|
Use Fresh Coffee: The world’s best coffees have distinct flavor profiles that change not only from country to country, but from regions within each country and even one hillside to the next. In order to really experience the nuances of each coffee, make sure that your coffee has been freshly roasted. Mocha Joe’s prides itself on roasting to order, and we strongly encourage all of our customers to only buy as much coffee as they can use within two weeks. After 14 days the flavor profile of roasted coffee begins to drop dramatically. Using coffee roasted within one week of use is best.
The Grinder: One of the most important yet overlooked factors in making a superior cup of coffee is having the right grind, and using the right grinder. Using a conical “burr” grinder is the only way to ensure grind consistency. Blade grinders do not make a consistent grind size and will therefore change your results from one brew to the next. Additionally, blade grinders create far more friction than burr grinders, which will actually heat up the beans/grounds and begin the roasting process, cooking the beans longer than they were meant to be cooked by the roaster.
The Grind: Each different method of making coffee requires a different grind. A melita will use a particularly fine grind (though not as fine as espresso) whereas an autodrip will use a slightly coarser grind. For French press coffee and electric percolators, you will want to use a coarser grind. Visit your local coffee shop to see their recommendations for grind settings. Here are some tips on how you know if the grind is too fine or too coarse. 1) The coffee is too strong (astringency) and has lost it’s natural sweetness – your grind is too fine, even if you are using the same amount of coffee that you always use. Coffee that is ground more coarsely will reveal more of it’s natural sugars and sweetness. 2) The coffee is too weak or looks more like tea – if you are using a consistent amount of coffee but there is barely any flavor there or it looks far too light, your grind is probably too coarse.
How much coffee? There is no set ratio of coffee to water, as every coffee brewing method is different. Furthermore, every coffee has different characteristics that are best brought out by different ratios. Therefore, the best way to find the right volume for your favorite coffee is to experiment. You will have to adjust the volume of coffee used based on the different grind setting you use – a finer grind will require less coffee (more surface area for extraction) while a coarser grind will require more coffee. Darker roasts will require less coffee than lighter roasts.
Water Temperature: Coffee should be brewed at 198 degrees Fahrenheit. This is important because most home-use coffee machines in the United States do not reach this temperature because of law suit liabilities. If you are looking for an automatic drip coffee brewer for your home, it is worth while to do some research and find a brewer that will reach 200 degrees (198 when the water hits the grounds) so you can have accurately extracted coffee. This is one of the reasons that Melita and French Press Coffee often tastes better than coffee made in home-use autodrip machines.
Clean your coffee maker: Oil buildups on spray heads and cones will create an acrid, bitter taste. Take the used coffee filter out of your machine as soon as you are finished brewing, and wipe down the spray head regularly. It is best not to use soap in the vessel into which you are brewing. There are special coffee machine cleaners specifically formulated to eliminate or reduce the amount of cleaner-residue left from cleaning.
How does your water taste? Brewed coffee is 98% water. Therefore the taste of your water is very important. If you have bad tasting water to start with, chances are you will not have as good a cup of coffee as you could. Starting with cold water, preferably filtered or bottled (unless your water is really really good!), is the best method.
Presented by Christopher Pyatak - formerly of Mocha Joe’s Roasting Company
|
