Tips for a Great Cup of Coffee, Part 2
August 26, 2009 by Karen Weideman
Filed under Food and Drinks
I did not grow up in a house supplied with coffee. Neither of my parents drank it. Pretty much, the only exposure I had to it came from a jar of instant coffee at my grandparent’s house because my grandmother was the only one who drank it. When my mom was growing up, she was told that drinking coffee would turn your feet black and so she steered clear of the beverage.
Since then, I’ve learned to appreciate a good cup of coffee. In fact, I’ve come to be known as a coffee snob. Earlier this week, I began sharing some tips to brewing good cup of coffee at home. Here are more tips to help.
4) Use a coffee maker with a slow brew time; four to seven minutes is sufficient. I used to get very impatient because my coffee maker took so long to brew but now I know that a slow brew time results in better coffee.
5) Don’t reheat your coffee. I know someone that brews their coffee in the morning and then when she comes home from work she reheats the coffee. I tried this and thought it tasted horrible. When coffee cools, the chemistry changes and it tastes bitter.
6) Grind your beans to match your coffee maker. It’s only within the past year that I have started to grind my own beans. As I mentioned on the previous coffee post, grinding your own beans produces the freshest full taste, however, it’s also important to grind them to the correct size. Since I was first starting out, I purchased an inexpensive coffee grinder. Now I wish I would have spent the extra money to get an adjustable coffee grinder. I’m not talking about one of the $200 grinders. I have seen adjustable grinders for around $30-40. These should be just fine for home use.
What steps do you take to ensure a good cup of coffee?
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More great tips from you, Karen! The chemistry of coffee really does change once it’s reheated because the coffee is technically being cooked and starts degrading rapidly (if left on a warming plate on the coffee maker). Brewed coffee has a very short shelf life, so only keep it on the warming plate for 15 minutes max. If you’re brewing a lot you can always use a thermal carafe, those are pretty good for keeping brewed coffee fresh for longer periods.