Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee – a beginner’s guide
Buy a simple French press, press pot, or Bodum. Despite the various trade names, these are built pretty much the same way. A glass cylinder, a plunger and a fine mesh stainless steel filter. These brewers are inexpensive and are readily available everywhere.
The most important rule of all is to start with FRESH roasted coffee. Coffee is a perishable food product. Buy freshly roasted coffee in small quantities. Ideally, you should buy just enough for the week.
Buy filtered, chlorine-free, bottled water or filtered water that ideally has some mineral hardness in it. A cup of coffee is 99% water. Bad tasting water is not going to make a good cup of coffee.
Buy an accurate digital “stick” type thermometer. Correct water temperature is very important. Boiling water temperatures will ruin coffee. Aim for about 200 degrees F.
Proper grind. You want a fairly coarse grind. Too fine and the fine metal screen will get plugged up and you won’t be able to plunge the coffee. Too coarse and the coffee will be thin and flavourless. Make sure you buy a burr coffee grinder with adjustable grind settings.. Do not buy the rotary blade coffee/spice mills as they do not produce an even grind.
Use enough coffee. Use at least 2 tablespoons per 6 or 8 ounce cup.
Proper brewing time. It depends on the fineness of the grind and the temperature of the water. Try for a two minute steeping time. Feel free to experiment.
Brewed coffee is good for 15 minutes only! Coffee is always best consumed immediately. Do not drink stale, oxidized coffee. Make a fresh batch.
(Information courtesy of www.coffeecrew.com – one of the world’s best online sources for information on all things related to coffee – espresso, coffee brewers, espresso machines, coffee equipment reviews, etc.)
