The beans are naturally the most important part of the process. You can buy roasted gourmet beans at the grocery store, or you can buy unroasted beans and roast them yourself according to your own preferences. If you buy them unroasted, you will usually need a specialty roaster. You can add flavoring beforehand, and then slowly roast them. 70% of the delicious coffee flavor comes from the roasting techniques that you use, so you should always follow the instructions very closely. Either way, you'll end up with a roasted bean.
At this point, you need to grind them up. It is always best to grind them directly before brewing them, since grinding them releases the flavor. Ground the coffee into small chunks, but not into a fine powder, as this will cause the coffee maker to clog. Hand-crank grinders usually produce the perfect consistency. Many modern coffee makers have grinders built in that chop exactly to the ideal consistency needed by the coffee maker.
Put the coffee grounds in a filter. The amount you use will depend on how strong you like your coffee. Usually about half a cup of coffee grounds is enough for 10 cups (1 pot). Fill your coffee pot with cold water, to the line that should be indicated on the side. Cold water is usually preferable. Also, if your regular tap water tastes strange or has impurities, then you should consider using filtered water instead. Now turn on your coffee maker, and the rest of the work will be done for you!
Give it a few minutes, and your pot should be full of hot, fresh coffee. Usually it's best to let it fill up all the way before touching it. Different tastes and chemicals are released at different points in the brewing process. Therefore, it is best to give them all a chance to mix together. Now you should have the ideal straight coffee! Mix it with whatever ingredients you usually add to your coffee. Sweetener and creamer are acceptable, but they tend to drown out the natural taste of the coffee, and instead create an artificial sweet drink.
Not all the soluble compounds are desirable particularly tannin so it is important to brew the coffee is just the right manner to produce the perfect cup.
Although it is possible to extract as much as a third of the mass of coffee from the grounds the optimum amount is about 20%
There are six important factors to consider when making fresh coffee.
1/ The coffee grind - By this we mean the particle size of the coffee grounds. This varies typically from largest to smallest thus: coarse, medium, fine and espresso (or very fine)
Over-extraction can occur if the grind size is too small for the method and equipment used resulting in a coffee being bitter and too strong. If the size is too large then under-extraction will occur resulting in a weak wishy-washy coffee.
Typically one would use a coarse grind for a coffee pot, medium grind for a cafetiere (French Press), medium to fine for a typical filter drip machine and espresso grind for an espresso machine.
2/ Freshness and quantity of coffee - Coffee beans should be stored in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and ideally kept in an airtight container. The coffee should be ground to order as ground coffee will lose some of its subtle flavours and aromas if is left exposed to the atmosphere for very long.
It is very important to use the suggested amount of coffee to match the brewing equipment. Increasing the brewing time, but using less coffee will not work very well but produce an over-extracted beverage. Using more coffee than recommended but a quicker infusion time will result in an under-extracted coffee.
3/ Temperature and water quality of the water - Always use fresh cold water to start off the brewing process. Ideally the water should be filtered to remove unwanted taints and odours and be very slightly hard.
Ideally water that is between 94 and 98 degrees Celcius should be used - not boiling water. If the water is too hot the coffee grounds can be scolded imparing the flavour.
4/ The infusion time - The length of time that the hot water is in direct contact with the coffee grounds is crucial in producing the perfect cup. In reality this is determined by the equipment being used to brew it, so always follow the manufacturers guidelines.
As a rough guide however consider the following.
10-30 seconds for espresso grind 3-6 minutes for fine grind 6-8 minutes for medium grind 8-10 minutes for coarse grind
5/ Brewing method employed - Basically there are three different methods employed to make coffee. These are steep & strain, filter infusion and pressure infusion.
Steep and strain simply involves putting hot water in contact with coffee grounds in a pot or container until under extraction has occurred. The resulting brew is strained to isolate the coffee liquor.
Filter infusion is common in many applications and uses a filter basket filled with coffee grounds that has hot water added from above. The infusion time is relatively short as the water infuses briefly with the coffee until the liquor passes thought the basket into a flask or container below.
Pressure infusion - Hot water is forced under high pressure though a small tablet of compacted grounds to produce an individual serving of coffee. This is the standard method of producing espresso.
Again it is imperative to use the right method with the correct type and grind of coffee.
6/ Cleanliness - Coffee contains oils that will leave a tarry residue on equipment that can contaminate and spoil the taste of subsequent brews. Daily washing and cleaning of equipment is an absolutely vital part in producing the perfect cup.
Have fun - producing a great tasting cup of your favourite coffee should be an easy and enjoyable task.
Both Adrian Adams & Fenton Wayne are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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