Coffee Beans Vs Ground Coffee Price, Is It Cheaper To Grind Your Own Coffee

Maybe you’ve been doing a little bit of research and found out it’s quite a lot. It may seem like you’re spending a lot of money on your coffee, but you can save a considerable amount of money by grinding your coffee beans. 

But is it worth it? In this article, we'll be talking about how you can save money on your coffee and how you can make some extra cash by grinding your coffee beans.

Coffee Beans Vs Ground Coffee Price Comparison 

The price per pound of whole bean coffee and pre-ground coffee is often the same within a single brand. Starbucks, for example, sells both whole bean and pre-ground coffee for about $7.99 for a 12-ounce bag, but La Colombe sells both basic whole bean and pre-ground coffee for approximately $13.00 for 12 ounces. 

Whether entire bean or pre-ground, most coffee brands will cost between $6 to 18 for 12 ounces. Because coffee is packed and sold by weight, a bag of whole beans is likely to yield the same amount of brewed coffee as a bag of pre-ground coffee. 

Reasons Why Pre-Ground Coffee Beans Price Can Be Cheaper

However, some companies that make significant quantities of lower-quality coffee can sell these enormous quantities of pre-ground coffee at a reduced price. Typically, this is due to a variety of factors. 

First, because pre-ground coffee is in higher demand than whole bean coffee, the price is even lower. Many businesses that sell or use coffee on a large scale may prefer the ease and reduced cost of purchasing lesser grade coffee in bulk. 

Finally, pre-ground coffee has a lower volume and occupies less space than whole bean coffee. It implies that the coffee can be packed more tightly, perhaps lowering shipping costs.

If you wish to buy premium pre-ground coffee, you could find it less tempting in terms of quality than similarly priced whole bean coffee that you grind yourself.

Premium pre-ground coffee is often made from lower-quality beans blended with higher-quality ones. 

It may be combined to ensure a longer shelf life or so that it can be ground and brewed as quickly as instant coffee. 

In addition, when you grind whole coffee beans, you’re able to choose which flavours go in your brew, whereas pre-ground bags don’t allow for this level of choice.

Is it cheaper to buy ground coffee or beans or Should I Grind My Coffee Beans?

You should, indeed, grind your coffee beans. If you want to make the perfect cup of coffee every time, you must grind your coffee beans first.

But is it cheaper to buy ground coffee or beans or grind your coffee beans? It's much better if you can grind your coffee beans right before you brew them. 

Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why grinding your coffee beans is worthwhile.

The Roasting Method

When coffee beans are roasted, they absorb a lot of carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is critical for obtaining that rich coffee flavour.

Unfortunately, most of the stored CO2 loses during the cooling process. The best way to regain this CO2 is to grind the coffee beans as soon as possible after roasting.

Imagine how much carbon dioxide remains in a packet of pre-ground coffee. You will pay a premium to bring home stale coffee and has lost even a fraction of its original flavour.

You can avoid this issue by grinding your beans in the comfort of your own home. If you want to get the most fantastic coffee every time, you should grind a new batch. 

More Accessible To Control Grind Size

While pre-ground coffee bags are convenient for consumers, they aren’t always consistent regarding grinding size. Pre-ground beans in a bag can vary by as much as 1/16th of an inch.

To ensure consistency and proper brewing, you should grind your coffee beans with a grinder. It will allow you to mimic your favourite coffee shop's brew and ensure each cup brewed tastes the same. 

By grinding whole coffee beans, you can more easily match the type of grind used by your favourite coffee shop.

It is particularly convenient if you'd like to duplicate a specific brew at home or if you're using a pour-over, French press, or other specialized brewing equipment that requires a coarser grind than most auto-drip machines produce. 

Shelf Life

Ground coffee beans have a relatively long shelf life. The disadvantage is that they lose most of their flavour when they reach the end-stage. Therefore, there was no purpose in using them at that time.

You need not worry about losing flavour when you use freshly ground coffee. The product's shelf life is also rather good, and it is within your control so that you won't end up with stale goods—another issue with pre-ground coffee beans in storage. You must keep them in sealed containers. 

Even if a small amount of moisture comes into touch with the coffee, it will evaporate the oils responsible for the flavour. 

Aroma And Flavour

The scent and flavour of packed ground coffee are unremarkable. Even if you receive a wonderful aroma when you open the packet, it will be gone in a few seconds, and you will be drinking stale coffee. 

There's a strong probability your ground coffee has been tainted. The oil in coffee beans is prone to contamination, and when contaminated, it loses the bulk of its aroma and flavour. It is not the case when the coffee beans are ground. 

When you grind coffee beans, the resultant product is fresh, and you may add a lot more flavour to your coffee. The aroma will be fantastic as well.

Pre-ground coffee is often stored in a sealed container, which may be damp. It can lead to mouldy beans developing because of moisture from the air. It is why you should grind your coffee beans and store them in a dry place.

Pre-Ground Coffee Additives

Packed coffee may contain additives. Sticks, twigs, grain, chicory, barley, and other well-known additions raise or decrease the amount of genuine coffee in the mix. While not hazardous, such coffee will have a flat or inferior flavour. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to low-quality and inexpensive pre-ground coffee, this is frequently the case.

You have complete control over any additions when you ground the coffee beans. There will be no additives in the best-case scenario, which is uncommon when purchasing already ground coffee beans.

Choices

When it comes to pre-ground coffee, you have plenty of options. You can select between fine, semi-fine, and coarse grind sizes.

The sad news is that you're stuck with it once you buy one until you finish the pack. You can always obtain different grinds to suit your mood, but it's inconvenient. When grinding your beans, you have the option of doing it your way. 

You can grind your beans fine, medium or coarse according to the brewing method you use. You may grind your beans in small quantities so that you can choose the grinding style that best suits your brewing procedure.

Freshness

Because ground coffee has a more extensive surface area than coffee beans, all of the elements that may cause your coffee to lose its freshness are greatly accelerated.

Suddenly, your coffee is exposed to more oxygen, which causes it to oxidize, as well as more moisture, which slowly worsens the integrity of your coffee.

As a result, your coffee is influenced in two ways. For starters, even when you first open the package, your coffee is far from optimum freshness, which means it will miss a lot of the original flavour that you should be experiencing. 

In addition, ground coffee is said to lose most of its scent after around 30 minutes, which is why pre-ground coffee cannot preserve the complete flavour profile of coffee beans.

Coffee Quality

When grinding your coffee beans, you ensure that the final product is finest quality. The aroma and flavour will be intact, even if the beans sit in a warehouse for a while because they’re fresh.

If you buy pre-ground coffee, then every time you open it, there's a chance that it will lose its freshness.

Coffee Bean Grinding Vs Coffee Pods

Let’s undertake a cost-benefit analysis of grinding your coffee beans versus using a coffee pod.

Let’s start by calculating the cost of your grind & find out is it cheaper to buy ground coffee or beans

• A coffee grinder (a low-cost one) – $20
• The cost of a single grind is one cent
• $10 for a low-cost coffee maker
• 1 cent per filter for coffee filters

Taking the charges mentioned above into account, the cost of preparing your coffee with your grind might range between 11 and 14 cents per cup.

Let us now discuss the coffee pod expenses. 

• $50 for a coffee machine that accepts coffee pods
• A coffee pod costs about 25 cents on average.
• Using these two figures, we may estimate the cost of producing one cup of coffee with a coffee pod to be between 22 and 26 cents.

Is it cheaper to buy ground coffee or beans or grind it? As you can see, using a coffee pod costs nearly twice as much as using your ground beans. 

It is just another reason why grinding your coffee beans is far less expensive.

Do We Need An Expensive Grinder To Grind The Coffee Beans?

The answer is no since inexpensive grinders can also perform well enough for your needs. The least expensive coffee grinder is manual, but an electric burr grinder will deliver the best performance if you can spend a little more.

A burr coffee grinder has the advantage of grinding coffee beans evenly and consistently, which results in a better cup of coffee.

A burr grinder grinds coffee beans evenly, while a blade grinder delivers uneven grinds that can be as much as 20% larger or smaller. 

What Are The Different Types Of Grinders?

There are three different types of coffee grinders:

• Blade grinder 
• Burr Automatic Grinders (electric)
• Manual Burr Grinders (manual) 

Selecting A Coffee Grinder

If you’re new to grinding your coffee beans, selecting a grinder can be a little overwhelming, as there are so many models with varying pricing and capabilities.

Manual Grinder 

A manual grinder is a fantastic place to start, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Even though it requires more effort than electric grinders, it is a solid instrument for grinding coffee beans without investing in an expensive grinder.

In addition, although it is entirely manual, a manual grinder can last a long time and give consistent grind quality.

Blade Grinders

Blade grinders are electrical, a step up from manual grinders in terms of effort, but they are also notorious for their uneven grind.

Because the grind quality supplied by blade grinders isn’t excellent, they can be had for a reasonable price. 

Given those blade grinders and manual grinders are reasonably priced, we prefer the manual grinder since it delivers a better grind while taking slightly more work.

Burr Grinders

Burr grinders are the best available on the market. They offer the best grind quality available and are automatic.

As predicted, quality comes at a cost, as burr grinders are much more expensive than manual and blade grinders. 

A burr grinder is the best alternative if you have the budget and would like not to deal with the effort required to operate a manual grinder.

Are coffee beans more expensive than ground coffee?

Ground coffee tends to be cheaper than coffee beans because it is pre-ground and comes directly from the roasting plant. On the other hand, coffee beans are more expensive because they must be ground before they are used.

Is buying coffee beans cheaper than ground?

Yes, buying coffee beans is cheaper than buying ground coffee because you will spend less on grounds. Pre-ground coffee tends to cost about 16 cents per cup; however, you can spend as little as 6 cents on a cup of coffee if you grind your own beans.

The downside of grinding your own beans is that it takes extra time and effort to grind the beans before use.
Therefore, it is essential to weigh the cost of pre-ground coffee versus the cost of freshly ground coffee before deciding which one to buy.

Is pre-ground coffee cheaper than whole bean?

On average, pre-ground coffee tends to be cheaper than whole bean. However, if you compare the cost of a pound of whole beans to the cost of a pound of ground coffee, you will find that it’s about the same price for both.

For example, if you buy half a pound of pre-ground coffee at 20 cents and a half-pound bag of whole beans at 25 cents each month, you will spend about the same amount in both cases.

Is it better to buy whole bean coffee or ground?

Since it takes extra time and effort to grind your own coffee beans, whole bean coffee is often more expensive than ground.

It’s quite common to find whole bean coffee at 35 cents per ounce – that is much more expensive than pre-ground coffee. Although whole bean coffee is more expensive, it provides a superior taste.

Is brewing your own coffee cheaper?

Brewing your own coffee is cheaper than buying pre-ground coffee because you can save money on the grounds.

A pound of ground coffee will cost about 31 cents per cup, whereas a pound of whole bean coffee will cost about 33 cents per cup. Therefore, brewing your own gets you more ground for less money.
If you’re considering brewing your own coffee, it may also be worth taking into account that whole beans tend to last longer than grounds.

Is it cheaper to buy beans or pods?

Pods are a great option for people who don’t have time to grind the coffee themselves. Besides, you do not have to worry about the quality of the coffee beans since they come with pre-ground coffee.

However, if you feel confident about grinding your own beans, then grinding them yourself will save you money. That is why it is important to weigh your options when deciding whether or not to buy pods instead of whole beans.

Which lasts longer whole bean or ground coffee?

Whole bean coffee lasts longer than ground coffee because grinding whole beans helps remove the moisture from the beans, which can diminish its shelf life.

Therefore, if you grind your own beans (If you don’t have a grinder), you can use the residual moisture in your beans to tenderize them, which will allow you to use them for an extended period of time.

What is the best way to budget coffee?

Planning for coffee is simple: If you plan to drink less coffee, you can buy less coffee.

If you buy coffee weekly, it may be a good idea to cut back on your coffee budget by at least a half pound. In this case, instead of buying a five-pound bag of ground coffee each week, you can purchase one-pound bags and make up the difference if necessary.
As mentioned above, pre-ground coffee tends to be cheaper than whole bean.

Does a coffee machine save money?

Yes, in the long run, a coffee machine will save you money. Although it will require a little more effort to maintain the machine, once you have the machine set up, you will save a lot of money each month.

Wrapping Up

Overall, grinding your coffee beans is a way to get the best cup of coffee you can have. You can adjust the grind size and make small batches of beans to ensure freshness. 

If you have the budget, though, I would recommend purchasing an automatic burr grinder over other types of grinders. It will undoubtedly save you money and time in the long run.

By grinding your beans, you can enjoy a more delicate flavour without having to invest in expensive equipment or fiddle with appliances that break over time. So, you can save some cash and enjoy a better taste with your coffee grinds!

FAQs

How Long Will It Take For My Coffee To Be Ground?

The amount of time it takes to grind your coffee depends on the type of grinder you use and the size of ground you want.

The number of coffee beans you grind may affect how long it takes to grind your coffee; nonetheless, a manual grinder will coarsely grind 10 grams of coffee in 30 to 40 seconds on average.

A coarse grind on a primary electric grinder, on the other hand, takes about 10 to 15 seconds.

How Long Does Coffee Stay Fresh After It’s Been Ground?

Because ground coffee loses the majority of its freshness within 30 minutes, it’s always preferable to grind what you need and consume it right away.

That being said, just because coffee isn't fresh doesn't mean it's spoiled. It simply means that it has lost a significant amount of its flavours.