A freshly ground coffee bean will give you the best tasting coffee when compared to pre-ground coffee. But what do you do if you don’t have a grinder (you can get a good grinder under $50) at home? We immediately think about all of our options, and focus might shift to the largest coffee chain in the world. Will Starbucks grind my coffee?
Well, let’s answer the question along with some other unwritten rules to make your experience quicker and more efficient.
Starbucks Will Grind Coffee For You But Take These Points Into Consideration Before Going In
The Coffee Brand
Starbucks will grind coffee beans if you bring it to them. However, it does need to be a Starbucks branded coffee bean. The reason is that the same beans in the bag will be the same beans as the coffee being brewed in the stores.
If beans from another brand were ground in their coffee grinders you risk contamination from the bean oils which will ultimately impact the coffee’s flavor in the store. Starbucks certainly doesn’t want that to happen.
The Coffee Bag Needs To Be Sealed And Not Expired
The bag of coffee you bring in for Starbucks to grind will need to be a sealed and unopened bag. This is very important. The barista can tell (in most cases) the coffees expiration date by looking at the bag. If the bag is expired they likely will not grind the beans for you. It is a health risk for the barista to grind expired coffee beans.
It is also a health risk if the barista were to grind an already opened bag of beans. Basically, they have no way of knowing if there are contaminants or small foreign objects in the bag. If there were, it can lead to anything from damage to their machinery to a health hazard causing customers to get sick. So it’s not worth the liability risk.
Consider The Time Of Day
If you bring your own coffee beans into Starbucks for them to grind you should consider the time of day you go in. To save yourself a lot of time, and the baristas a lot of stress, you should try and go into the stores during off beak hours.
Know The Grind You Want Before Going In
This also has to do with being considerate of everyone’s time before going into the store. It will also help you brew a better coffee at home. But there are many ways to brew coffee from your standard drip coffee maker to using a french press or espresso machine. Each of these methods of brewing requires a different grind setting.
Starbucks says they use a Universal Grind for coffee brewed in stores. If you want a specific grind (and you should) you’ll want to specify this with them.
Other Starbucks Grind Options
Starbucks offers various grind options to accommodate different brewing methods and preferences. Here are the common grind options available at Starbucks:
- Whole Bean: This option provides whole coffee beans without any grinding. It is suitable for those who prefer to grind their beans fresh at home or for use with specialty brewing methods.
- Extra Coarse: This grind is specifically designed for cold brew coffee, where a coarse grind helps extract flavors slowly during the extended steeping process.
- Coarse: Coarse grind is suitable for brewing methods like French press and percolator. It has a chunky texture, allowing for longer extraction times and producing a robust and full-bodied cup of coffee.
- Medium-Coarse: This grind option is versatile and works well for a range of brewing methods, including pour-over, Chemex, and some drip coffee makers.
- Medium: Medium grind is the standard option for automatic drip coffee makers. It has a balanced texture that ensures proper extraction and flavor without being too fine or too coarse.
- Medium-Fine: This grind is typically used for cone-shaped pour-over brewers, such as Hario V60 or Kalita Wave. It has a finer texture compared to medium grind, facilitating a controlled extraction process.
- Fine: Fine grind is well-suited for espresso machines and Moka pots. It allows for a quicker extraction and helps achieve the concentrated and bold flavors desired in espresso-based beverages.
- Extra Fine: This grind option is exceptionally fine and is typically used for Turkish coffee, where the coffee is brewed directly in water without filtration.
It’s important to note that grind options may vary by location, and Starbucks offers pre-packaged coffee in various grinds for convenience. Additionally, Starbucks provides the option for customers to grind whole beans to their preferred specifications in-store or when purchasing online.
Yes, Starbucks will grind whole coffee beans that are Starbucks branded and the bag is unopened. The bag still needs to be sealed because an opened bag can be a safety risk, and other coffee brands can contaminate their machines impacting the Starbucks coffee flavor.
This can vary by location, but the peak hours during the week are generally from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. There are other small spikes where busy hours are at 3:00 pm and around 7:00 pm after office hours come to an end. Weekends have the same peak hours as weekdays, but are more busy without as much fluctuations during the day.
Final Thoughts: Will Starbucks Grind Coffee For You
So will Starbucks grind coffee for you? Yes, they will grind coffee beans you bring into them. But we also know that there’s other requirements and considerations to take into account before bringing the beans into them.
If you follow the rules and the tips and tricks pointed out in this article they’ll grind your coffee beans and it’ll be a pleasant experience for everyone. The baristas at Starbucks will be more than happy to grind the beans that you bring into the store.