The Perfect Cup

Buying Tips: When purchasing coffee, always ask when it was roasted. Many common misconceptions exist when it comes to judging the freshness and optimum time to experience a roasted coffee at its peak of perfection. Generally coffee is best if used a day or two after roasting, and if kept in an air-tight container, flavor should not diminish significantly until after seven to ten days. Old coffee beans may appear very oily, will have little or no aroma, or will take on a somewhat unpleasant aroma.

Grinding Tip: Never grind more coffee than you will use for immediate brewing. Once the beans are ground, the flavorful oils are exposed to the damaging air. As these oils dissipate, so will the flavor of your coffee. Once ground, coffee will begin to lose its flavor almost immediately. Different methods of brewing will require different grind consistencies. Typically, coffee used for drip brewing should be ground to a consistency similar to granulated sugar. The complete drip cycle should occur within four to six minutes. If the drip cycle is completed in less than four minutes, grind your coffee finer. If the cycle takes longer than six minutes, grind your coffee coarser. When using a French press, the coffee will need to be ground extremely coarse. Espresso requires an extremely fine grind...almost powder-like with a slight grittiness. The key to the proper espresso grind is the extraction time. After the proper dose and tamp, one ounce of espresso should be extracted in approximately 25 to 30 seconds. Like drip coffee, if the one ounce extraction occurs in less than 25 seconds, grind your coffee finer. If the extraction occurs in longer than 30 seconds, grind your coffee coarser. Talk to you local coffee professional at Village Coffee Roaster in Albuquerque for additional information.

How Much Do You Use: When making brewed coffee, allow 2 to 2 1/2 level tablespoons for each 6 ounces of water (3 tablespoons for 8 ounces). For espresso, allow 7 to 8 grams for a single shot, and 14 to 16 grams for a double shot. However, the perfect cup of coffee is entirely subjective. It is our opinion that you should play chemist and find the perfect amount for your palate.

Step by Step to the Perfect Cup
1. Always use fresh roasted coffee.
2. Always grind the coffee as needed for each use and be sure to use the proper grind setting.
3. Always use fresh drawn cold water.
4. Never guess amounts. As a rule of thumb, 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water.
5. Make sure the coffee maker is clean.
6. Remove grounds as soon as possible after the coffee is brewed.
7. Serve the coffee immediately after brewing.
8. If coffee must be kept warm, try to hold it at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed coffee stays palatable for 20 minutes, drinkable for one hour maximum. The longer it is held, the less desirable.
9. Never reheat coffee. Never allow brew to boil, its flavor will turn bitter.