I
have been asked many times about the best way to make great coffee.
How much coffee do I use? What
about the water? Which
is the best home brewer?
I will describe
how I make my coffee in the morning. It may
be a little time consuming, but it is oh so worth the effort.
Give my method a try,
you'll
never go back to the old way. My morning coffee is a daily joy, and
I want it to be the best it can possibly be.
Enjoy!
Chris Shepherd
I prefer freshly
ground whole bean coffee
to start. Our pre-ground
canned coffees make great coffee,
however there is no doubt that grinding
the beans fresh is better.
80% of our taste comes through our nose.
When coffee is freshly ground the gas
released contains a lot of the taste
components.
I grind only
what I will be using each morning.
Grind coffee
finely, but not too fine. About 15 seconds. Coffee that is ground
too finely will have a bitter taste. Coarsely ground coffee will not
have enough flavor.
I measure out
two heaping tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 oz mug.
(.35 ounces per 6 oz cup, 3.5 oz. per 60 ounces of water).
| Brewing:
Percolated or Filtered? |
I make my coffee
cup by cup.
I never use a
percolating home brewer, they make terrible coffee.
The home brewing systems simply do not work well.
The water is not hot enough for proper extraction, and it takes
too long to
go through the brew basket,
leaving some bitterness in the cup.
I use a one cup Melita plastic filter with
a one cup white paper filter.
(Do not use the brown filters; they impart a taste to the coffee)
| Water:
Distilled, Spring or Tap? |
Boil spring or
filtered water to 192 degrees, or just before kettle boils.
Do not use distilled
water, coffee likes the minerals in water. But
make sure water is at least filtered; never use tap water.
When water is
ready, pour only enough water to gently wet the grounds.
Let sit for 30
seconds. This allows for an even extraction
when you poor the rest of the water
After the 30
seconds, pour water to top of filter and let it soak down.
When I get ready
for my second cup, I simply repeat the above.
Too much
trouble, takes too long? Makes too much of a mess?
NEVER!!
|
