How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Smelling the rich aroma of coffee in the morning is the best way to start a day. It gives you comforting warmth in the cold breezy morning and wakes you up with a good dose of caffeine that energize you all through the day.

Brewing your own coffee is the best way to enjoy it. Not only because it saves you money from expensive coffee shops but because it allows you to make it based on your own taste. You don’t have to be a barista to make a perfect cup of coffee. However, there are factors to consider and techniques you can learn to achieve it.

Great coffee starts with great beans. You can choose any coffee variety that you want as this is a matter of your own preference but remember to always consider freshness to get the maximum taste of the beverage. It is a good practice to buy freshly roasted bean in small amounts, ideally every one or two weeks, to make sure it is fresh when you brew it. Put it in an airtight container and store at room temperature. It is also important to never reuse coffee grounds as the wonderful flavors have been extracted and only the bitter ones are left.

The size of the grind is another important factor that affects the quality and flavor of your coffee. Too finely ground coffee will result to over extraction and will taste bitter. Too coarse on the other hand will result to under extraction which might taste flat. Using a burr or mill grinder is the best choice in grinding your coffee as it has an even and better consistency of size. It is good to buy a whole coffee beans and grind them as close to the brewing time as possible to get a fresher taste.

Water is also a big factor in making a perfect cup of coffee. There are three important things you need to put in mind with regards to this.

• Quality of Water. Avoid using tap water and instead use filtered or purified water when making coffee. Tap water has a strong smell and taste of chlorine which can affect the taste of the drink.
• Coffee and Water Ratio. The general rule is to have one to two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. However, this can be adjusted based on your taste and preferences.
• Water Temperature. Brew at 195 to 205-degree Fahrenheit or 90 to 96-degree Celsius for optimal extraction. Brewing the beverage at a colder temperature will result to flat taste because it is under-extracted while brewing it too hot will loss the quality taste of coffee making it bitter.

There are electric kettles that allows you to select temperature which are handy in getting the right temperature for your coffee. If you don’t have this type of kettle, let the water come to a full boil and let it sit for a minute before pouring it to the coffee grounds. Remember not to over boil the water as this might affect the taste of the drink.

Steeping time is another important factor that affects the taste of coffee and this depends on the method that you use. In a drip system, it should take approximately 5 minutes. If you’re using a French Press, it should be within two to four minutes. In espresso, steeping time should take 20 to 30 seconds only. Some electric kettles have a keep warm feature for this purpose.

It is best to serve coffee right after brewing while it’s fresh and hot but of course you can let it sit until it reached the comfortable temperature that you like.

Coffee is a personal preference. We all have different taste when it comes to this beverage. Brewing it on our own gives us the freedom to make it perfect for us.