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Brewing Coffee
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A Little History
From the 17th
century until the
early part of this
century,
coffee was
generally made by
placing the ground
coffee in water and
boiling it. You may
have heard of some
of the tricks people
used to make the
coffee grounds
settle into the
bottom of the pot,
such as dropping an
eggshell or bread
crust into the
coffee pot. People
boiled coffee and
tea during that time
more for their
health than any
other reason.
Water was often
contaminated and
boiled water was
safer to drink.
People didn't know
that, of course, but
they did know that
they did not get
sick as often
drinking boiled
coffee or tea. In
fact, it was
considered by some
to have curative
powers.
In the early 20th
century, however, it
was discovered that
the
taste of coffee
was much better if
you added the water
to the coffee
grounds after the
water had boiled.
That discovery was
the start of brewing coffee . Today there
are many methods for
grinding, measuring
and brewing coffee.
How Much Coffee to
Use?
Select a good
measuring scoop
using the same scoop
each time, make your
measures level and
you will be able to
accurately repeat
the measure each
time. Rule of
thumb: use 2
tablespoons of
ground coffee for
every 6-8 ounce cup
of water. Adjust to
taste. Refer to our
section on
coffee grinders
to determine the
proper coffee to
water ratio for your
specific brewing
method.
Water!
The single biggest
ingredient by volume
in coffee is water!
So it only stands to
reason that the
quality and taste of
the water you use to
brew your coffee
will have a major
impact on the final
product. Start with
fresh, cold water.
Bottled waters are
often too acidic and
plain tap water is
also often loaded
with unpleasant
tasting elements.
For many the best
choice is filtered
tap water. Tap water
has the advantage of
being highly
oxygenated and
filtering eliminates
the impurities that
can harm the
coffee's taste.
Investing in a good
filtration device is
another must for the
true connoisseur.
If you don't want to
use filtration, then
use fresh, cold
water that is
pleasing to your
taste.
Grinding
We strongly
recommend that you
invest in an
electric coffee
grinder. Starting
with whole beans,
ground fresh is the
secret to really
good coffee. There
is no substitute!
You will be amazed
at the added flavor
and aroma you will
experience from
grinding your own
coffee beans
before
each brew.
Blade grinders are
the most common and
most popular. While
blade grinders work
well, it is
necessary to make
certain the coffee
is ground evenly,
and that the grinder
doesn't run too long
because the blades
will heat up and rob
the coffee of some
of its flavor. The
real connoisseur
should buy a grinder
that can be set for
specific grinds like
those in
supermarkets and
coffee specialty
shops.
If you use a blade
grinder, the best
method is to count
seconds. You will
quickly learn just
how long to run your
grinder to obtain
the correct degree
of grind. Counting
is the most accurate
method to operate a
blade grinder.
Counting keeps you
from over grinding
or under grinding
your coffee.
Grinding effects the
amount of surface
area exposed to the
water and the flow
rate of the water
through the coffee.
It's important to
get the grind right
for the type of
brewing equipment
you are using.
-
French Press:
Grind your
coffee coarse,
use a tablespoon
of coffee per 10
ounce cup. There
are many sizes
of French
presses.
-
Espresso:
Grind your
coffee extra
fine. You will
know you have
reached the
correct grind
when you can
make a finger
print in a small
amount held in
the palm of your
hand.
Put 8-10 grams
of ground coffee
per 2 ounce shot
in a stovetop
espresso maker.
Put 7 grams of
ground coffee
per 1.5 ounce
shot in an
electric
espresso maker.
-
Conventional
Electric
Brewers:
Grind your
coffee medium to
fine. Use 3/4 to
1 cup of coffee
per 10 cup pot.
-
Manual Cone
Systems:
Grind your
coffee medium to
fine, in a
basket-type
brewer, Use 3/4
cup of coffee
per 10 cup pot.
-
Percolator:
Grind your
coffee coarse. 4
ounces of
specialty coffee
will yield 15
10-ounce cups of
coffee. 8 ounces
of specialty
coffee will
yield 30
10-ounce cups of
coffee. 1 pound
of specialty
coffee will
yield 60
10-ounce cups of
coffee.
Brewing Methods
-
General Hints
-
Keep your
brewing
equipment clean.
Clean brewing
equipment means
that the final
cup will not
have unpleasant
odors and tastes
from old coffee
and sediment.
-
Make certain the
water is the
right
temperature,
195F - 200F
degrees.
-
Never boil your
coffee.
-
Never re - pour
over used
grounds, the
coffee will not
become stronger,
only more
bitter.
-
Stir your coffee
after brewing,
this assures an
excellent mix.
-
Serve coffee
immediately
after brewing.
If this is not
possible, hold
in a thermal
container to
maintain
freshness and
flavor.
Electric Drip
This is the most
popular method in
use today. There are
a number of good
models. Pick one
that suits your
taste and style but
look for one that
can heat the water
to the required 195F
- 200F degrees. If
the water
temperature isn't
high enough, you
will not get the
best brew.
Manual Drips
The advantages to a
manual drip brewer
are that the brewer
can control the flow
rate by how fast
they pour the water
into the filter and
the water can be
properly heated to
the right
temperature before
starting the brewing
process.
French Press
This is a good
method to use for
quality coffee. Just
be certain to
purchase a good unit
made from hi-quality
glass. Some people
may not like this
method because of
the sediment that
can remain in the
final cup but it
does provide an
excellent brewing
method.
Two keys to making
good coffee using
the French Press
method are: 1)
remember to preheat
the container with
hot water prior to
making the coffee
and 2), failure to
clean the container.
If you pour boiling
water into a
container that is
not preheated, your
water temperature
can drop as much as
20 degrees and this
seriously effects
the final cup.
Likewise, failure to
clean the container
effects the final
cup taste.
Vacuum Method
The vacuum method is
distinguished for
producing excellent
brewed coffee. In
this method, water
boils and goes into
an upper chamber
where it is held for
a few minutes. The
device is removed
from the heat and as
the water cools, a
vacuum is created
which pulls the
coffee through the
grind. Advantages to
the vacuum method
are that the water
reaches boiling
temperature and the
method does not
require quite as
precise a grind as
some of the others,
making it easier for
many to use.
Percolators
There are still many
of these around.
They are not
recommended.
Percolators boil the
coffee which is not
a method that gives
good results for the
final cup.
Filters
-
Gold Filters
Great at keeping
sediment out of
the final cup
but you will
need to adjust
your grind to
their flow rate.
Also, gold
filters need to
be kept very
clean and must
be hand-washed
because they are
so soft.
-
Paper Filters:
Paper filters
are designed to
be fast flow
because the
filter industry
is aware that
most brewers use
electric drip
machines and
that they tend
to over grind
their coffee.
Slowing the flow
down is a good
way to improve
the final cup's
taste by
lengthening the
extraction time.
There are some
filters
available which
are designed to
do this.
-
Natural vs.
White Paper
Filters
Oxygen whitened
paper filters
are
environmentally
preferred over
bleached
filters. Natural
paper filters
tend to have a
taste that can
be detected in
the final cup by
some people.
There is no
difference in
the flow rate
between bleached
and unbleached
filters however,
select the one
you prefer.
Final Note:
If you really want
to know what is
happening in your
brewing process,
examine the spent
grounds. They can
tell you a great
deal about the
brewing process and
help you solve
problems.
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