Brewing A Perfect Cup Of Coffee

Brewing a great cup of coffee is a skill that can easily be learnt. The secret of the perfect cup comes from a number of things – the quality of the coffee bean, the quality of the water being used, the type of brewing being done, and the grind of the coffee.

The type of coffee bean and water you use is something you can easily control. Just use good quality beans and good pure water (not already boiled). However the link between the type of brewing you are using and the grind of coffee you need is more detailed and bears a closer examination.

We all know that we make coffee by passing hot water over crushed coffee beans. However for it to really work well we need to understand just how long the water should be passing over the beans. Generally speaking, the ’soaking’ time relates directly to how coarse the coffee is ground. This means that smaller coffee grinds need less contact with the water, and coarser grinds need longer contact.

Espresso coffee is only in contact with the water for 20-40 seconds, and uses a very fine grind of coffee as a result. Drip coffee makers run the heated water through the coffee over several minutes, so need a medium grind coffee. A French press coffee maker leaves the coffee to soak in the water for 4-5 minutes, and uses an extremely coarse grind. If coffee is left contacting water for too long for its grind size, unwanted extracts emerge and make the coffee taste bitter. Of course if the grind is too large and the water passes very quickly (like using French press grind in an espresso maker), very little of the caffeine and flavors will be extracted and you will have poor flavor.

An under appreciated element in brewing coffee (and managing the balance between over and under brewing of the coffee) is the humble filter.. Not only do they keep the grind out of your cup, but they also control how fast the water passes over the grinds. Paper filters are the most common, but many people are also using metal varieties. Paper filters are quite good, however they can absorb some of the coffee flavor and some people claim they can taste the paper in the final coffee. Metal filters are usually make from gold plated mesh, or regular stainless steel. They are made from a very fine weave, and filter out the coffee grinds very well. And most importantly, they don’t affect the flavor of the coffee at all. And for the environmentally conscious, metal filters are also much friendlier on the environment.

Whichever you choose, be sure to buy decent quality. Cheap filters often clog or not allow the coffee to brew properly. A decent quality metal filter will last years and save money in the end.

Brewing a cup of coffee is not that hard. Making a perfect cup takes a little more knowledge, but once you know the tricks it isn’t any harder. Begin with quality fresh beans, and nice clean water. Match your brewing style to the proper grind (espresso = fine, drip coffee makers = medium, French press = coarse), experiment a little with exact proportions, and pretty soon you’ll be brewing killer coffee every time.

Tags: brewing coffee, Coffee, coffee maker