Do you know how to make a perfect cup of coffee? Following all these nine tips guarantees success with every cup of coffee you will make from now on.
Would you like a perfect cup of coffee?
Coffee is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-loved beverages and something very personal, so the right way to make it is how you prefer it best.
Certainly, preparing a cup of delicious, nice smelling coffee requires some skills. To make a perfect one, even more, skills are necessary, but no worries — the whole process is not that difficult.
By following just a few very basic rules you can master brewing your morning’s cup of coffee and make it perfect.
That being said I would like to encourage you also to experiment with different origins, roasts, or preparation methods.
Read on the 9 important things which are the secrets for preparing a stunning cup of coffee every time.
All Important Things for brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee
1.The Coffee Beans flavor
The perfect coffee cup starts with perfect beans.
Coffee beans flavor depends on the country of origin, the region of origin, the variety of bean (i.e. Arabica, Robusta — or a blend), the roast type, and the selected texture of your grind.
As you maybe know there are many different types of coffee species, but still most of the beans produced and used can be divided into two main species: Robusta and Arabica.
If you don’t know what is the difference between Robusta and Arabica, then I can share it with you.
Basically, the majority of the coffee produced and sold in the world today is Arabica.
This type usually has a sweeter, softer taste.
On the other hand, Robusta has a much stronger, bitter, and sharper flavor as a taste and it’s usually used in many types of espressos or really strong coffee drinks.
The flavor of your coffee and its quality is not just determined by your preferred brewing process, but also by the type of coffee you select.
Tip: There can be a significant difference between various roasts, so check out some roasting types guides, before buying coffee.
2.The freshness of the Beans
Always try to purchase coffee as soon as possible after it’s roasted.
Freshly roasted coffee is essential to a quality cup, so buy your coffee in small amounts (ideally every week) and store it properly in order to keep it as flavorful and fresh as possible.
While there are many choices of coffee and ways of brewing it, remember that there is no right or wrong — for example, you can choose a flavorful dark espresso roast coffee and still have it ground to be brewed in a drip system.
Tip: Just have fun trying and experiment.
3.The freshness of the Grind
Always grind your beans as close to the brew time as possible to preserve its freshness. A burr or mill grinder is best because the coffee is ground to a consistent size.
The size of the grind is hugely important to the taste of your coffee. If your coffee tastes flat, it may be under-extracted, meaning your grind is too coarse and on the other hand, if your coffee tastes bitter, maybe the grind is too fine.
Tip: If you’re having the coffee ground to order, tell the professionals where you buy your coffee exactly how you will be brewing it. Will you be using an Espresso machine? Or a French Press? A flat or cone drip filter? A gold mesh filter? Then they will grind it specifically for your preparation method.
4.The Water Quality
The water you use is very important to the taste of your coffee.
If your tap water is not good or has a strong odor or taste, such as chlorine, then use filtered or bottled water.
Avoid distilled or softened water, because they are not good for you and for the quality of the brewed coffee.
Tip: If you’re using tap water be sure to use cold water, so, let it run before filling your coffee pot, for a while.
5. The Ratio Coffee-to-Water
Different people recommend different ratios, but as a general guideline, I use one and a half coffee scoops for every six ounces of water.
This is about three tablespoons of coffee for every 177 ml of water because two tablespoons are equal to 10.6 g of ground coffee.
Six ounces of water is approximately 177 milliliters.
Tip: There is a term named Golden ratio, but this, of course, depends on your type of coffee, brew method and it should be adjusted in order to match individual taste preferences.
6.The Water Temperature
When brewing coffee the water temperature should be somewhere between 195 to 207 degrees Fahrenheit (90 to 97 degrees Celsius) for optimal extraction.
Water that is too hot will cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee.
If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, then turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds.
On the other hand, colder water will result in tasteless (flat or under-extracted) coffee.
Tip: Remember though — cold brew does not need any heat.
7.The Brewing Time
Another important flavor factor for our great cup of coffee is the amount of time that the water is in contact with the coffee grounds.
If the brew time is too long this will result in over-extracting, while if the brew time is too short, then the coffee will be under-extracted (with flat taste).
If you are making your coffee using a French Press, the contact time should be between 2 and 4 minutes.
Espresso has an especially brief brew time — the coffee is in contact with the water for just about 25–30 seconds.
Cold-brew, on the other hand, should steep overnight. In a drip system, the contact time should be about 5 minutes.
Tip: Experiment with the brewing time until you get the desired balance for your taste.
8.The Equipment
All equipment used for preparing an amazing cup of coffee must be thoroughly cleaned after each use.
Filters, grinders, machines, you name it.
This will guarantee your next cup of coffee will have again brilliant flavor and taste.
Tip: Applicable to any type of equipment used for brewing
9.The Passion
Always involve passion when preparing coffee and you will be amazed by the final results.
Like anything else, the perfect cup of coffee depends not only on your skills but also on your passion.
Tip: This will help you to start a successful day and maybe something new and exciting.
At the End
Coffee is part of our lives and there’s nothing like that first sip of this magical liquid early in the morning.
Making the perfect coffee cup is not that difficult and depends on 9 simple things, which are the secret ingredients.
The type of beans, the freshness of the beans, the grind, the water, the coffee-to-water ratio, the water temperature, the equipment, and the passion involved.
A tip: If you want to be a real coffee expert and learn some quite intriguing things about coffee, then this is something really interesting to read: All You Need to Know About the Coffee Bean and the Coffee.
How about having a cup full of perfect coffee right now?
Enjoy!