9 Rules for a Perfect Cup of Coffee
By Jessie Price, Deputy Editor: Food for EatingWell Magazine
I often go to sleep thinking about the
cup of coffee I'm going to have the next morning. I adore it! Whether your morning
coffee is an estate-grown brew or just the best supermarket blend you can
afford, these basic rules from EatingWell Magazine's editors and contributors
will help you learn how to make coffee to prevent unwanted bitterness and
virtually guarantee a satisfying cup of coffee every time.
Rule 1: Buy fresh beans.
Without question, coffee is best when used within days of being roasted. Buying
from a local roaster (or roasting your own) is the surest way to get the
absolute freshest beans. Be wary of buying bulk coffee from supermarket display
bins. Oxygen and bright light are the worst flavor busters for roasted beans,
so unless the store is conscientious about selling fresh coffee, the storage
tubes get coated with coffee oils, which turn rancid. Coffee beans packaged by
quality-conscious roasters and sold in sturdy, vacuum-sealed bags are often a
better bet.
Rule 2: Keep coffee beans fresh.
Always store opened coffee beans in an airtight container. Glass canning jars
or ceramic storage crocks with rubber-gasket seals are good choices. Never
refrigerate (roasted beans are porous and readily take up moisture and food
odors). Flavor experts strongly advise against ever freezing coffee, especially
dark roasts. Optimally, buy a 5- to 7-day supply of fresh beans at a time and
keep at room temperature.
Rule 3: Choose good coffee.
Snobbism among coffee drinkers can rival that of wine drinkers, but the fact is
that an astonishing world of coffee tastes awaits anyone willing to venture
beyond mass-marketed commercial brands. Specialty coffees that clearly state
the country, region or estate of origin can provide a lifetime of tasting
experiences. By all means look for 100% pure Arabica beans. The cheap
alternatives may contain Robusta beans, noted for their higher caffeine content
but harsh flavors. "Nasty" is a term commonly linked to Robusta
coffees by Arabica devotees.
Rule 4: Grind your own.
Coffee starts losing quality almost immediately upon grinding. The best-tasting
brews are made from beans ground just before brewing. Coffee connoisseurs
prefer to grind in expensive burr mills (e.g., Solis, Zassenhaus, Rancilio),
but affordable electric "whirly blade" grinders (e.g., Braun, Bodum)
will do a serviceable job, especially if the mill is rocked during grinding to
get a fine, even particle size. (Scoop for scoop, finer grinds yield more
flavor.)
Rule 5: Use good water.
Nothing can ruin a pot of coffee more surely than tap water with chlorine or
off flavors. Serious coffee lovers use bottled spring water or
activated-charcoal/carbon filters on their taps. Note: Softened or distilled
water makes terrible coffee-the minerals in good water are essential.
Rule 6: Avoid cheap filters.
Bargain-priced paper coffee filters yield inferior coffee, according to the
experts. Look for "oxygen-bleached" or "dioxin-free" paper
filters (e.g., Filtropa, Melitta). Alternatively, you may wish to invest in a
long-lived gold-plated filter (e.g., SwissGold). These are reputed to deliver
maximum flavor, but may let sediment through if the coffee is ground too
finely.
Rule 7: Don't skimp on the coffee.
The standard measure for brewing coffee of proper strength is 2 level
tablespoons per 6-ounce cup or about 2 3/4 tablespoons per 8-ounce cup. Tricks
like using less coffee and hotter water to extract more cups per pound tend to
make for bitter brews.
Rule 8: Beware the heat.
Water that is too hot will extract compounds in the coffee that are bitter
rather than pleasant. The proper brewing temperature is 200°F, or about 45
seconds off a full boil. (Most good coffeemakers regulate this automatically.)
Once brewed, don't expect coffee to hold its best flavors for long. Reheating,
boiling or prolonged holding on a warming platform will turn even the best
coffee bitter and foul-tasting.
Rule 9: Keep your equipment clean.
Clean storage containers and grinders every few weeks to remove any oily
buildup. At least monthly, run a strong solution of vinegar or specialty
coffee-equipment cleaner (e.g., Urnex) through your coffeemaker to dissolve
away any mineral deposits. Rinse thoroughly before reuse.
(Source: shine.yahoo.com)