Brewing A Really Good Cup Of Joe

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.

March 24 2009 | coffee | No Comments »