I was dead set against pre-wetting beans before grinding until a guy in Portland showed me his setup

I always thought adding moisture to beans before grinding was some kind of marketing gimmick to sell expensive spray bottles. Then my buddy let me try a pulled shot from his Niche Zero with beans that sat for 5 minutes after a quick mist, and the clarity was insane. Has anyone else noticed a real difference with pre-wetting or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_bell5d ago

...so you're spraying the beans then waiting a full 5 minutes before grinding, that's the part most people skip. I've tried it both ways and if you don't let the moisture soak in for at least a few minutes you're basically just making a mess of your grinder. The trick is an even mist with distilled water, tap water leaves mineral spots on the burrs.

the_finley1d ago

Waiting five minutes after spraying just lets the water evaporate before it even gets into the bean, so you're really just delaying the grind for no reason. A quick 30 second rest is plenty, the moisture from the spray is already on the surface and does its job during the grind itself. Tap water minerals are a non issue unless you're using a $500 grinder and inspecting the burrs with a microscope.