by Janice Spears
Thought and preparation goes into great coffee, but once you get it, it is really simple. Great tasting coffee does not happen by accident, but represents the culmination of preparation, cleanliness and meticulous brewing methods.
A really good cup comes from the main ingredient...and no, it's not the coffee. The starting point for great tasting coffee does not come from choosing the right blend of coffee or even the type of brewing equipment to be used. Good coffee comes from the quality of the water!
As coffee is more than 98% water is should come as no surprise that the quality of the water has a dramatic impact of the quality of the finished beverage. Freshly filtered water should be used when making coffee. Many domestic and commercial water filters and calcium treatment units are available and most do an excellent job in removing heavy elements, impurities and odors from water. Be sure to draw a little water from the system first, and pour it away. Use fresh clean cold water for starting off the process of brewing your favorite beverage.
The next thing to do is make sure you are buying a high quality bean. Avoid buying pre-ground coffee - it may be more convenient but it will start to oxidise the moment you open the packet and even if subsequently kept in an air-tight container much of the damage will have been done. The flavor of freshly roasted coffee can deteriorate remarkably fast and within a week or so much of the flavor will be lost.
Whole beans start to lose flavor once the beans are opened, but as long as you keep them in a cool dry place, out direct sunlight and not open to the atmosphere they will stay fresh for quite a while. For these reasons you should only grind as much coffee you need for the brew in question and not be tempted to grind more than what it going to be used immediately. Don't be tempted to store you coffee in the refrigerator as it may become tainted by the odors of other products.
The grind of the coffee is very important to the taste of the final coffee brew. Always follow the guidelines of the brewing equipment used and grind your coffee beans to their specification. Grind too large and the final beverage will be too weak, grind too fine and it may clog up the system. Keep your grinder clean. Grind a little coffee and then discard it, this should get rid of any old stale coffee within the grinder that you cannot see or reach after cleaning.
The average drip brewer will take about six minutes to brew. It is best to wait until the complete coffee jug has brewed before serving. Typically a drip filter machine will produce slightly weaker coffee at the start of its cycle as it comes up to temperature and slightly stronger towards the end. All good things come to those who wait!
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March 25 2009 | coffee | No Comments »
by Jane Johnston
You may not believe it, but great coffee needs only 4 items: the best coffee beans you can find; a grinder; a brewing device; and pure, cold water. The thing we will learn here is that it is simple, and with such improvements in coffee, you can find a lot of great places to enjoy. Most selections are drinkable. An incredible cup of coffee demands not only fresh, but high quality beans. Coffee shops that roast, or roaster-only operations have the freshest coffee. You can now find great coffee even in your local supermarket.
Coffee purchased from these retailers will consist of specialty Arabica beans that meet very high standards of both quality and growing conditions. "Specialty" is an actual grade of coffee - the highest. Beans that meet this standard have almost no noticeable defects.
A little more about coffee. Arabica coffee is grown in countries on or near the equator -- including the U.S. (Hawaii). Central, South America and the Caribbean also produce coffee in this hemisphere. African, Arabian, Asian, and Indonesian countries produce in the eastern hemisphere. The coffee for you will depend on the flavor profile that suits your taste. Coffee from a specific country is called single origin; when coffees from different countries and with different flavor profiles are mixed they are called blends.
The best way to have coffee is to grind them just before you brew. Coffee can be ground by whirling blades -- a blade grinder, or crushed by two sets of precisely milled metal teeth called burrs. A burr grinder is considered superior to the blade style because it grinds more evenly.
If you want to brew coffee in a way that brings out all of its body, richness, and flavor use a French press. Regardless of price, they all do the same thing the same way. Operation is very simple: dump in your coarsely ground coffee, add hot water (the correct brewing temperature is 195-205 Fahrenheit), stir, and wait 4 minutes (enjoy the aroma while you wait). Then press down the plunger and pour the coffee into your cup.
Filtered water is important. A cup of coffee is about 97% water. Regardless of the brewing method always use filtered water -- not direct tap or distilled. Tap water is tainted and will give you off flavors. Most homes are using filtered water, or distilled water now. If you won't drink the water plain, don't use it for coffee.
Lastly, how long will that pound last? The standard brewing method is 1 tablespoon (approximately oz) of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water. (You can adjust the ratio to your taste.) Most mugs hold 12 ounces, requiring about " oz of ground coffee. Assuming one mug per day, (30 mugs times " ounce) that's roughly one pound per month.
Tags:
coffee,
coffee brewing,
coffee drinking,
coffee making,
drink,
food,
food and drink
March 24 2009 | coffee | No Comments »