02nd Dec 2009
How to Make Great Coffee in Your Small Coffee Maker
For many people, brewing coffee means nothing more than dumping some coffee grounds into a filter, filling up the machine’s reservoir with water and hitting the brew button. Whatever product happens to come out the other end of the machine is what they end up consuming, though whether it’s consistently good or not is another matter entirely. What if I told you that making great coffee in your small coffee machine is simple and only requires three basic steps? What if I also told you that you can brew coffee that is consistently better than the stuff found at your local café right in your own home? Some people might say it’s impossible, but the simple truth is that it can be done, and it’s easier than you might think. The following article will lay out a 3-step plan that will have you brewing better coffee in no time.
All great coffee beverages start with the quality and freshness of the coffee beans. Even the most expensive small coffee makers will not produce an outstanding cup of coffee using poor quality or stale coffee beans. The coffee beans you use should be as fresh as possible and should be used immediately after purchasing them. Whole beans are preferred and should be ground seconds before being placed into your filter. The ugly truth is that ground coffee begins losing much of its aroma and flavor compounds within seconds of being ground. If you can smell strong aromas coming from the coffee grounds, that’s your coffee going stale.
It’s critical that you grind the whole beans at home prior to brewing using a quality burr style coffee grinder. While many people grind their own beans at home, they typically use a blade or “whirly bird” grinder, which tends to pulverize the beans into a bunch of different particle sizes including some dust. The dust ends up leading to over-extraction of flavors, which in turn leads to bitterness in the final cup. In contrast, a conical burr grinder produces a consistently even grind that keeps off-flavors to a minimum. I cannot stress enough how important a quality grinder is to the quality of the finished cup.
The last consideration is the temperature of the brew water, which is normally impossible to control using an automatic machine. The important thing to remember is that coffee is best brewed at a temperature between 195 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range will provide the best extraction of flavors and oils, without creating harsh bitter notes that can result when using excessively high temperatures.
By adhering to the simple recommendations above you will be brewing coffee at a consistently high level and will be able to kick that annoying coffee shop habit. After all, who needs coffee shop coffee when you have something better right in your own home?
Related posts:
Leave a Reply