Brewing Coffee: A Beginner’s Guide
Coffee is one the world’s most popular drinks today, if not the most popular. That fact also proves why coffee is one of the world’s most widely-traded commodities today, second only to petroleum.
The demand for coffee transcends all age groups around the world and is steadily growing. Today’s biggest coffee shop chains seem to have a tendency to monopolize the current market except for some old shops that are still around since the time when coffee-drinking became fashionable.
One thing that these commercial coffee shops all have in common is their expertise in making coffee. From the good old regular brews to the tricky new concoctions using sophisticated machinery, today’s coffee shops seem to have cornered the art of making good coffee.
Is there hope for a regular guy to make coffee that is just as good as those sold by famous coffee shops?
Good coffee.
There is. And it starts with, you guessed it, coffee. And since we are all amateurs, we will leave the highly technical part of roasting the coffee beans to the pros.
The first order then, is to look for and buy good roasted coffee beans. Freshly roasted coffee is best if used right away. But it can still stay fresh for about a week even if the aroma and flavor degrade daily.
Buy your roasted coffee beans in today’s airtight bags with valves. These valves allow the escape of gases from the inside (prevents tearing or explosion from air build-up) and do not allow outside air (which makes the coffee go stale) to get in.
Transfer the beans to an airtight jar or container and grind just enough beans for your brew. If you grind more than enough, the unused ground coffee will lose some of its flavor fast.
Buying a giant can of ground coffee that lasts for six months may save you a few dollars but it will cost you greatly in flavor from opening the container too many times.
As in all things that need to be fresh, the old enemies of ground coffee are oxygen, heat and time. Close and seal your container as well as possible, and keep it away from heat.
Be sure to have the correct coarseness to match your coffee-maker. Here’s a quick guide: a coarse grind is good for French Presses and percolators, the medium grind (the all-purpose grind) suits most drip-type brewers, and the fine grind is perfect for espresso.
Water
Aside from the quality of your ground coffee, the final flavor is also dependent on the quality of water you use. Bottled or filtered water is best for brewing if your tap water is chlorinated.
The time-tested mix for a good brew is using two level tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. You can do your own adjustments if you want something perked up or toned down in your brew.
In freshly cleaned equipment, brew your coffee within the recommended length of time. Drip brewers have automatic stops. With a French Press, wait around 3 to 5 minutes for the coffee to soak in.
One tiny note on a French Press: Bring the water to a boil first, and then leave it to rest for a minute or so before pouring in over the coffee grounds. The best temperature for making coffee this way is just a little below the boiling point.
Finally, we recommend you consume your coffee within 30 minutes or so. Coffee left on a hotplate will continue to brew and will taste bitter after another 30 minutes. If transferred to a thermos, your coffee will retain its flavor longer.
Your coffee’s flavor is the complex combination of aroma, acidity and body. The aroma is usually dependent on the kind of coffee you have. Body is brought up by longer roasting. All these should blend with acidity, that tiny hint of sour on the palate.
Most often, coffee shops are able to produce this in their coffees. With some practice, some hits and misses, you too can produce it in your own home brew. And it’s guaranteed you will love that experience.
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Related Terms: brewing coffee, coffee beans, coffee grounds, coffee shops, ground coffee