YOU
CAN'T MAKE GOOD COFFEE WITH BAD BEANS:
- Always try to use
100% Arabica blend
- When choosing your
beans look for uniformity of size and colour.
- Buy your beans from
a reputable supplier
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STORING:
Protect your beans from air & mosture in sealable containers.
Ideally coffee should be consumed within ten days of roasting
For long term storage either freeze or refrigerate the beans.
Don't keep putting the coffee in and out of the fridge which will
cause moisture to condensate onto the coffee and adversely affect
the flavour.
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GRINDING:
DON'T grind the beans until you're going to use them!
The consistency of the grind is essential, an average coffee with
a great grind is better than a great coffee with a poor grind.
Espresso must have a fine grind.
A plunger must have a coarse grind
filter coffee must have a medium grind.
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BREWING:
A cup of coffee is more than 98% water. If your tap water tastes
more like bath water, like mine, make sure you filter it, use bottled
water or even rainwater from the tank.
DON'T boil the water
Use the following equation:
*Plunger/Filter = One dessert spoon per cup + one for the pot
*Espresso = 7 to 9 gms coffee per 30ml (you should get 10% crema
on your espresso liquor).
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SERVING:
Hot coffee should always go into a warm cup.
NEVER boil milk - it should only be heated to 70C.
DON'T leave filter coffee on the hot plate for any longer than 20
minutes or it will turn rancid.
Use demerara sugar with your coffee.
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OTHER
KEY POINTS:
Crema is the holy grail of the coffee afficiando.
Crema should be a rich golden brown with no dark brown or whitish
streaks (a sign of under/over extraction).
Crema is essential on an espresso pour and also forms in plunger
coffee when the plunge is pushed down after 5 minutes brew time.
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