Brought to you by STAYPure.
JOE’s guide to the perfect cup of Joe.
There’s nothing like making yourself a perfect cup of coffee. While you can always pop down to your local café, there’s no reason that you can’t make an amazing cuppa from the comfort of your own home.
Regardless of whether you use an Aeropress, a French press or a filter, the following tips will tell you exactly what you need to make a perfect cup of coffee.
1. Get good coffee before you start
You can’t polish a turd. If you want a great cuppa, then you need good coffee.
2. Beans means better coffee
Using ground coffee is a must and that means buying beans. Look for coffee with “roast dates” within the last fortnight. This will ensure that your beans still have that “fresh roast” taste. Maybe it’s time to treat yourself to a good grinder as well for the best results.
Burr grinders are better than blade grinders if you’re looking for a consistent grind. Check out this guide to see what type of grinds work best with different brewing methods.
3. Think about the water quality
Nobody expects you to use spring water from the Alps but you do need good water to make good coffee. Bottled water may seem a bit excessive but there are other options, that can make all the difference.
Pop a STAYpure Pod into a water jug or bottle and leave it there to remove chemicals (like chlorine and other contaminants) that create stale tastes and odours. It will also balance the pH and mineralize the water. This results in purer, fresher-tasting water that’s ideal for coffee making.
A single STAYPure pod will just keep on going and provide you with enough great-tasting water for 1000 litres of water.
4. Get the water temperature right
Get ready to channel your inner Goldilocks as the temperature of your water will have a big impact on flavour extraction. So avoid using boiling water, even if that seems counterintuitive.
If the water is too hot, it results in over-extraction and a bitter flavour. If it’s not hot enough, it won’t extract the flavours properly and you’ll end up with bland coffee. Aim for 92-96 degrees Celsius and it should be just right.
5. Storage is important
Store your beans away from light, heat and moisture if you want them to retain their flavour. Once your beans are ground, the oils in the beans will begin to oxidise if they’re not sealed in an airtight container.
They can lose up to 60% of moisture and aroma within 15 minutes so only grind as much as you need. No pressure so!
6. Don’t skimp on the coffee
The ratio of coffee to water matters. A standard ratio is 60g of coffee to one litre of water. Get scales that can measure to 0.1g for more precision. No scales? Well, a simpler guideline is the “golden ratio,” which recommends between one and two tablespoons of coffee for every 180ml of water.
Trying to squeeze out an extra cup by adding more water will only impact on the taste and result in bland coffee. You can use slightly less coffee if you’re using an immersion method like a French press, as there is more time for extraction to happen. Everyone has their own taste so brew it to suit your personal preference.
7. Timing is everything
Getting the extraction time right is key when making coffee. Brewing causes chemicals and flavours to be extracted from the coffee. Remember that stopping extraction too soon will make it sour and leaving it too long will make it bitter.
The coarseness of the grind also affects extraction time – the finer the grind, the shorter the extraction time. If it’s bland, extend the brewing time or make a finer grind.
8. Keep it clean
Clean your grinders and storage containers regularly. This gets rid of any stale, oily build-up that can accumulate and affect the taste of your coffee.
9. Discover what works for you
The perfect cup of coffee is a personal thing so find what suits you. Experiment with the amount of coffee you use, how fine the grind is and what method you use to brew it. The only thing that shouldn’t be changed is using good quality coffee and good quality water.
What’s the best way to tweak your recipe? Make two cups, change one thing and decide which one tastes better or worse. Adjust the grind, add a little more or less coffee, experiment with different brewing techniques – sooner or later you’ll discover your perfect cup of coffee.
If you want perfect coffee and tea, then remember the other vital ingredient – it matters! You need great water. For perfect coffee and tea, STAYpure your water. And for anyone who uses the alternative route to coffee – coffee pods and that noisy little coffee maker – just pop a STAYpure in the water reservoir and taste the difference with that too.
We have an exclusive offer for JOE readers so you can now get one pod for €9.95 plus shipping (Reduced from €15.95). To avail of this offer or to find more information, check out the website.
Brought to you by STAYPure.
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