Coffee Basics

Line up ten coffee geeks and you will get 11 (at least) answers to any question about making a great cup of coffee. I would like to offer my not so humble opinion and share my experience with you. I realize not everyone wants to roast their own coffee and not everyone wants to spend the money on home espresso machines and good grinders. Most readers just want a good cup of coffee without a lot of trouble. Well, here's my advice.

1. Water

Water makes up at least 97% of the cup of coffee so it has to be good. Most should buy water for coffee, since tap water usually has stuff in it that affects the taste. Try it both ways to see if you need to buy water.

2. Coffee

Find a good roaster, either online or in your area. Roasted beans have a shelf life of about two weeks, so don't buy any more than you will drink in two weeks. Do not store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer. You will pick up smells in the fridge and freezing causes changes in the roasted bean that hurt the flavor. Store the roasted beans in air-tight containers or bags. I use zip-lock bags. Oxygen and moisture are enemies of roasted beans so keep them away from your beans.

3. Grinding

Grind your beans just before brewing, since the shelf life of ground coffee is about four and one-half minutes. I don't know what its shelf life is. I just know it goes stale very quickly after you grind it. Ground coffee has lots more surface area that exposes it to its two enemies, oxygen and moisture. The whirly-bird grinders are cheap and effective for most home brewing methods.

4. Brewing

Here's where you have many choices and all I can do is tell you what I prefer. My day-to-day choice is the Melitta "pour-through" system, with a gold filter. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and makes good coffee. I use a 1/8th cup scoop for each 2 cups of coffee, but you will need to come up with your own taste preference on how much coffee to use.

The gold filter is better than paper filters for two reasons; you don't filter out the good oils that make coffee taste good, and you don't run out of filters. All you need is a tea kettle. Heat your water to 195 to 205 F. Bring it to a boil and then let it cool for about 10 seconds. You can determine the cooling period by using a candy thermometer at the tea kettle spout.

On week-ends I use a press pot. I much prefer the press pot (aka French press) because the taste and body are much better than the drip method. I use the Melitta because I'm in a hurry and I need to make more coffee than my press pot makes. I'm too lazy to wash it and make a second batch. I need to get a larger press pot so I can use it every day. You might want to use a slightly courser grind in the press pot to cut down the amount of "sludge." I don't but most do.

For more info on the press pot, see: Issue No. 12 of BCE There is one change to the article. Use a chopstick to stir the coffee as you pour. (The same chopstick works great to empty the scoop of a Rocky grinder.)

There is much, much more to learn about making a great cup of coffee, but the above should get you started. Try new methods and experiment! And please do not let someone else tell you how you should enjoy coffee.

Robert