How to use the Fellow Shimmy Sifter

So you are curious about the Shimmy? 

First of all the Shimmy is simple a filter that separates large chunks from small chunks of ground coffee, also known as boulders and fines.

None of today's grinders are able to grind coffee so that all particles are exactly the same size. Some are just better at it than others but fines there will always be. 

So why do you want same particle size of your ground coffee? Well, let's compare the brewing of a coffee with a steak in the oven. If you have two steaks of different size in a oven, they will not be cooked to the same temperature, texture or flavour. Well, the same goes for coffee. When you brew, the water will extrude different amounts and characteristics of each particle depending on the size, even if it is the same coffee.

That's where the shimmy comes in. Just pour freshly ground coffee into the filter tube called Shimmy and shake it. All fines will fall through the filter and the rest will stay in the filter. Ta da! You just made your ground coffee more consistent. That will make your brewed coffee a whole lot better, since it minimizes the risk of an uncontrollable brew. Just like the steak in the oven...