Welcome to my first post on thescienceofcoffee. Today, I wanted to write about several simple and effective tips for improving your daily coffee. The most common method for brewing coffee is by an automatic drip coffee maker. Drip coffee is made using a traditional coffee maker (Mr. Coffee, “coffee pot coffee”) where hot water is automatically dripped on top of ground coffee and through a filter. Here is my process for making drip coffee:
Put 4 cups of water in the coffee maker Place filter in the filter basket Run hot water through the filter to remove paper particulates (make sure the coffee pot is underneath to catch the water!) Grind 30 grams of fresh coffee Place beans in the filter and turn the coffee maker on Wait 5-10 minutes and you have delicious/fresh coffee!
After I brew, the most important step occurs! CLEAN UP!!!! Do not leave wet beans in your filter or filter basket for an extended period as it will ruin the flavor of subsequent coffee!
Let’s step up your coffee game with these tips!
Tip 1: Local Coffee Roaster
Purchase your coffee from a local roaster! You will be impressed with how amazing your daily coffee tastes and you will be supporting a local business. A typical bag of coffee will be a bit more expensive (and generally only 12 ounces) but once you find a good roaster you will appreciate the improvement to your daily caffeine intake. After my first bag from a local roaster, I was completely hooked. I wanted to try all of their coffees and to try all of the other roasters in the area. In my experience, local roasters always provide the highest quality coffee beans which are roasted in small batches with care and attention. Generally, local roasters roast every few weeks (depending on popularity) so you will never be purchasing stale beans. Typically, you will want to grind and brew your coffee within 2-3 weeks of the roasting date to avoid the stale coffee taste. Make sure to check the roasting date, if they do not include the date then you can assume it is a bit older than you would like!
One other benefit is that some of the local coffee may be sweeter or milder and therefore you may not need to add cream of sugar (if that is your thing!). This will get rid of those unwanted calories!
Here are some of my favorites in Pittsburgh:
Expense level 2 (adds about $3-5 per bag)
Tip 2: Water
Use the freshest water available to you. Stop using the water that has been sitting in your coffee maker for days! Coffee is nearly 99% water and therefore delicious water can play a large factor in the quality of your coffee. Remember that you do not want to use distilled water because it has all of the minerals removed. The minerals in your water, have been described to me as being similar to salt in your food. If there is no salt in your food, then the food may come out bland or flavorless which can happen with your coffee with no minerals in your water.
If you want to improve your water quality, I would recommend testing out a Third Wave Water Mineral Supplement. The supplement is very easy to use and adds a nice kick to your coffee.
Expense level 0-1 (unless you go for the Third Wave Water Supplement which will add $1-2 per gallon of water used)
Tip 3: Grind
Grind your own coffee.
If you are new to the coffee hobby, you may not realize how big of a difference grinding your own coffee can make. Coffee is freshest within 2 hours of grinding it. Coffee grinders are incredibly affordable and are fun to experiment with. I recommend purchasing a conical burr grinder for your first grinder. JavaPresse sells a manual grinder which I have been using for over a year with great success. Be sure to follow brew guides to determine the grind size for the coffee and brewing method. For drip coffee, use a medium grind size (which is 8-10 clicks on the Java Presse grinder). For more seasoned coffee drinkers, consider purchasing a Baratza electric grinder (Virtuoso is touted as the best for regular coffee) or one of many manual grinders from Prima Coffee and hone into the perfect grind using Kruve sieves.
Expense level 1-5 (an entry level grinder will only cost around $20, however, a good grinder will cost you $150-500 depending on how far you want to take it)
Tip 4: Clean
Clean your coffee maker, grinder, coffee pot, mugs, etc… I am a little bit obsessive about this tip as I clean everything (besides the grinder) immediately after brewing the coffee. If you use a metal mesh coffee filter, you can immerse it in white vinegar weekly to remove the excess coffee from the filter. Another option for a mesh coffee filter is to by cleaner made by Osaka. Here are tips on how to clean your grinder by Prima Coffee.
Expense level 0-1 (the only cost may be the cleaning solution ($10 by Osaka))
Tip 5: Filters
I recommend using paper coffee filters. I just think the coffee tastes better and is a bit “cleaner”. Remember that you can always compost your coffee filters and grounds! I like to pour hot water through the filter before turning the coffee maker on to remove any excess material and to get rid of the “papery” taste. I typically use filters made by Hario or Chemex. I good tip by Scott Rao is to buy a few different types and set them up on cups in a row. Pour cold water through each one and drink each cup. Find the water that has the best flavor, least chemical taste and use that for coffee!
In my experience, the metal mesh coffee filters made for repeated use carry the flavor of the old coffee. I have tried all the tricks including using vinegar to clean them or buying the expensive cleaner made for cleaning mesh and no method seems to work for more than one brew.
Expense level 0-1 (Bags/boxes of filters are typically inexpensive ($5-15). Chemex tends to be a little bit more expensive because they are so substantial)
Tip 6: Storage
Store your coffee beans in a cool, dry, and dark location. If you want to splurge, try purchasing a container that has a carbon dioxide filter which will keep your coffee fresher for longer. Coffee Gator makes a product that works great for me!
Expense level 1 (Purchasing a Coffee Gator or similar product will cost you about $20-30)
Tip 7: Temperature
Typically, coffee is brewed between 200 and 205 degrees Farenheit. Instead of pouring your coffee into an open mug, try pouring your hot coffee into an insulated mug. Zojirushi makes an affordable option that will keep your coffee hot all day. It is surprising how much different a hot cup of coffee tastes compared to a cooler cup from the same brew.
Expense level 1 (Purchasing a Zojirushi will cost about $20-30)
Be willing to try out new methods!
If you like a particular type of coffee, try out different methods of brewing and you might enjoy your coffee even more! A V60 pour over system is very cheap and is my favorite method for brewing coffee. The V60 allows for you to have control of most of the variables when brewing!
Conclusion
Enjoy making your coffee every day! If these tips seem like too much work, then skip them! Coffee is to be enjoyed and should not feel like a daily chore. Anyways, I hope I was able to give you a few helpful tips.
Until next time, keep drinking!