Ten Tips for Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee
Brewing your morning cuppa isn’t rocket science, but there are a few things you can do to improve your brew. Here are ten tips for brewing the perfect cup of coffee:
- Buy fresh beans. The best tasting coffee starts with good beans, and good beans are the freshest. Locally roasted coffee is a good bet, since it takes very little time to get from roaster to store shelf.
- Grind them yourself. Once you grind coffee beans, they lose their flavor pretty quickly. If you don’t have a grinder at home, go ahead and grind it at the store. Just purchase enough for a couple of days, though.
- Use a French press. There are two reasons coffee made in a press tastes better. First, the natural oils in the beans are not trapped by a filter. Second, coffee in a press is steeped, rather than just passing through the grounds on the way to the pot.
- Buy the right coffee maker. If a press is not your cuppa, find a coffee maker that uses an insulated carafe to keep the coffee warm. Glass pots that are continuously reheated make for bitter coffee over time.
- Store it right. Look for sealed packages, if you buy pre-ground coffee or bags with valves if you buy whole beans. Once home, keep your beans in an air-tight, opaque container.
- Use filtered water. The chemicals used to purify city water can really mess up the flavor of your coffee. Add a filter to your faucet and taste the difference.
- Measure right. You need 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water. Amazingly, brewing with too little coffee yields a bitterer flavor.
- Consider water temperature. The best extraction of flavor happens when the water is between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C). Boiling water is too hot, and will result in burned coffee. Cold water will not extract the oils that give coffee its flavor, so you’ll end up with a weaker taste.
- Get the timing right. A good drip coffee maker should allow the grounds to be in contact with the water for about five minutes. A French press should be steeped for between two to four minutes.
- Â Warm up your mug. Coffee tastes its best when it is freshly brewed and warm. You can help preserve the heat by warming your mug before pouring your cup of coffee. Simply add hot water from the tap, let sit for 30 seconds, and then empty it.
Once you’ve done everything you can to make the perfect cup of coffee, it’s time to savor it. Inhale the aroma, slowly sip it, and enjoy!