Tips for a perfect cup
The NCA, National Coffee Association, recently published a study which stated that though these times of recession, Americans stick to their coffee cups. However, compared to last year, people rather tend to prepare and drink their coffee at home, which on the one hand may be bad news for coffee shop owners, on the other hand specialty purveyors see an opportunity to increase the consumers level of knowledge about the beans and the way how to treat them right.
In recent months, Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery of Annapolis, Md., has been offering workshops that range from proper coffee brewing to the importance of coffee origin to, most recently, pairing coffee with cheese. A new Web site needcaffeine.com just launched allowing folks to order home machines as well as beans from an array of specialty roasters across the nation. And Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea’s Web site this month started selling home-brewing kits complete with a certificate for a brewing class.
Purveyors of fine coffee as such feel in duty bound: “Unlike wine, our beans are not a finished product,” said Vincent Iatesta, owner of Caffe Pronto
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. “And so even if we do an amazing job of choosing the farmer and ensuring that it is harvested, milled, stored, transported and roasted right, we are still dependent on the consumer to prepare the coffee correctly at home. All of our hard work could go to waste if it is not brewed properly.” Iatesta and others shared their suggested steps for brewing a good cup of coffee:
1) Use fresh coffee beans. Minimize the coffee beans’ exposure to air by storing in an airtight container. Don’t store beans in the freezer; it can cause damaging condensation during the thawing process.
2) Use simple, non-electric brewing methods such as a French press or the manual makers such as Melitta and Chemex that allow you to stir the water and grounds while they are steeping for the most even extraction.
3) Splurge for a good burr grinder ($40-$600). Experts say propeller grinders produce uneven grinds. Grind the beans just before you brew.
4) Use a good scoop to measure the recommended 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 to 8 ounces of water.
5) Don’t make coffee with water you wouldn’t drink plain. Experts often use filtered or bottled water. For manual makers, heat the water to a full boil; wait 30 seconds before pouring. Warm your coffeepot with a swish of very hot water.
