Brewing tips
The Coffee
Freshness counts. Roasted coffee is perishable and is best consumed within 2-4 weeks of the roasted on date. Coffee should always be ground just prior to brewing, for this reason we only sell whole bean coffee. Store whole beans in a cool dry place.
The Water
Good coffee requires good clean water. As a general rule of thumb, if the water tastes good on its own, it's good to brew with too. Water with some mineral content is preferable to water with none (for that reason spring or even tap water is generally preferable to distilled or reverse osmosis water).
The Ratio
Sure, you can get by just measuring your coffee with a scoop, but if your serious about your brew, a digital scale is invaluable. 1.65 grams of coffee per once of water is the gold standard coffee to water ratio for brewed coffee. That said, many people like stronger brews with ratios of 2 or more grams of coffee per once of water. We recommend starting with 1.65 to 2 grams per once. If you don't have a scale on hand start with 1 heaping Tablespoon per 5oz "cup".
Example: for an 8 "cup" pot (40oz), use 66 grams of coffee (1.65 grams x 40 ounces) or 8 heaping Tablespoons.
The Temp
To get the best flavor, brew your coffee at 195-205F. Using boiling water (212F) will give unsatisfactory results. We recomend aiming for 200F. Whenever possible preheat anything that will touch the brewing coffee with boiling water (hot tap water won't do!). When using paper filters, running some boiling water through the filter and filter basket makes sure everything is preheated and has the added benefit of washing out any residual paper taste from the filter.
The Grind
Coffee should always be ground at the very last minute. Ground coffee starts to lose flavor and aroma within a matter of minutes which means to get the best results at home, a coffee grinder is pretty much essential. An inexpensive $20 "blade" grinder will get the job done, but premium "burr" grinders generally produce a more consistent grind.
The grind you should use should match the brew method. French press requires a course grind, manual pour-overs and drip pots are generally best with a medium grind and things like the Aeropress generally do best with a medium/fine grind. If you coffee tastes too thin or weak, try a finer grind. If it tastes overly acidic, bitter, astringent, or just too strong in general try a courser grind.
The Steep
Brew time primarily depends on the grind being used. A fine grind like one would use in an Aeropress requires a brief 1-2 minute extraction. Medium grinds generally require a 3-4 minute extraction, while true course grinds are best with 4+ minute brew times. In general too long of an extraction results in bitter coffee, but, too short and you might miss out on some of what the coffee has to offer. When in doubt we recommend starting with 3 minutes.
In the case of an automatic drip pot the brew time will not be adjustable, in that case adjust the grind to the brewers inherent brew time.
The Clean Up
Cleaning is probably the most overlooked aspect in the brewing process. To make exceptional coffee you need excpetionaly clean brewing equipment. If the equipment smells like old coffee, so will the coffee you make in it. We find that thoroughly rinsing brewing equipment with hot tap water right away, while its still hot, is often adequate for daily cleaning. When things start to look or smell dirty its time for a more substantial cleaning. We like to use powdered coffee cleaners, but dish soap and a little elbow grease will also get the job done, just be sure that everything is adequately rinsed and no soap residue remains.
We recommend avoiding brewing equipment that has rubber, plastic or silicone that comes in direct contact with the coffee whenever possible, as these materials tend to absorb foul odors over time. When its unavoidable just be extra diligent with your cleaning.
Enjoy your world class coffee!
