The perfect cup of coffee will always be determined by the person drinking it, making it a subjective practice. Your preferences will most likely be different than mine, and I will have different preferences from the next person. However, there are five steps to making that perfect cup of coffee no matter what your taste is.
The five steps to crafting your perfect cup of coffee are:
4 1 2 Grinder
1) Fresh Coffee Beans
Using fresh beans is the first step to a great cup of java. Grind the beans at the store or at home if you have your own grinder. There are two types of home grinders. There are the burr and the blade grinders. The burr is a popular choice because the beans get ground in a consistent manner. Be sure to buy your beans in small amounts. Get only enough to last a week or two. Avoid those large containers of pre-ground beans that have sat around in the stores. When grinding your own beans, grind them as close to the brewing time as possible. You will have to figure out how you like the various types of grinds. Do you like it fine medium or coarse? What flavor do you want? Do you prefer the regular coffee flavor or do you like to venture out and try the various flavored beans? You can get anything from hazelnut to berry flavored coffees; the list goes on and on.
2) The Coffee Maker
There are countless coffee makers on the market. Do you use a french press? Are you the single cup coffee maker type of person? Is drip coffee suitable to your needs? Do you like Turkish coffee? Each method of brewing coffee will produce a different tasting cup of coffee, so you would do well to research these various types to determine what your immediate needs are.
3) Cleanliness
Keep your coffee maker clean. If you can see coffee stains or it smells like coffee, then it is time to clean your machine. There are various products on the market that you can use to maintain your coffee maker. Spending a few minutes every day for routine maintenance on your coffee brewer will really pay dividends in the way of taste and durability.
4) Water
Water is very important for your perfect cup of coffee. In fact, it represents 98% of the entire cup of coffee you drink every morning. Fresh cold filtered water is a good start. Tap waters various minerals and other elements can affect the taste of the coffee, but will work in many instances. The best temperature of the water used should be between 195 degrees and 205 degrees F.
5) Proportion
The ratio of coffee to water is important to the quality in your cup of coffee. Two scoops of coffee in your standard coffee funnel to six ounces of water are recommended. However, you can vary this according to the strength of coffee you desire.
These are five steps to a perfect cup of coffee. First you have to start with freshly ground beans. You have to find a coffee maker that makes your perfect cup of coffee and you have to keep that coffee maker clean a Keurig coffee maker or Cuisinart drip machine is a place to start your research. Since water is the base used to get the coffee made it has to be good. Tap water has too many different elements in it which affects the flavor of your coffee.