Great Coffee Tips for Brewing the Perfect Coffee

For great coffee, there are basic fundamentals that apply.

Nearly anyone can make a very good cup of coffee if you start with the right beans and use a good coffee maker. If you're just starting to brew coffee, you may not yet realize how much better your coffee can taste with some easy steps that I am going to share with you here.

Get ready to discover the secrets to brewing the perfect cup of coffee!

The Fundamentals of Coffee

The basic fundamentals apply when making coffee, regardless of the beans you buy, as follows:

Proportion (water to coffee)
Grind (coarse to powder, and everywhere in between)
Water (any funny tastes in your water will kill your coffee)
Freshness (when were your coffee beans roasted and have they been packaged and stored properly?)

Here's more about each of these...

Proportion

Many people wonder how to make their coffee taste as good as the coffee shop. Or their coffee is too strong sometimes, too weak other times.

You have to use the right amount of ground coffee for the amount of water you're brewing. For the perfect cup of coffee, you need two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. Don't skimp, and don't take shortcuts.

If you try to stretch your coffee, it may look dark enough but you are sacrificing flavor. If you use too much coffee you'll get strong and even bitter coffee and you may overdo the caffeine effect for a poor night's sleep.

Your most important coffee purchase is to buy a measuring scoop made for coffee measuring. And use it! I always regret estimating the coffee when I'm in too much of a hurry....because I nearly always ruin the coffee when I just dump in the amount I think would work. It's a simple step but one that is too easy to skip. For something more than a basic coffee scoop, here is an olive wood coffee scoop from Kenya for just over $10 (plus shipping).

Grind

Grind your coffee to suit your coffee maker. For an espresso machine you use a fine grind. You use a medium grind for drip coffee makers. A course grind is best for coffee presses. Think of it this way. The quicker the brew process, the smaller the coffee particles. A course grind can brew in the french press for several minutes and slowly release its flavors.

Your grinder needs to grind particles to a uniform size. There are two types of grinders, blade grinders and burr grinders. Although blade grinders are cheaper, a burr grinder acts like an old fashioned millstone to crush the bean instead of whacking away at it like a blade grinder does.

If you can't afford a burr grinder yet, I suggest buying a blade grinder for now because grind your own beans for freshness is so important. You can get buy without a burr grinder for a while, and add that to your wish list for your next birthday or Christmas gift. I like the Capresso Infinity grinder.

Water

If your tap water is crystal clear and tastes good, you are set. Otherwise, you need to use bottled water or liftered water. Some coffee makers even have built in coffee makers. A Brita water pitcher would be a good way to filter your water.

Water temperature is important, too. Boiling hot is too hot and will pull too much bitterness from the beans. The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is Just below boiling (180 to 195 degrees). You should serve it between 145 to 175 degrees, and most people like to drink it on the top end of that range. Here is more about the right temperature for brewing and serving coffee.

Freshness

You want freshly roasted beans. Quality roasting companies then package the beans so that they stay fresh to your house. After you open the bag, the beans will stay fresh about a week but you can keep them longer in an airtight container kept away from bright light. Don't keep them in the refrigerator because refrigerated air is moist and the coffee beans are likely to attract other tastes and odors. As for the freezer, you can freeze coffee beans once but don't refreeze them or the resulting condensation will ruin your beans.

You'll notice that one thing we didn't tale much about is what type of coffee maker to use. That's because nearly every coffee maker (except a percolator) can make great coffee by following these basics. Here's a low priced automatic coffee maker to consider, but if you're really interest in gourmet coffee on a budget I suggest trying the Bodum French press coffee maker or the Aerobie Aeropress.

Now you have the basics for a perfect cup of coffee. Have fun brewing and tasting how your coffee continues to improve.

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