A barista in Portland said my $12 grinder was why my pour over tasted like cardboard, and she was right

Finley Lopez · 2026-10-03T09:45:04.136534+00:00

I was at this little spot on Alberta St about 3 weeks ago and watched the barista dump my pour over before she even handed it to me, which felt rude until she explained why. I asked what she meant and she said the grounds looked like gravel, not sand, and that no pouring trick fixes a bad grind. So I went home, dug my old blade grinder out of the drawer, and ran 3 test cups side by side, one with the blade grinder, one with a hand burr grinder a buddy lent me, and one with pre ground from the store. The two burr-ish cups tasted sweet and clear, and the blade one tasted flat and dusty no matter what I did with the pour. Now I'm wondering how many people blame their kettle or their beans when it's really the grinder, what did you switch first?

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A barista in Portland said my $12 grinder was why my pour over tasted like cardboard, and she was right | Coffee Brew Methods - Opinions Matter