Do you know if your coffee grinder is doing its job properly? Can you ascertain the quality of your coffee grinds, whether by touch, sifting the grounds through your fingers, or simply by sight? Are the ground particles uniform in size, allowing for the best extraction? In short, is your grinder helping you make the best cup of coffee you can brew?
If your answer falls anywhere on a scale of “No idea” to “What the heck are you talking about?” then the KRUVE Sifter Twelve is the tool for you.
The Pitch
The KRUVE Sifter is a compact device for determining the optimal size of ground coffee for every brewing method. Anyone who takes their coffee seriously can benefit from sifting coffee grinds with the KRUVE Sifter.
The KRUVE Sifter’s components are a two-tiered set of triangularly-shaped compartments. A set of 12 sieves comes in micron densities from 200 µm (the neighborhood for espresso) to 1,000 µm (french press territory). The photo-etched metal sieves snap snugly into place in two of the compartments, which are housed between a bottom tray and a lid on top. The KRUVE Sifter kit also comes with a bamboo sieve holder to keep everything organized.
Once assembled, the KRUVE Sifter sifts coffee grinds into particles of uniform size. Simply grind 50 grams of whole roasted coffee beans, dump the grinds into the top compartment of the KRUVE Sifter, then gently shake the KRUVE Sifter for about a minute. Boulders—the oversize and chaffy bits—will remain in the top compartment, and the dusty particles (aka super fines) will separate into the bottom tray.
The middle compartment is where the coffee grinds of uniform size can be found. Ideally, the yield in this sweet spot should be about 80 percent. When this distribution is achieved through sifting, you know your grinder is calibrated correctly and you can proceed to pour-over, drip, espresso, or any brewing method in between—Chemex, AeroPress, Ratio—in full confidence that your grind size is dialed in for optimal extraction.
The Verdict
The KRUVE Sifter, which is available in silver (as shown) and a matte black finish, is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to explore the variables that factor into creating the perfect cup of coffee. Sifting is an extra step worth taking to optimize grinder performance, as well as; much like a scale, objectively measuring particle size profiles for the desired extraction.
The KRUVE Sifter has applications for coffee professionals, too. It has obvious appeal for baristas of all levels, from those who are just beginning to learn the craft, to those who are throwing down in latte art competitions. In fact, several international barista champions have used the KRUVE Sifter along their path to victory.
For those who want to fine-tune their process that much more, KRUVE also sells an expansion pack with 15 sieves, from 200–1,600 µm). As a tool designed specifically for coffee the KRUVE Sifter helps establish a visual and tactile baseline for proper grind size, and aids in the understanding of extraction, while showing the importance of grinder calibration.
