Coffee - Avoiding Brewing A Bad Cup

by Imelda Ball February 10, 2021

If a good cup of coffee was so easy to make by simply just throwing in your choice of coffee grinds into water and then into your percolator, then you could settle for just any quality of beans. Unfortunately, a bad cup of coffee is so very easy to make. However, making a truly tasty and fresh cup of java every morning requires you to do things properly before you drink it.

Fresh water that is cold is your first port of call. Pour it into your coffee machine for that perfectly delicious brew. Avoid water that has been pre-boiled or comes from your hot tap. The best results come from filling your machine with filtered or bottled water, especially if your plumbing is old, we suggest using distilled water for purity of coffee taste, as well as, keeping your electric drip machine from building up scale deposits. This is especially important in areas where there is an abundance of highly chlorinated or hard type water.

Water temperature is another critical aspect that will affect the final results. Your water should be between 195° to 205° only. Overly hot water can make your coffee far too bitter. Would you drink that? Overly cool water cannot draw out the wonderful flavor, and usually no color. You might as well drink boiled water, right?

If you use a coffee "French" press in the morning, bring your water to a boil for a minute, add it and follow your step-by-step instructions (future blog on doing this properly).  Drip coffee machines can also benefit from scalding the pot ahead of time with pre-heated water.  This simple procedure is used for tea making too.  You should pour the water into the pot and swish it around to warm it up.  Then pour it out and let the coffee drip in.  This further emphasizes the flavor and the aroma.

Of course, the most important aspect is having the proper grind for your machine.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can use any grind.  There are two main types of grinds, specially designed for the pressing pot or the electric or Bunn coffee makers.  Whether you grind your beans yourself or buy them locally ground, the press machine needs about 10 seconds of grinding to produce medium or coarse grinds.  You can pick up fairly cheap blade grinders anywhere.  Electric types and drips need grinds that have been process for fifteen to twenty seconds to get a fine to medium grind.  Whichever you use you will be rewarded with the perfect cup of coffee.

---

Also in News