Introduction
It is a well know fact that rotary enthusiasts are highly caffeinated. But, how does one make the best brew? Read on!
Beans!
There are two approaches to picking good beans. One is to buy a good bag of whole roasted beans, and the other is
[Roasting your own Beans]. Both require a bit of trial and error until you find a good roast! In either case, buy the beans whole, and not ground.
Grinding Grounds
A burr grinder (left) and blade grinder (right).
Grind your beans just before brewing. The two main grinder types are blade and burr. Blade grinders are like blenders, and burr grinders are like pepper mills. To get the best results from a blade grinder, don't run it flat-out, but pulse it and watch the grinds for whatever consistency you're looking for. Course grounds make smoother coffee, and finer grounds make stronger, more bitter coffee. A burr grinder has much better results automatically.
Besting your Brewer
There are many kinds of coffee makers, many more than the standard drip brewers. Here are some tips for the different kinds:
A drip machine with thermal carafe.
Drip Coffee Makers
Drip machines are easy to use, but hard to get good coffee out of. A good drip brewer will have a thermal carafe (one of those double-walled vacuum pots) instead of a hot plate to keep the coffee warm, and have a valve that allows brewing coffee to build up in the filter basket while the coffee pot is pouring someone's cup. We'll take advantage of this valve feature in step 2. Tips:
- Dump your grinds in the filter basket.
- Taking advantage of that drip valve, remove the empty pot so the valve is closed.
- Pour water into the water tank and turn the maker on.
- Allow the filter basket to fill with enough water to saturate the grinds, and stir to make sure all grinds are soaked.
- Place the coffee pot back where it should be and walk away.
- When dripping is finished, stir the pot, serve, and enjoy.
Drip coffee filters
Paper filters are easy to clean up but filter out the coffee's oils. Certain roasts taste best when used with a mesh filter instead. Note how shiny the dark roast is compared to the medium roast; that's the coffee's natural oil.
Left: dark roast vs. medium roast
Right: paper and metal mesh filter
Behold: The French Press!
French Press
It's hard to go wrong with a french press, but making coffee is slightly more manual, and cleanup is more painful. Tips:
- Start some water boiling on the stove.
- Dump your grounds in the beaker. They say french presses need course grounds to avoid sludge and clogging, but some beans just taste best with a medium grind, and the thing about sludge is, you don't have to drink it.
- Pour the hot water into the beaker.
- Stir the grounds until everything is thoroughly saturated.
- Wait 4 minutes, press the filter plunger, and enjoy!
Vacuum Pot
Vacuum pots are like automated french press units, but have better results.
Fill this in if you have experience with one!
Espresso Machine
Espresso machines are generally thought to make the best brew. They are also generally thought to be extremely expensive. Visit a cafe' and enjoy!
See Also...
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