How to Make a Great Cup of Cofee

Everyone has their theory on how to create the best cup of coffee. The obvious place to start is the coffee itself. I'm not an expert in coffee, so I'm not going to tell you which coffee makes the best cup. There are so many opinions, theories and ideas as to what makes a good coffee that entire books have been written on that subject itself. I'm here to tell you how to make a good cup of coffee in an instant coffee maker.

First you'll need an instant coffee maker. You can get a simple maker in many of the "mart" stores in your area, if you don't have one already. This should be a machine that is clean, if it isn't you'll need to clean the maker. The easiest way to clean a coffee maker is run vinegar and then hot water. Once you have cleaned your maker this way you're ready to make your coffee.

It's always better to use whole coffee beans and grind them, but many of us do not have the time to be grinding away in the morning. Remember, the morning is when the coffee is the best and when most people need it the most. The most important thing about making a great cup of coffee is to get coffee you enjoy and want to drink. Even if the coffee is $100 per ounce, if you don't like the taste, it's worthless. If you don't know what you like, get some small bags of coffee and try a few different flavors. Most grocery stores have sample sizes you can get for a few dollars.

Take your carafe and fill it up tot he desired amount of coffee you will be drinking. Keep in mind an average coffee cup holds about 2 cups on a carafe. Therefore, a 12 cup coffee maker will make about 6-8 cups of coffee depending on the coffee cup. Fill it up with cold water. A small comment on the water here: Purified water is the best, because it's the best type of water to put into your body. However, if you don't have purified water, just use what you have. The cold water part is important. You want it to be cold because the coffee maker elements might go into shock or break if you put in hot water.

Now the coffee, the coffee filter, and coffee filter basket. The filters are messy, cumbersome, and a waste for our landfills. I would recommend getting one of those "gold" or metal filters. They do the same thing, they save you from having to fumble with paper, and they are more green. Place 2 tablespoons of coffee into the basket for each cup of water you have. This will make an average cup of coffee. If you want it weaker, drop the amount of coffee. If you want it stronger increase the amount of coffee. I caution you though; you will never create a flavor of espresso with a regular coffee maker. Espresso is made with pressure, where the coffee maker just pours hot water over grounds.

Once you have your grounds in the basket, gently put the basket in. If you're using paper filters, be careful that the filter does not cover the water spout. You'll notice that there is a spout that the water will rise up on. If the paper covers this, the coffee and the water will go all o0ver the place and this won't be a pretty sight. Once you've placed the filter, turn the coffee pot on or hit brew. The sweet aroma of coffee will fill the house in no time.

Now, what about cream and sugar or other flavors? If you want other flavors in your coffee other than cream and sugar, do not add them after the brewing is done. You need to add these flavors prior to the brewing. Before you put the basket back in, add whatever flavor you want on to the grounds themselves. Whether it is cinnamon, vanilla, or jut nutmeg when you add the flavor on the grounds you get the true flavor in your coffee. The best time to add sugar is before you pour the coffee. Put the sugar into the cup, and stir as you pour in the coffee. If you want to add cream as well, stop before the cup is half full and add the desired cream. You want your sugar to melt and meld with the coffee. With this, you'll have a perfect cup of coffee.