Brew Better Coffee at Home
By Dave
We are trying to control two basic things when we make coffee - strength and extraction. Strength is the solubles concentration, or the ratio of dissolved coffee solids to water. Extraction is the soluables yield, or the transferring of flavor compounds from solid beans to liquid. Milder extractions usually result in nicer, milder flavors and aromas but can also result in weak or underdeveloped coffee. The following info relates how to get the right amount of coffee into the solution and the right amount of coffee out of each bean.
What to Consider When You Brew:
1. Good, Fresh Coffee
Buy no more than a weeks worth of coffee at a time from a busy, high quality shop. Only grind (with a burr grinder) what you need f or each use and keep it in an airtight container, in a cool, dark and dry place (not the fridge or freezer).
2. Good Water
Use bottled, filtered water, often labeled "Spring Water", not distilled or mineral water. Distilled water contains too few solubles and mineral water too many. If you use tap water, be sure to run it f or a while first.
3. Coffee to Water Ratio
Use about 1 oz of ground coffee by weight f or every 16 fluid ounces of water. This works out to roughly one slightly rounded tablespoon per 4 ouces of water.
4. Proper Grind
The coarseness of grind that you select will depend on the brewing method and will greatly affect the extraction of the coffee, strength and flavor profile. A relatively fine grind is usually needed f or traditional drip pots and electric drip brewers. A coarse grind is always preferred f or press pots and other immersion methods.
5. Contact
Turbulence (the movement of the water around the coffee), Time (affected by the bed depth of the grounds in drip brewing methods) and Temperature all affect what will be extracted f rom the coffee. Aim f or around 3-4 minutes and 195 to 205 f or most brewing methods.
6. Equipment
Few home coffee making machines do a good job so keep your brew equipment simple. Instead of getting a fancy brewer, spend your money on a good burr grinder so you have a consistent and appropriate grind for whatever brew method your using. Simple pour-over and immersion methods make good coffee. Drip methods produce a cleaner, leaner cup than immersion methods because fewer fine particles and oils make it through paper filters. Which one you like is a personal preference but some coffees seem to do better with one or the other
I like the Aeropress and Clever dripper f or single cup brewing and Chemexes and large press pots (ak.a. - French Press) f or multiple cups. Whatever method you use, keep your equipment clean. Coffee oils form a residue on the surfaces of brewing components. These oils will influence each batch of coffee they come in contact with. Clean brewing equipment well and separately f rom other items with odorless detergents.
How to Brew a press Pot
What you'll need: Coffee, Water, Measuring Pitcher, Kettle, Press Pot, Long Spoon, Timer, Cups, Thermal Pot (if any is left over)
1. Bring pot of Bottled Spring Water (or well Filtered - NEVER Distilled) to a boil then let sit f or about 30-40 seconds.
2. Grind your coffee coarse while the water cools to about 204 F.
3. Add 1oz of ground coffee f or every 16 fluid oz of water (or 1 rounded Tbls for every 4oz of water).
4. Slowly pour water into pot ensuring that all grounds are evenly saturated - start a 4 minute timer.
5. Top off at least 1/2" below the Pot's spout to allow or the grounds to expand. As coffee is extracted the grounds appear to swell-up or "Bloom".
6. At 2 minutes, gently break the "Bloom" with a spoon and stir the coffee f or about 10 seconds to evenly saturate.
7. At 4 minutes, place the lid on the pot and slowly plunge it until you feel a slight resistance. Avoid pressing or squeezing the settled grinds as you might extract unwanted flavors.
8. Immediately transfer the coffee to your pre-heated cup(s) or a pre-heated thermal pot.