasted Arabica Coffee.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. On the Grind House bag, the printed label has the last word.

What to eat with it

• Thomas Fudge's 6 Dark Chocolate Florentines: Dark chocolate florentines bring a sharper, more bitter chocolate note to set against a blend Grind describe in milk chocolate terms.
• Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chunky chocolate chip cookies suit a mid-morning cafetière with milk, when the coffee has the body to carry something sweet.
• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch picks up the sweet side of a medium roast without piling on more chocolate.
• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: A little ginger warmth and dark chocolate give a black cup of the House Blend something to push against.

Elsewhere in the Grind range

• Grind House Blend Coffee Biodegradable & Sustainable, 10 Pods 52g
• Grind House Blend Whole Bean Coffee, 200g
• Grind House Decaf Ground Coffee, 200g
• Grind Single Origin Colombia Ground Coffee, 200g
• Grind Smooth Barista Blend Craft Instant Coffee, 90g
• Grind Smooth Barista Blend Craft Instant Decaf, 90g

The full range is on the Grind brand page.

FAQ

Can I use Grind House Blend Ground Coffee in an espresso machine? Not a pump machine. The grind is medium, so water runs through too fast and the shot comes out thin and sour; the whole bean version, ground fine at home, is the one for espresso.

How much ground coffee goes in a cafetière? Sixty grams to a litre of water is a sound starting point, about 12g in a small cafetière. For a stronger cup, add coffee rather than steeping longer.

Is Grind House Blend a dark roast? No. Grind describe it as a medium roast, which is why it tastes brighter and less bitter than a dark Italian-style blend.

What is in the bag? The published ingredient list gives 100% roasted Arabica coffee and names none of the major allergens.

Does it take milk? Yes. It has the body to carry milk, and we think a milky mid-morning cafetière is where it is happiest.

Curator's note: Weigh the coffee the first time, even if you never bother again. If this blend ever tastes weak, the spoon is nearly always the culprit, and it deserves a proper measure. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Grind House Blend Ground Coffee: Brewing It Right

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• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

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