Wow, now that's going out on a limb.
Since the “perfect” pot, cup, urn, cezve, or mouthful of
coffee is so subjective and a matter of personal preference, claiming
to have that esoteric secret may be a bit over the top. So I will
defer to individual taste on some matters. However, brewing
excellent coffee comes down to a few fundamentals: water (quality and
how much), temperature, method, and, of course the quantity and
quality of the coffee itself. So are you ready? Here we go...
Water
Since the vast majority of what you
find in your coffee cup is water, we should not take its contribution
lightly. If the water tastes funky, so will the coffee – no
matter what you do. The water won't perfect the coffee, but it can
ruin it. Fortunately, most US public water supplies are perfectly
acceptable for brewing coffee, and well water, well, it varies. The
best water for brewing coffee is distilled, but since few of us have
distilled water coming out of our tap, we'll just say that the softer
the water, the better. And it should, of course be odorless and
tasteless. Additionally, you should always start with cold water.
Water sitting in a water heater can have undesirable changes to its
flavor, aroma and chemistry.
Traditionally, when discussing coffee,
a cup is six ounces. So when I refer to a cup in this article, it's
six ounces, not the more standard eight ounces.
Temperature
For most, the ideal temperature for
brewing coffee is whatever temperature their coffee maker brews it
at, especially since very few let you exercise any control over the
temperature. However, ideally, the temperature of your water should
be a little below boiling; more specifically, 200°F (±5°)
or 93°C. If the water is too hot, the result will be increased bitterness and a coarser tasting coffee. If it's to cool, your coffee will be bland.
Method
There are many different methods for
brewing coffee and each has its fans and detractors. While I love
the sound of a percolator as it burps and bubbles, it probably
doesn't brew the best coffee. Then there's something to be said for
the attention and ritual associated with making Turkish coffee, but
it's not everyone's cup of tea (pun intended). This is a case where
it is all about what you like and what equipment you have. Just so
long as the coffee is ground to a degree that is suitable for your
method and your equipment is nice and clean, you can make excellent
coffee.
Coffee
At last we arrive at the object of our
affection, in all its sultry brown, roasty, delicious glory. Coffee
beans should be ground as soon before brewing as practical. Plus,
the fineness of the grind should vary from a rather coarse grind for
French Press, to powder for Turkish coffee. Also, high quality
coffee makes an enormous difference, and you can't go wrong with Lone
Palm Gourmet Coffee products.
The amount of coffee to use has been
the subject of debate, and can vary widely depending on taste.
Typically, anywhere between 1 and 2 heaping tablespoons per 6 oz.
cup. At our retail location in Johnstown, NY , we measure by weight
instead of volume in order to be more consistent with the product we
offer our customers. We use 3.25 oz. (92 gms.) of coffee for a 14
cup (84 oz.) pot. This works out to approximately 1 5/8 heaping
tablespoons per cup – a little bit on the strong side of the
midway point. Our customers seem to like it. I like it. It works
for us.
However, as long as you have fresh,
properly ground, gourmet coffee, after a little fiddling you'll find
out what works for you too.
Remember, coffee is your friend. Your
warm, aromatic, stimulating friend that lets you drink it. And it's
very easy to consistently make coffee that will have your friends,
neighbors, and even strangers saying, “Wow, you make great
coffee”.
