How to Make Coffee: The Secret

It’s no surprise that many of us want to know how to make the ultimate cup of coffee. After all, over 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed world-wide each year. However, just like Poe in Kung Fu Panda, you will soon discover that there are no secrets. But here are a few tips to help ensure that your coffee is the finest it can be.

Good Coffee Starts With Good Water

You can’t make good coffee from bad water, so pay attention to the quality of your water. Your municipal water supply may not taste the best, so you consider purchasing a filtering system. Some coffee machines actually employ a built-in water filter. If yours’ doesn’t, then bottled or filtered water is an alternative. Distilled or deionized water is another possibility; some coffee drinkers prefer it due to the lack of minerals contained in this type of water.

Good Coffee Demands a Clean Coffee Maker

A dirty coffee machine can impart an off-taste to your coffee so try to clean it on a regularly basis, preferably once a month. If you live in an area where the water is hard, you may have to clean more frequently. Running vinegar through the coffee maker, followed by a couple of cycles of fresh water is one option. You can read more about it in Stainless Steel Coffee Maker Cleaning Tips.

To Make Good Coffee You Need Good Beans

Fresher is always better. Ideally you should roast your own beans, but realistically that probably won’t happen. Even so, you should buy freshly roasted beans whenever possible and ensure they are properly stored. More details on proper storage can be found in Coffee Storage Secrets Revealed. Although you can buy coffee beans that are already ground, it is strongly recommended that you grind your own. In any case, use the ground coffee as soon as possible. Be careful when using a blade grinder as you can end up with a lot of fine powder that will end up clogging your filter. A better alternative is to use a burr mill as it produces ground coffee that is uniformly consistent in size.  A grinder like this may cost a little bit more than a blade grinder, but it’s definitely worth it.

Good Coffee Needs a Good Coffee Machine

Although there are many different ways to make coffee, the automatic drip brewer remains the most popular. Whichever method you choose, make sure that your machine can heat the water to an appropriate temperature, around 195 Fahrenheit. A lot of drip brewers have trouble heating the water to an adequate temperature. If your coffee maker is one of those, consider running a cycle of plain water through first to preheat the system. If that sounds like too much work, then perhaps it’s time for a new coffee machine. You should also make sure that your coffee maker is sized to the amount of coffee you routinely make. Large capacity coffee machines often have trouble making a quality brew in smaller amounts. If you only make a cup or two, you should consider one of the single serve coffee machines. Lastly, though many coffee machines have a feature that allows you to sneak a cup before the process is complete, don’t bother. Allow the brewing cycle to completely finish so that the flavors have a chance to properly blend.

Good Coffee Needs to Be Enjoyed

Enjoy your coffee as soon as it’s ready and don’t let it sit around too long. Coffee becomes increasingly bitter as it is left standing, so you don’t want to leave it for more than about 20 minutes. Warming plates tend to accelerate the onset of bitterness in coffee. If you’re looking for a new coffee maker you might want to look into one that has an insulated carafe. It will keep the coffee warm, without the risk of burning.