How to Brew a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Brewing the perfect cup of coffee takes some learning, but with time and a little determination, anyone can become an expert! There are several key elements you should pay close attention to when brewing. Your coffee is greatly affected by the water you use, the temperature of water during brewing, the brew time, the brewing turbulence, the filtration, and the cleanliness of your brewing area. Remember, coffee taste quality can be very subjective, but tweaking these elements will help you find the brew that best suites you! Holding and serving your coffee at the proper temperatures will help ensure that all the flavors are realized.

Water

Other than the actual coffee beans, water is the most important element of the brewing process. Ensuring your water is fresh and good tasting is essential because water makes up over 98% of your final cup! For the cleanest tasting coffee, filter your water before you brew. Filtered water typically holds the most ideal mineral content and will help give your coffee a fresh taste. Water temperature during brewing will affect your coffee's flavor and extraction. The ideal water temperature during brewing is somewhere between 195˚-205˚F.

Time

The brewing time can be the most detrimental element to the taste of your coffee. Ideally, you will want to get proper extraction and filtration in the shortest possible time to create the best testing coffee. Coffee brewed for longer than the recommended time will taste bitter. Finding the best brew may require you to experiment with the coffee grind size, either more fine or more coarse, depending on your preferences. Fine grinds should be brewed between 1 and 4 minutes, coarse grinds should be brewed between 6 and 8 minutes.

Your coffee maker has a specific brew cycle time that will fit best with a specific coarseness. Experiment with finer and coarser grinds in your coffee maker to find the flavor you want for your coffee!

Turbulence and Filtration

Turbulence is the process of coffee grinds moving through the water while brewing. Ideally, the turbulence should create a uniform flow of water around the coffee particles and extract to create a great tasting cup. Filtration refers to the process of eliminating the coarser grinds from the brew before you drink it. Paper filters generally create the clearest cup of coffee.

Cleanliness

Make certain your brewing area is clean and free from lime and hard water deposits. Specifically, examine the serving area, spray head, servers, and water reservoir to ensure they are clean. Cleanliness is extremely important because when all other elements are perfect and your work area is dirty, your cup cannot reach its flavor potential.

Holding and Serving

Holding and serving your coffee at the proper temperatures will ensure your coffee is enjoyed at its peak flavor and aroma. The ideal holding temperature is between 175˚-185˚F and holding coffee in a sealed container can prevent the evaporation of your coffee's most volatile aromatics. Coffee should not be held longer than 20 minutes in an open container and 60 minutes in a closed container. Ideal serving temperature is between 155˚-175˚F; at these temperatures, all of the taste in your brew can be realized.

To help experiment and find the best possible brew, you may want to consider buying a new grinder. A grinder with more coarseness levels will allow you to experiment with an array of blends and coffee recipes to hone in on the best possible taste for your coffee. Keep in mind, a high quality grinder used with moderate coffee brewing equipment can produce a better cup of coffee than a moderate grinder with a high quality brewer.