Maybe It's Not the Grinder

Hey,

We spend a lot of money chasing the grinder that's going to fix everything. So I stopped assuming and ran a taste test.

I took the same coffee, a decaf so nothing would rush me, and ground one batch on my Kin Grinder and one batch on the Baratza Virtuoso I was using at the time. Same water, same 1 to 15 ratio, same V60, same 200 degree water, six pulses each. The only thing I changed was the grinder. Then I tasted them side by side.

And honestly? They tasted mostly the same.

There was a slight edge. The Kin Grinder cup was a touch cleaner, a little more clarity, because the Baratza threw a few more fines and boulders into the cup. But if you handed me those two coffees blind, I'd probably call them the same. Not muddy, not broken, just good coffee either way.

Here's what actually surprised me. The real star of the test wasn't a grinder at all. It was the water. Both cups were made with Third Wave Water, and that's what put them on an even playing field. It amped the coffee up and let me taste what was actually there. If I was chasing clarity, the cheapest, biggest jump wasn't a new grinder. It was a few dollar packet of minerals.

So does the grinder matter? Sure, a little, especially if you're chasing clarity like I am. A better grinder gives you a cleaner shot at tasting the coffee. But if most of your other variables are dialed in, it matters less than the internet makes you feel. And if you drink your coffee with milk and sugar, a lot of this probably doesn't move the needle at all.

If the grinder you already own is making coffee you enjoy, you are not missing out. Keep it. Put the upgrade money toward better water first and see what happens.

The real question underneath all of it is the one I keep asking myself. What are you actually chasing? Watch the full grinder taste test here. Then hit reply and tell me. Clarity? Body? Just an easy morning cup? I read every answer, and it shapes how I think about all this gear.

Oaks, the Coffee Guy