Coffee begins losing its flavor one hour after having been ground. For best results, it is recommended to grind the coffee just before preparing it. The grind of the coffee depends on the desired preparation of the coffee: a coarse grind should be used when there is more time for contact with the water, a fine grind when there is less. Canned coffees labeled "drip" or "auto-drip" are more finely ground, while those labeled "perk", "electric perk" or "regular" are more coarsely ground.

Coffee bean grinders come in two styles:
1) The blade grinder
2) The burr grinder

Although more expensive, burr grinders are preferred, since the rough metal plates flake the beans apart, avoiding any undesired heating and burning of the bean granules. Blade grinders need to be manually regulated as they have no grind settings.