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How to Brew Great Tasting Coffee
Making the perfect pot of coffee is part art and part science. Making the best tasting drip coffee involves starting with freshly ground coffee then
using the correct water temperature to extract the coffee oils from the
beans using clean water. Finally, you want to store the coffee in
an airtight container after it is made.
Key Items for Great Tasting Coffee include:
- Coffee:
- Use FRESH Beans!
- Limit exposure to oxygen, light, heat and
mositure.
- Buy only as much coffee as you’ll need in a week
- Grind just
before brewing
- Store beans in an airtight container kept in a
cool, dark, dry place
.
- Equipment: Clean and Calibrated
- Grind:
- FRESH! Grind beans just before brewing
- Use a fine grind for short brewing processes (drip)
- Use a coarse grind for long processes such as percolated (not recommended)
- Water:
- Use fresh, impurity-free water (filtered) water
- Heat water temperature to just off a boil (195°-205° F)
- If the water is too hot, then bitter oils are extracted from the bean.
- If the water is too cold, then not enough of the good oils are extracted from the beans.
- Filter: Use a quality paper filter that won't clog
- Storage:
- Brewed coffee should be used right away or transfered to an airtight thermal carafe
- "Cooking" the brewed coffee on a hot plate
to keep it warm in an open glass container should be avoided..
This rules out most low cost coffee makers.
- FRESH!
- Did I mention using FRESH beans ground just before use?
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Tips from Peet's Coffee
- Peet's preferred brewing method is the Press
Pot. This method gives you the most control and allows 100% of the
coffee's flavor to come through. A fine layer of caramel colored froth
is the hallmark of a successful brew. Two favorites for press pot
brewing are the Bodum Press Pot and our handy Travel Press.
- When it comes to sealing in freshness, we strongly recommend buying whole beans and grinding just before brewing.
This way more flavor goes into your cup rather than dissipating into
the air. We recommend burr grinders for their consistent grind,
superior flavor extraction and range of grind settings.
- Freshness is paramount. Coffee will stay fresh longer with proper storage. Consider the airtight security of ceramic canisters. Place in a cool, dry, dark place to protect it against the staling effects of heat, light and moisture.
Tips from Starbucks
- Proportion: Use two tablespoons of ground
coffee (10 grams) for each six fluid ounces (180 milliliters) of water.
If coffee brewed this way is too strong for your taste, you can add a
little hot water to your cup of brewed coffee.
- Grind: coffee ground for an
espresso machine should be very fine, in part because the brew cycle is
only 19 to 22 seconds long. But for a coffee press, the coffee should
be coarse ground, because the water and coffee are in direct contact
for about four minutes.
- Water: Use fresh, cold water heated to
just off the boil. It should taste clean andbe free of
impurities. Water heated to just off a boil (195° to 205° F or
90° to 96° C) is perfect for extracting the coffee's full range
of flavors. Any cooler and the water can't adequately do the job.
Automatic coffee makers heat the water for you. Make sure the one you
use gets the water hot enough.
Tips from Tully's Coffee:
- Coffee: FRESH! Limit exposure to oxygen, light, heat and
mositure. Buy only as much coffee as you’ll need in a week, grind just
before brewing, and store beans in an airtight container kept in a
cool, dark, dry place.
- Grind: The shorter the brewing process the finer the grind.
- Water: Use fresh, impurity-free water (filtered) heated to just off a boil (195°-205° F)
- Filter: Use a quality paper filter that won't clog
- Equipment: Clean and Calibrated
- more at brewing
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updated 11/10/07
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