Coffee starts to deteriorate about 24 hours after it is
roasted. Air, light and heat all contribute to making coffee go
stale.
It is therefore important to keep coffee in
an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
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Fresh coffee continues to produce
carbon dioxide after roasting. This gas can also affect
coffee taste.
One-way valves are used in coffee bags to expel
carbon
dioxide whilst keeping air out, but you must remember to
reseal your coffee bags to maximise their effect. |
Generally speaking, coffee should not be refrigerated or frozen
as it can get damp and may develop harmful frost. Only refrigerate
coffee if there is no suitable alternative storage place and
remove as much air and moisture from the coffee bag as possible.
Whole beans stay fresher longer than ground coffee because
there is less surface area in contact with the air. Purchasing
your coffee as whole beans and grinding the beans when required
ensures that your coffee is fresher and also gives you the
ability to grind beans appropriately if you use more than one
brewing method, eg finer for espresso machines and coarser
for plungers.
There is a variety of ways to brew coffee and each has its own
benefits.
| Espresso is best known for producing
strong, intense coffees however other brewing methods can
also produce intense “hits”. Plungers are very
good at drawing out the subtleties of African origin coffees
and drip filters can produce a well balanced smooth
brew. |
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 |
The best brewing method to use depends upon your individual
taste and convenience factors. Some beans are also more suited
to specific brewing techniques (the Coffee Days tasting notes
will highlight these characteristics to you).
Here are some useful tips for brewing coffee using
the most popular methods...
| Tips for all Brewing Methods: |
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| • |
Use fresh coffee. |
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The fresher the coffee, the better the taste!
See the storage
tips above. |
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|
| • |
Use pure water. |
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Most of your cup of coffee is made up of water, so it makes
sense to ensure that your water is pure. Tap water contains
impurities so ideally you should either filter your tap water
with a carbon filter or use bottled water. |
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|
| • |
Do not boil the water |
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Coffee is best made with water that has not boiled and is
slightly below boiling point. |
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|
| • |
Use coffee that is ground specifically for
the brewing method
you use.Different
brewing methods require different grinds of different coarseness. If
you use
coffee ground to fine for your brewing method, you will experience over-extracted,
bitter sludge. Too coarse and the coffee will be weak and watery. |
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|
| • |
Generally speaking, the longer the water
is in contact with the coffee during the brewing process, the
coarser the
coffee should be. Espresso uses the finest
grind while plungers use the coarsest. |
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|
| • |
If you use a variety of brewing methods,
for example a stove-top at home and plunger in the office,
grind your coffee in separate batches to suit. |
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|
| • |
Use the correct proportion of coffee and water for
the number of cups you are serving. Use 7g of coffee, which
is one coffee scoop or one heaped tablespoon per cup – and
note that this is “per cup”, not “per mug”.
Use a kitchen measure to determine how many real cups you are
making in order to know how much coffee to use. |
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|
| • |
It is important to experiment with your
equipment to know the perfect grind and quantities of coffee
and water to use. Each piece of equipment varies slightly,
so you should experiment to find the perfect grind and quantities
for your particular equipment. |
Checklist for Great Coffee:
 Fresh
Coffee
Pure Water
Correct Grind
Correct Quantity
| Plunger: |
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|
| 1. |
Make sure the glass and filter are clean of dust,
dirt and old coffee |
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|
| 2. |
Use coarsely to medium ground coffee |
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|
| 3. |
Heat the water to just under boiling point |
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|
| 4. |
Warm the glass by sloshing some water around it and then
throw it out. Plungers are a relatively cold way to brew coffee
as the water is not heated during the long brewing process.
Pre-warming the glass will keep the coffee warmer. |
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|
| 5. |
Scoop in the appropriate amount of coffee for the number
of cups you are making |
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|
| 6. |
Pour in the hot water from a little height so that it stirs
up the coffee as it enters the plunger. Remember to use the
appropriate amount of water for the number of cups you are
making. |
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|
| 7. |
Stir the coffee with a plastic spoon – don’t
use a metal spoon as it risks breaking the glass |
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|
| 8. |
Put the lid on the plunger but do not let the filter descend
into the liquid. This step traps the heat in the plunger to
keep the coffee warmer. |
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|
| 9. |
Wait four minutes |
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|
| 10. |
Now for an optional but fun step – remove
the lid and lightly break the crust to enjoy an intense aroma.
With a little experience, the smell will tell you how well
you have brewed your coffee. |
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|
| 11. |
Press the filter down firmly but gently. Make
sure that the spout is open and clear to avoid the coffee backing
up and flowing out. If the filter is hard to press down then
you have probably used too much coffee. |
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|
| 12. |
Serve and enjoy. Remember to put a mat under
the plunger when it is on the table to avoid slipping and heat
damage to your table. |
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|
| 13. |
Plungers make an excellent, subtle black coffee
that allows you to taste the combination of flavours. The slight
pressure exerted as the coffee is “plunged” extracts
the acidity or fruitiness of coffee. |
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|
| 14. |
When cleaning the plunger, it is best to hold
the glass down on the table and withdraw the filter upwards.
This avoids the embarrassing situation smashing the glass on
the table as the filter is removed. |
| Home Espresso Machine: |
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|
| 1. |
Make sure the equipment is clean,
particularly the filter baskets and brewing heads |
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|
| 2. |
Heat the machine to bring it up to pressure |
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|
| 3. |
Prime the machine by running some water through
the brewing head |
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|
| 4. |
Use finely ground coffee |
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|
| 5. |
Place one measure (7g) of coffee into the filter
basket and “tamp” it by applying firm even pressure
on the coffee with the tamper provided with your machine. This
is important to ensure that the water flows through the coffee
evenly and encounters the correct amount of resistance on its
way through. Refer to your machine’s instructions for
guidance. |
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|
| 6. |
Place the basket into the brewing head |
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| 7. |
Place a pre-warmed cup under the brewing head |
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| 8. |
Start extracting the coffee. If you are extracting
manually, stop the process just as the coffee starts to lose
its syrup consistency. The coffee should be syrupy and carry
the bubbles of the crema as it emerges from the machine. Over-extracting
will cause bitterness. |
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|
| 9. |
For a strong coffee, stop the extraction early
in the process. This will result in a smaller quantity of strong,
almost sweet coffee. If you want more coffee, then serve a
double (doppio) measure. |
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|
| 10. |
For a weak coffee, follow the instructions above
and then add hot water. Do not over-extract the coffee as this
will result in an over-extracted, bitter cup. |
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|
| 11. |
The perfect formula for a cup of espresso is
one measure of coffee and 30ml of water extracted for 30 seconds |
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|
| 12. |
Wipe clean the filter basket immediately after
use and prime the machine again before making more coffee |
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|
| 13. |
If using the machine to steam milk, be sure
to allow the machine to return to normal brewing temperature
and pressure before brewing more coffee. Steaming requires
hotter water at higher pressure than does brewing and it takes
time for home espresso machines to return to the ideal settings
for brewing coffee after having steamed milk. Ideally, you
should steam your milk after brewing your coffee. |
| Stovetop: |
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|
| 1. |
Ensure all parts of the brewer are
clean, particularly the filter basket and pot |
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|
| 2. |
Fill the lower compartment with water up to
just below the relief valve |
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|
| 3. |
Use fine to medium ground coffee. Experiment
with the grind to find what is perfect for your particular
equipment. |
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|
| 4. |
Insert the filter basket and fill it with coffee
to the top. Use a basket appropriate for the number of cups
you are making. Scrape of any excess coffee with a knife, ensuring
that no coffee remains on the rim as it can interfere with
the seal. Do not tamp the coffee as you would for an espresso
machine. |
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|
| 5. |
Assemble the brewer and place over strong heat.
Gas is preferable to electricity because you can instantly
stop the brewing process at the appropriate time. |
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| 6. |
Watch for the coffee flowing into the top section.
It will emerge with a fantastic syrup consistency. Stop the
brewing process by removing the unit from the heat or turning
off the gas as soon as the coffee’s consistency changes
from syrup to finer liquid, or when it starts to bubble or
froth. |
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|
| 7. |
Allowing the coffee to brew longer will cause
bitter over-extraction. If you want a weaker coffee, then add
hot water but do not allow it to continue brewing. |
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|
| 8. |
Pour immediately so that the coffee doesn’t
burn due to the pot’s heat |
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|
| 9. |
If the coffee did not come out in a syrup, you
have probably used too coarse a grind. If, on the other hand,
you did not get a lot of coffee out of the machine, then the
grind was probably too fine. |
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|
| 10. |
Stove top machines can deliver excellent espresso
coffee at a fraction of the cost of home espresso machines |
| Drip Filter: |
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|
| 1. |
Make sure the equipment is clean.
If using a paper filter, ensure that it is a pure one that
won’t impart any other flavours into the coffee. If using
a gold foil filter, ensure that it has been rinsed of any residual
detergent since its last wash. |
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|
| 2. |
Scoop in the appropriate amount of coffee for
the number of cups you are making |
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|
| 3. |
Ensure that the filter is assembled correctly |
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|
| 4. |
Heat the water to just under boiling point |
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|
| 5. |
Steep the coffee by pouring in a little hot
water to soak the coffee, wait a few seconds then pour in the
rest of the appropriate amount of water for the number of cups
you are making |
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|
| 6. |
If you have used the correct proportion of coffee
and water and the correct grind, your coffee will be perfectly
brewed when the water stops dripping through the filter. If
the coffee is too light then the coffee is over-extracted – the
coffee should remain dark. |
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|
| 7. |
Drip filters produce a well balanced, mild brew
because the only pressure acting on the coffee is the force
of gravity. It is also a fairly forgiving brewing method. |
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|
| 8. |
Serve and enjoy! |
Vacuum Pot:
Vacuum pots are a rare but fantastic way to brew coffee. They can
be cumbersome and fragile but the results are fantastic.
The vacuum pot is a great way to brew coffee because its design
ensures that the coffee is brewed for exactly the right amount
of time at exactly the right temperature. The only thing that comes
in contact with the coffee is the water, so the coffee tastes very
pure.
But probably the best thing about vacuum pots is the show they
put on during the brewing process. This is definitely one way to
brew coffee in front of your friends!
Vacuum pots look like an hourglass, with two glass pots connected
at their necks. Coffee grounds are placed in the top pot and water
in the bottom pot. As the water is heated, it moves up a tube into
the top pot where it infuses with the coffee. As the water then
cools, the vacuum in the lower pot draws the water back down through
a filter. The top pot is removed and the coffee is poured from
the bottom pot.
Vacuum pots are heated either electrically or by
a small flame. Bodum makes both styles, called the Santos. Watch
out for the new
electric Santos to be released in Australia in 2004!
 |
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| There are four characteristics to
consider when tasting, or cupping, coffee: |
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|
| A |
Aroma – the first impression
upon smelling the coffee |
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|
| B |
Body – the feel of the coffee’s
weight or density. Whether or not some coffees are actually
heavier than others, they can still feel thicker or heavier.
The brewing method can also influence the perception of body,
with espresso feeling the heaviest. |
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|
| C |
Flavour – the overall perception of
individual flavour components in the coffee. This can be
very subjective and there is no set vocabulary to describe
the tastes. Like wine, almost any adjective goes. So feel
free to express whatever it is you taste in your coffee!
|
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|
| D |
Acidity – the fruitiness or crispness
of the coffee. It has nothing to do with PH levels but everything
to do with lively, refreshing flavours.
|
Coffee characteristics vary with and
without milk - try it both ways. Differences are easier to detect
in black coffee as milk masks many subtle flavours.
When you taste or "cup"
coffee, slurp it so that it is aerated and contacts all parts
of your tongue. This is because different tastes are detected
by
the taste buds on different parts of your tongue.
Each characteristic is influenced not only by the bean(s) used,
but also by the roast.
 |
| Blend |
A combination of different origins
and/or roasts. |
| Origin |
Coffee from a single nation or region, unblended. |
| Roast |
The extent to which the beans have been exposed to high temperatures
in the roasting process. Roasts vary from light to dark. |
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