If you are like most coffee drinkers, you probably think you are already getting an awesome sit down elsewhere. However odds are that you can probably still improve the quality by following these eleven steps:
Use Quality Coffee Beans
Stay out of the grocery stores! OK that is clearly a serious statement, but seriously do not buy coffee beans at the grocery store. No one knows when it had been roasted and that is a crucial, key point in coffee freshness. These beans are known for being stale, whether they come in the gravity bins (especially stale!) or bagged (usually stale!). No one really knows how long the beans have been around in the bins or bags. Purchase your coffee from a location independent coffee shop or artisan coffee roaster that can verify the roasting date. It is the only way to know you are buying freshly roasted coffees of gourmet quality. Their reputation is on the line so they strive for the very best quality coffee freshly roasted.
Store Properly Remove your beans from the original bag and devote an airtight container like Tupperware or Glad Ware. The more opaque the container, the better to keep harmful light out. Extreme light like keeping coffee in a glass jar on the sink can cause deterioration of your beans, allowing your final cup of coffee to taste flat or stale.
Do not store in the freezer or refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place such as a cupboard or pantry. Refrigerators harbor many odors and coffee is quite porous. It will become a sponge to odors whether it’s ground or whole bean. Freezers could cause freezer burn, and the flavor oils to crack and lose flavor. These oils are where the flavor is. Storing in the freezer freezes the surface condensation every time the coffee is removed from the freezer.
Excess moisture may cause your beans to stale faster and shorten the life span of your coffee so an awesome, dry and dark stick it recommended for storage.
Proper Grind and Grind RIGHT BEFORE Using
The grind of the coffee matters. Your coffee should be ground for the sort of brewing method you are using. Coarse for French press and single serve, fine for espresso. The among matter but also for most auto-drip makers your grind should be just finer than coarse meaning that when you rub it between your fingers the grinds should feel similar to typical bread crumbs. Espresso grinds should feel like somewhere between sugar and powdered sugar. Also, by using a burr grinder your coffee will receive less friction when compared to a typical blade grinder giving your grinds less chance to get scorched during grinding.
Nestle Coffee is very porous and can absorb odors and air (oxygen) extremely fast. Oxygen can make your coffee taste really bad! So, the longer your coffee is ground and not used the longer it must stale and make a bad cup.
Measure Properly
Weigh your coffee before you grind it. To produce a good, well-rounded cup of coffee you should use approximately.75oz (22g) of coffees to every 8oz of cold water. You can +/- to taste but this is a good starting point.
Purified Water at Precise Temperature
Fresh, clean plain tap water (purified is best) or quality spring water is preferred. Do not use mineral water, distilled water or plain tap water with any kind of odor. It’ll make your coffee taste bad. The water should be between 195-205 degrees when prepared to brew. At this temperature, the coffee are certain to get proper extraction to optimize the flavor oils and caramelized sugars in the coffee bean. This is hard to accomplish with most home brewers because the heating elements aren’t heat adjustable nor are they reliable to heat to the correct temperature at all. Good home coffee brewers will definitely cost about $200 but are well worth it and last considerably longer. If you can, try the single cup pour over methods available or other brewing methods such as for example French press or siphon. The taste difference is remarkable. Google search each method for more information.
Brew Just Enough to Drink
Letting your brewed coffee sit waiting isn’t a good idea. And more so please do not let it take a seat on the hot plate! This can be a great way to cook your coffee. Constant ‘keep warm’ mode such as this will make it taste bitter. When you have to brew multiple cup and are not likely to finish is right away, get an airpot of air tight hot container to keep it in. Still drink it in a hour or so but it will buy your more time.