Thread: How to make Great coffee.

I have had a few inquiries via PM about coffee. I could respond to them individually, but I happen to be aware there are some here who know something about coffee. I, myself, have a passion for great coffee and enjoy sharing what I know. I have the good fortune of enjoying great coffee almost every day.

I thought I would start off with what I feel is bare bones equipment for getting a great cup. I will leave out roasting your own coffee, because I feel you can get great coffee without roasting your own. It is, however, one of the ways to improve your coffee experience over the basic set up. Hopefully you have a roaster near you. If not (and I didn't) you may want to consider roasting your own.

French press - this is the least expensive way to brew great coffee. At first, I was concerned about the grounds in my cup, but that really didn't turn out to be much of a problem. You just decant with some care and don't try to wring out every drop you can get. The french press has the advantages of being inexpensive and retaining all the oils that contribute to body, texture and flavor. It is a quiet way of making coffee in the AM. to tell the truth a cup of coffee made with an $18,000 Clover is better, but not by a wide margin.

Hot water - the optimum brewing temperature is between 195 and 205 degrees F. You can heat the water in a stove top teakettle. I like the convenience of an electric hot water pot. You need cold fresh water. You can't make good coffee from bad tasting water.

Grinder - it makes a big difference when you grind the coffee immediately before brewing. Ground coffee has noticeable loss of flavor within minutes of grinding and you are well on your way to stale coffee within 1-2 hours. You can get by with a cheap blade grinder, but if you have extra money in your coffee budget, this is where to put it. Don't let anyone tell you that a more expensive blade grinder is any better than a cheap one. Good burr grinders seem to start in the $80-$100 range. There are less expensive burr grinders, but people tend to get upgraditis more quickly with them, than with better models (Yes there is GRAD - Grinder AD).

There you have it, you are ready to make some awesome coffee.

The process:

Obtain specialty grade, fresh roasted, unground, Arabica coffee. Robusta is what the big coffee companies use most often. It has the advantage of being able to grow at lower altitudes than arabica, it has twice the caffeine of arabica. It has the disadvantage of being less healthy for you than Arabica (Did you know that coffee has the highest content of antioxidants than any other beverage by a wide margin - even green tea).

Begin heating your water.

While that is going on, grind your beans. I weigh my beans. The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) recommends 7 grams per cup. This will make strong coffee by most American standards. My wife likes it at about 2/3's of this strength. The best way to get a weaker cup that tastes good is to make it at SCAA strength, then dilute it to the volume you want adding more hot water just prior to pressing. You are shooting for a grind size slightly smaller than most commercially ground coffees and put the grounds into the FP. ( the instructions that come with a FP say slightly larger than for drip, but that is for fear of being sued for bursting glass and burns from hot water).

When the water is boiling remove it from the heat and, when the boiling stops, add it to the FP. I do a stir part way through filling the FP to make sure than all the grounds get well mixed before steeping begins. I usually steep for 3 minutes, but I use an expensive grinder (remember GRAD) and grind pretty small (so I can used a shorter time and avoid over extraction). With a blade grinder you will probably do well to steep for 4 mins.

Now press the plunger. You press hard enough to get a nice even push. you should not have to press hard. If you get too much resistance just give a quick pull back and then resume the press. If you have ground too fine, you may have to do this a couple of times.

Now the best part. Pour it into your waiting mug. sit back and enjoy the simplicity of the process and the great coffee you just made.

Tips:

the advantages of grinding smaller is shorter brewing times and ALL grinders become more consistent at the smaller end of the range. This is more important as you get to less expensive grinders. Grind it as fine as you can without creating too much back pressure in the plunge.

There will need to be some adjustment at higher altitudes to get the right brewing temperature.

Brew as much coffee as you will drink in a short period of time. My 32 ounce pot is enough for myself and my wife to get 2 big mugs each.

Going by weight is more consisten than by volume. At home, I use 45 grams for about 1 liter. When I am away from my scale I use 4 standard coffee measure for 32 ounces.

There are other great ways to make coffee like Vac pot, drip, pourover, and many others. It's hard to beat French press for great coffee on the cheap.

I have a 4 cup FP that I use at work cause I am the only one that does not buy there coffee at Starburnts. That little FP fills my cup up nicely.

I have a Mr. Coffee Grinder, I think it was $30. It is a blade grinder and I love it for 2 reasons. One it has settings for Fine, Course, and Medium Grind, and 4, 8, and 12 cup settings. The Second reason is the it is internally timed. So if I set the grind for Fine 4 cups and press the button it will grind then stop when it has completed the process. It is a blade grinder and I have had great success with it.

It also has a little tablespoon scale for 4, 8, and 12 cups to measure the beans. I steep for 4 minutes and clean everything afterwards. Not a Cadillac but defiantly a Honda. It will get you there efficiently.

I love french press coffee, but i hate cleaning it.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I love french press coffee, but i hate cleaning it.

I hear you there - but it can be simple enough - about half the press filled with water, a drop of soap and happy plunging. Then rinse. Thoroughly.

Maybe its just my opinion, but I find a better cup to come from a very coarse grind with a longer steeping time in a french press.



Also, heating the water to the correct temperature can be more challenging than it sounds.
IMHO, the correct water temperature is way more important than the grind.



Really it is splitting hairs, because the quality of coffee coming from a french press is literally 'head and shoulders' above a drip.



Great Post, Pyment !


I've been a coffee nut for a few years now.

Thanks for the post Py!

Can you recommend a good (hopefully inexpensive) starter french press?

Would it be a good idea to get the aeropress instead? Or is this completely different?

I bought a Bodum from the Starburnts here for $20. It is a 4 cup and works wonders. I am sure there are better, but the price was right.

Here's my technique. Some coffee purists may scoff, but I find it works well, and everyone who I've ever served it to has liked it as well.

I start out with one of those enamelware percolator pots you get for camping. You know, the blue with white speckles all over it. Take the percolator stuff out and put it in the recycling bin. It's worthless. The capacity of one of these pots is roughly three quarts, and you need about that much room to make this work.

Put one quart of water in the pot, set it on the stove and bring it to a boil. Grind your beans until they are about the consistancy of talcum powder ("weaponized", as my brother likes to call it) For one quart, you'll need four level scoops of this grind. Remember, it must be a fine as you can get it. It takes a while in a blade-style grinder, so stick with it. Once the water has come to a boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool a bit. Dump the coffee into the water and then put it back on the heat. It will begin to foam up. Once the foam gets to within about an inch of the top of the pot (you need to watch it the entire time, it happens pretty quickly), remove it from the heat. Wait for the foam to settle back down to the original water level (about 45 seconds), and then put it back on the heat. It will foam up again like the first time, but have your cup ready now. Once it get's to within an inch of the top, remove the pot from the heat and pour.

I find this to be the most satisfying cup of coffee ever. Some may say "This is no way to make a pot of coffee, but that's becausae they haven't tried it yet. It is some tasty stuff.

I like a well made cup of espresso, and I love french press (only I use a fine espresso grind), but my Turkish/cowboy coffee is how I prefer to start my days.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

Here's my technique. Some coffee purists may scoff, but I find it works well, and everyone who I've ever served it to has liked it as well.

I start out with one of those enamelware percolator pots you get for camping. You know, the blue with white speckles all over it. Take the percolator stuff out and put it in the recycling bin. It's worthless. The capacity of one of these pots is roughly three quarts, and you need about that much room to make this work.

Put one quart of water in the pot, set it on the stove and bring it to a boil. Grind your beans until they are about the consistancy of talcum powder ("weaponized", as my brother likes to call it) For one quart, you'll need four level scoops of this grind. Remember, it must be a fine as you can get it. It takes a while in a blade-style grinder, so stick with it. Once the water has come to a boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool a bit. Dump the coffee into the water and then put it back on the heat. It will begin to foam up. Once the foam gets to within about an inch of the top of the pot (you need to watch it the entire time, it happens pretty quickly), remove it from the heat. Wait for the foam to settle back down to the original water level (about 45 seconds), and then put it back on the heat. It will foam up again like the first time, but have your cup ready now. Once it get's to within an inch of the top, remove the pot from the heat and pour.

I find this to be the most satisfying cup of coffee ever. Some may say "This is no way to make a pot of coffee, but that's becausae they haven't tried it yet. It is some tasty stuff.

I like a well made cup of espresso, and I love french press (only I use a fine espresso grind), but my Turkish/cowboy coffee is how I prefer to start my days.

Interesting idea. Do you pour through a filter? Or do the grinds dissolve somehow?

Sounds like you're using it like a rather large Ibrik. Which means your cup capacity "shrinks" as you drink if you're not "straining" it. Beware that last sip!