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Fundamentally Great Coffee
(Family Features) - The surging popularity of coffeehouses has everyone
wondering how to make great coffee at home. Starbucks Coffee
Company recently provided some expert tips.
"The starting point for making great coffee at home is to
consider it a form of cooking with a precise recipe and
measurements," says Starbucks coffee education specialist
Nicole Soley. "There are four fundamentals to coffee brewing
that ensure a great cup of coffee every time."
Proportion: Use the right proportion of coffee to water.
This is the most important step in making great coffee. For
the most flavorful cup of coffee, Starbucks recommends two
tablespoons of ground coffee (10 grams) for each six fluid
ounces (180 milliliters) of water. If coffee brewed this way
is too strong for your taste, Soley recommends adding a
little hot water to your cup of brewed coffee.
Grind: The shorter the brewing process, the finer the grind.
Different brewing methods require different grind
requirements, so grind your coffee for the brewing method
you use. The amount of time the coffee and water spend
together affects the flavor elements that end up in your cup
of coffee, and the design of your coffee maker dictates how
long the coffee and water sit in direct contact during the
brewing process.
"Coffee ground for an espresso machine should be very fine,
because the brew cycle is less than 30 seconds," Soley
continues. "For a coffee press, the coffee should be coarse
ground, because the water and coffee are in direct contact
for about four minutes."
Water: Use fresh, cold water heated to just off the boil. A
cup of coffee is 98 percent water. Therefore, the water you
use to make coffee should taste clean, fresh and free of
impurities. Water heated to just off the boil (195° F to
205° F or 90° to 96° C) is perfect for extracting the
coffee's full range of flavors. Any cooler and the water
can't adequately do the job. Automatic coffee makers heat
the water for you. Make sure the one you use gets the water
hot enough.
Freshness: Use freshly ground coffee. "Think of coffee as
fresh produce," explains Soley. "Buy only the amount of
coffee that you can consume in a week, so that your coffee
is always at its peak of freshness."
The enemies of coffee are oxygen, light, heat and moisture.
To keep coffee fresh, store it in an opaque, airtight
container at room temperature. Storing coffee in the
refrigerator or freezer for daily use can damage the coffee
as warm, moist air condenses to the beans whenever the
container is opened. For the best results, coffee should be
ground just before brewing.
After brewing, coffee should always be stored in a thermal
carafe. Coffee that is left on a burner can taste burnt and
bitter after only 20 minutes.
For more information on brewing great coffee at home, visit
www.starbucks.com.
SOURCE: Starbucks Coffee Company
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