Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Brewing the perfect cup of coffee can be done by anyone. Knowing how to do brew coffee properly will allow you to enjoy your cup and allow for the natural tastes and flavors to come out.

Preparation

A clean machine

You will want to make sure that your coffee maker and pot are clean.

Brewing

Cold, fresh water

Using cold and fresh water from the start will insure that your coffee tastes good. Coffee is made up of mostly water, therefore this is a key step. Use a clean glass to pour the water into the reservoir. Do not taint the water by using the carafe to pour the water.

Premium coffee beans

Using premium coffee beans will give you the freshest and more flavorful tasting pot of coffee as well. Your beans should be stored in an air tight container. They should only touch air when they are being grinded and then promptly placed into your coffee machine.

Coffee Amount

Use around two rounded tablespoons of coffee per cup of water.

After

Remove the filter immediately

Allowing the filter to sit in your coffee machine means that coffee will continue to drip in to your freshly brewed coffee. Although the coffee is fresh in your carafe, the coffee dripping from the filter will be bitter. Thus, you could ruin a fresh pot of coffee.

Serve it right away

Coffee looses its flavor as soon as it hits the air. Serve your coffee fresh and you will be able to get the most out of it!

By Matthew Payne

5 Tips On How To Make A Better Cup Of Coffee

Tip 1: Start Your Brewing With A Fresh Filted-Cold-Water

Coffee is 98% water so it only make sense to use filtered water. If you use tap water, keep a gallon jug of it in the refrigerator. If there are any sediments or impurities, they will settle to the bottom of the colder water. The best temperature to brew coffee is between 195 and 205 degrees F. If you use an electric coffee pot, it should heat the water to the proper temperature. So, the better the water, the better the coffee.

Tip 2: Your Coffee Grinds

Avoid using pre-ground coffee if possible. The flavor oils evaporate quickly after the coffee is ground leaving the taste stale or weak. Think about how long that pre-ground coffee can or bag was sitting on the grocers shelf. Try using whole bean coffee and grind it using either a burr or blade grinder. A medium grind is usually the best grind. If you are using a blade grinder for brewed coffee, you should grind the beans for about 15 to 20 seconds. A burr grinder should have settings for each brew method.

Tip 3: Measuring Your Coffee

Let's do away with a popular myth that using more or less coffee will make your brew stronger or weaker. The intensity of your coffee starts with the beans itself, how they were grown, harvested and roasted. If you want a strong cup of coffee pick a bean that is strong and if you want a light cup, pick a bean that is light. As far measuring is concerned, typically you would use 2 level tablespoons of ground beans or 2 heaping tablespoon of whole beans for every 6 ounces of water.

Tip 4: Brewing Your Coffee

For electric drip coffee makers be sure to use the gold-tone coffee filters in place of the white paper filters. The paper filters leave an after taste and can absorb the coffee's oils. If you use the white paper filter, rinse it first in hot water to help remove the taste of the paper. Coffer taste the freshest and best if drank within the first 20 minutes of brewing.

Tip 5: Storing Your Coffee

A cool, dry place is the best way to store your coffee. Store your coffee in a sealed container or a jar with metal clamps. Many people think a refrigerator or freezer is a good place to store coffee, but they are too moist inside and can taint your coffee beans with the odors of food.

By Joseph Camerlin

Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

If you love coffee, then you need to know what keeps the flavors at their peek.

For the freshest coffee, you should use your coffee beans within 45 days of roasting, and in half that time if they are already ground. It is for this reason, that you should not buy your coffee beans in bulk!

Coffee should be brewed in 4-5 minutes using 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of filtered water. Tap water alters the taste of the coffee, so use spring or filtered water.

Make sure the wet the paper filter first (if using a drip coffee machine) as this takes away that paper taste from the filter. Freshly grind your coffee beans using a medium setting, and do not leave the coffee sitting on the warming tray, make enough to consume right away, for the perfect cup of coffee.

If you are using one of those French Presses to make your coffee, then freshly grind your coffee beans using a course setting, remove the plunger, place your ground coffee at the bottom and add your boiled water. Do not pour absolute boiling water over the coffee, the temperature should be about 205 degrees, just under the boiled point. After 4-5 minutes press down the plunger to separate the grounds from the coffee. Making the perfect cup of coffee can take a few minutes, its not something you do while stuffing a donut in your mouth and putting on your coat at the same time! You should not be rushed.

Grab a chair, your newspaper, take a relaxing deep breath, and sip your coffee and enjoy!

By Diane Palmer