Quick Question

[Forrest Gump]

If one were to have a bag of coffee beans but no grinder, what would work in a grinder's place?

 

[Davec]

Under such difficult circumstances you have a couple of choices

• 1. Eat the beans
  2 In Ethiopia, they simply pound the beans (in a stone bowl) with a stick or rock on a stick, then add water to the pounded/ground beans to make coffee.

 

[caffe biscotto]

Did Davec just come through like a bolt of lightening to say something clever and witty when I wasn't looking?

That Davec, always playing crafty tricks on the newbies...........

 

[davidsbiscotti]

If you have coffee beans and are not considering purchasing a grinder, you could always melt some chocolate, mix in the coffee beans then pull them out one or two at a time, place them on parchment paper to cool. Then, while the chocolate is still pliable, form them into little balls then place back onto clean parchment paper, stick in the fridge and let cool for an hour or so.
Chocolate covered coffee beans are delicious!

Or, for a less expensive and more of a hands on approach, here's a review I wrote up on my manual coffee grinder:

http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/my-vintag ... ee-grinder

Good luck and Welcome to CoffeeForums!

 

[Davec]

Chocolate covered coffee beans are delicious!

Trouble is they look like goat droppings, so you have to be really careful :-D

 

[MakoShark]

Beans - no grinder

Theoretically, if you were to break the beans with a mallet into smaller pieces you could extract a brew, given enough grinds or time. You may not like the result very much. But it could be done.

I've toured a very large roaster/extractor in Maine that produces an ambient coffee extract by grinding to a very coarse mill and extracting under intense pressure. This is not your run-of-the-mill brewer, mind you.

But with this theory in mind, it might be interested in doing a controlled time extraction in a pressure cooker. Can it be as bad as percolated coffee? Why yes, it can!

Mako

 

[Davec]

But with this theory in mind, it might be interested in doing a controlled time extraction in a pressure cooker. Can it be as bad as percolated coffee? Why yes, it can!

Wouldn't it be great if you could pressure cook coarsely ground coffee and extract so much of the "good" stuff, that the grinds come out white....

 

[MakoShark]

Pressure cooker coffee

It is interesting what happens when they extract under intense pressure. You've hit on it Davec. The extraction is complete. The grinds that emerge don't have any aroma what so ever. But they do have color. And great for organic gardening.

Mako

 

[IndianaTim]

I've used a hand crank burr grinder that is often sold as a spice grinder in fancy kitchen stores. All solid brass, and it travels well. I've taken it camping and on trips where I know good coffee will be scarce. I suppose you could use a pepper grinder, if the beans are small enough to feed into the burrs.

Tim

 

[jlyon10]

grinder

Bite the bullet and buy a grinder.

 

[Randy G.]

It depends on how you intend to brew them! For espresso, I would forget about it. For drip or press pot a blender might work. From 1861 to 1865 the Union Amy of the US were often issued whole bean coffee (preferred by the soldiers because they could be assured that it wasn't adulterated with roasted chicory or other cheaper additives. When on the march, on a break, they would often just grind the beans on a rock with a rifle butt. They would boil the ground in a pan and then sip carefully. The Rebs referred to them as "Coffee Boilers" out of jealousy to some extent because they South was not getting coffee by the end of the war because of the naval blockade.

If they had the coffee and time, they would pre-grind it and add the sugar to the ground coffee. Then just put a teaspoon of the mixture into hot water and they had a fast cup of coffee.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello,

Some people who run "friendly" coffee shops will grind your beans for you, even if you didn't buy them there. They often provide the service hoping that you will evenutally buy some fresh coffee beans from them. It may be worth a try if you live near a coffee shop or cafe.

Another idea would be to find a friend who has a grinder and ask him or her to grind the beans for you.

However, the best bet for now would probably be to buy an inexpensive grinder (under $20) in a department store and grind the beans by yourself.

Rose