Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Follow these tips to ensure the freshest, best-tasting cup of coffee possible!

To preserve the flavor of your coffee beans, you must protect them from moisture, light, and above all, air. Always store your gourmet coffee in an opaque, air tight container in a cool dry place. It is OK to freeze coffee for up to 6 weeks, if it is in a sealed container and not intended to be used daily. Your daily coffee is best left in the pantry. Repeated freezing and thawing of the bean negatively affects the beans quality. Never put gourmet coffee in the refrigerator - cool humidity will destroy your treasured beans!

Just as inferior beans can affect the taste of your coffee, so can poor quality water. Always use fresh, cool water.

Grind your gourmet coffee to your machines specifications and as close to the time you plan to brew a pot for unbeatable flavor. The wrong grind can quickly destroy the flavor of the very best gourmet beans. If the grind is too fine, the coffee will be bitter and over-extracted. If the grind is too coarse, the coffee will taste weak and/or sour.

Making great coffee is a balancing act. The wrong proportion of beans to water can have the same negative effect on the taste as using an improper grind. General Guidelines: Use 1-2 measured tablespoons per cup of water. Note: A cup of coffee is only 6 ounces and a coffee mug can easily be over 12 ounces; so make sure you use enough coffee to produce the bold flavor intended. You can always add hot water to brewed coffee if it is too strong for your tastes, but adding too little ground coffee per brew cycle actually leaches out undesired chemicals and bad tastes into your cup. This is a no-no!

The ideal water temperature for all brewing methods (except espresso) is "water just off the boil" (195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit). To best lock in the essential aromas and flavors, and to prevent overcooking or burning your gourmet coffee, use an insulated thermos carafe without a bottom warmer instead of a glass globe on a hot plate.