Make coffee the way you like it! Try different grinds, different brew methods, different coffee proportions. There are lots of ways to make a great cup of coffee. These are just a few simple suggestions from our personal experience making coffee at home.

Storing

You can ensure you always enjoy fresh coffee by following these simple steps:

  • Buy freshly-roasted beans.
  • Protect beans from air, moisture, light, and heat to keep them fresh longer. Store them in a washable, air-tight, light-proof container. If you have to store them long term, store them in an air-tight container in the freezer. Take out 2-weeks worth at a time and thaw before using. This is not ideal for the integrity of the beans, so it's best to buy less and buy often for the freshest coffee. Avoid refrigerating beans because the inside of a fridge is moist and there may be flavors (such as onions) that can seep into the coffee.

Grinding

Grind beans immediately before brewing. Whole beans have a cellular structure that protects the delicate oils that provide aroma and flavor.

Different grinds give you different coffee tastes. Experiment with your grinder to find the one you like best.


Brewing

Brew only what you will consume within 20 minutes or so. Brewed coffee left in the pot on a burner gets funky fast. A thermos bottle or carafe is a good way to hold brewed coffee, but it shouldn’t be kept much longer than an hour or so. You'll definitely notice the difference.

  • Start with 'good water' — filter water that is chlorinated or use bottled water. Never use water from the hot water tap.
  • Brew with water between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees F, so you have to wait until it cools a bit after boiling to avoid extracting bitter elements from the coffee.
  • Use the correct grind (fineness) for your brewing method. A coarser grind for plunger pots, a medium grind for old-fashioned drip machines, a fine grind for filter drip machines. (Learn to distinguish grinds by rubbing the grounds between your fingers and noting particle size.)
  • Measure the water and coffee grounds carefully. We recommend two level tablespoons for each six ounces of brew water, or four level tablespoons for a 12-ounce mug of coffee.
  • Control the contact time of water on the grounds. For plunger pots, allow three minutes of brew time before plunging; good automatic drip pots are calibrated to optimize contact time.
  • If using paper filters, try to find the non-chlorine bleached ones. These are white, but are made white with hydrogen peroxide. Some people who use brown, unbleached paper filters may taste the lignins from the paper pulp which may impart an undesirable flavor. Permanent, 'gold filters' work great and they don't impart any 'papery' flavors to the brew.

Pour Over

Fill your grinder halfway to the top with fresh beans (this is a standard 'measure' of sorts). If you’re making two cups, fill the beans to the top of the grinder. Grind them long enough to let others in the house know that fresh coffee is on the way. Pulse the grinder a couple of times and shake it a bit during the process.

Put a Melitta-style cone filter on top of your favorite mug and pour the ground coffee into the paper filter. Slowly pour hot water over the grounds until the cup is full. If you’re making two cups, move the cone back and forth between the two cups until they are full.

  • Drink your coffee.
  • Wash your mug.
  • Compost your coffee grounds.

Cold Brew

  • 2 qt cold Water (preferably filtered)
  • 1 1/2 cups of coarsely ground dark roast coffee
  • Put the coarse-ground coffee in the bottom of a 2 quart pitcher or jar.
  • Fill the pitcher or jar with filtered cold water and gently stir to wet the grounds.
  • Leave undisturbed on your counter for 12-24 hours.
  • Then, using a fine mesh strainer, pour the coffee through the strainer into a clean pitcher.
  • If you wish a finer strain you can place paper towel inside the strainer. Store the iced coffee in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Many thanks to Abbey Duke of Sugarsnap for kindly sharing this wonderful recipe with us.