Coffee Upgrade
So you want a better cup of coffee? Good you deserve one, and brewing a tasty cup doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. In fact, we can start right now by asking ourselves about the quality of the only 2 ingredients we use, coffee beans and water.
Level 1
-Clean Water- If you live in an area that has funky smelling and tasting water due to high mineral content, pesticide runoff, chlorine, etc, then the flavor profile of that final cup is going to be effected. We’ll have an Upgraded Water post soon, but until then, at the very least using a simple filtering device, such as a Brita pitcher, will do just fine.
-Quality, Freshly Roasted Beans- Coffee beans start to oxidize after being roasted and are best within 4 weeks of that date. Quality roasters will usually include that information somewhere on the package, and better yet see if you have any roasters in your area. You’d be surprised how many are popping up.
Level 1.5
-Grind Just Before Brewing- After storing your coffee beans in a sealed, cool, dry place, grind them only right before you’re about to brew your coffee. Once in ground form, the coffee is even more susceptible to oxidation and can go stale quickly. Not just When but How you grind them is very important too, but that’s for Level 2.
Level 2
-Precise Measuring- Using a Tablespoon to measure your coffee isn’t accurate enough. Having a scale to weigh the coffee grounds in grams is paramount in achieving a consistently delicious cup of coffee. If you don’t already have a kitchen scale, buy this one. It’s very accurate, you can disable the auto shutoff feature, it's battery or AC powered, comes with a plastic protective cover, and it’s inexpensive.
-Proper Grinding- Most people overlook the grinder, but it’s one of the most important pieces to the whole process. There are two main types of grinders, Blade and Burr. A blade grinder, while inexpensive, chops the grounds into uneven particles. What you’re looking for in a good grinder is one that will give you coffee grounds that are consistently the same size. Why is that important? It’s all about the flavor extraction you get when hot water is poured over the grounds. If the particles aren’t the same size, the smaller grounds can over-extract causing bitterness in the coffee, while the larger grounds under-extract, and the whole process results in a sub par cup of coffee. A good Burr grinder, however, is consistent, but more expensive. These grinders Start at $100 and can easily reach $500+, however, they will last for years, provide excellent results, and can be a very worthwhile investment. Two of the highest rated quality intro models are the Baratza Encore and the Capresso Infinity.
Level 3
Chemex
Now we begin to really craft an amazing cup of coffee by using a manual brewing method. Cheap Auto Drip coffee makers don’t allow for water temperature adjustment and don’t saturate the coffee grounds as precisely and thoroughly as a manual method. You can categorize manual brewing into two main categories, Pour Over and Immersion. A Chemex apparatus is an example of a common Pour Over device in which you are constantly pouring hot water over the grounds in a steady and controlled stream, evenly soaking the grounds. A French Press, in which you fill an apparatus with grounds and water then wait for a few minutes before filtering, is an example of the Immersion brewing method. Both style’s offer great results and you have loyal followers on either side of the aisle.
-Pour Over- Chemex 6-cup is a great choice for those wanting a delicious, clean, floral cup of coffee with minimal clean up. The only draw back is this method requires a kettle featuring a spout that can pour an even stream of water. I’ve used mine for years after brewing with a French Press and absolutely love it.
Kalita
Other popular models- Kalita Wave and V60
-Immersion- The French Press is more beginner friendly and doesn’t require a spouted kettle. The flavor profile of the coffee is heartier and full-bodied. Since, the filtering process uses a metal screen instead of a paper filter, you will get some “sludge” at the bottom of your cup. There’s also some temperature loss with the French press, so preheating the vessel will help keep your finished product piping hot. To avoid both the “sludge” and the temperature loss, you can purchase the Espro French Press, which features two fine mesh filters and double-walled insulation!
French Press
Other popular models- The Clever and Aeropress
-Water Temperature-
The water temperature in the coffee ground water mixture, also known as the slurry, should be roughly between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit, because any hotter and you’ll risk burning the coffee and any lower won’t extract the coffee properly.
If your kettle doesn’t feature a thermometer, you can easily grab a digital one from Target for roughly $10.
Level 4-
Heating and Pouring the Water- If you’ve made it this far, you get an A+ for dedication! This section features a kettle that makes prepping your water so amazingly convenient. At the press of a button you can go back to your morning routine without worrying if you’ll miss the perfect brewing temperature when you’re ready to make that morning cup.
-Bonavita Variable Temperature Control Electric Kettle.- At the press of a button this kettle heats water to any temperature you desire, or any of the presets, and can hold it for up to an hour. It comes in either 1 or 1.7 Liter sizes and with or without a gooseneck spout. For any pour over brewing method, the gooseneck is a must and offers lots of flow rate control.
So there you have it! Even getting to level 1 will offer you better tasting coffee and your progression will only enhance your results. I’m sure there will be those who look at this process and think the time and effort isn’t worth it. Their morning is so rushed that taking the time to grind, measure and brew of wonderful cup of coffee isn’t afforded to them. At first, it takes time to get your rhythm going and your process fine-tuned, but once you do it’s an amazingly calm few minutes filled with the wonderful aroma of quality fresh brewed coffee.
To summarize-
Source quality beans and clean water.
Measure accurately and grind just before brewing.
Invest in a good Burr grinder for consistent ground size.
Try a manual brewing method for the ultimate cup of coffee!
Everyone has their own water to coffee ground ratio, but 16:1 is very common. For example- add 480 grams of water to 30 grams of coffee grounds and you'll brew roughly 2-3 cups of coffee.
Hope this was helpful and if you have any questions or any favorite brewing methods please comment below!