The path to the perfect brew

So you’ve come by the shop and bought a pound of coffee from us. Good for you!

Now what?

Well first, flip the bag over. We’ve included some helpful “Tips for best brew” advice on the back. Now, let’s expound on this…

First, let’s start with the coffee itself. You’ve picked up your favorite brew. On the bottom right of the front label is a “Roasted on” date. Check your calendar. This date should be within 10 days of today’s date. If it isn’t and you just bought the pound, bring it back in and throw it at our Roast Master’s head: it shouldn’t have been sold to you.

See, coffee is just like any perishable food item. You have a very limited shelf life on coffee. In fact, coffee is considered stale a mere 14 days after it is roasted. Our guarantee here at R&R is that no coffees sold will ever be over 10 days off the roast. Period. No exceptions. You will notice the difference.

If you get your coffees from other roasters or the grocery store, ask the person behind the counter “When was this coffee roasted?” If they cannot answer this simple question, chances are their coffee is not fresh. As we say around here: “You don’t drink expired milk, why drink stale coffee?” Still unclear? Take a look at this picture:

On the left is our Ethiopia Harrar, roasted about 18 hours ago. Notice there’s not that much (if any) oils on the beans, the beautiful caramel-brown color, and the overall happiness of the bean. On the right, well, let’s just say that I had some Italian Roast hanging around just for this photo-op. It’s about two weeks old, and it shows. Very, very oily, little to no chaff in the bean, and an overall unhappy bean. Now, think back to the last time you saw the bulk coffee bins at your local neighborhood coffee roasterie or grocery store: which did your beans look more like? Hmmmmm?

But I digress. Your coffee is fresh and you’re ready to go. Next up? The Grind.

The grind of the coffee is just as important as the age of the coffee! Seriously! The incorrect grind will lead to a bitter, watery, or overextracted cuppa joe. And nobody wants that.

Yes, grinding right before brewing is the ideal situation. You won’t find a coffee roaster anywhere that will disagree with that statement.

Now, most roasters will say you need a $200+ grinder in order to get the best grind out of the bean (a very even grind). This we will agree with, but let’s add one thing to that.

Grinding the coffee before brewing is more important than the type of grinder you’re using.

What we mean: the el-cheapo $15 Wal-Mart special blade grinder beating up your coffee is still better than having your coffee ground at the coffee shop. Yes, you may not get the absolute best flavor out of that blade grinder, but you’re getting fresh ground coffee. Simple as that.

So before any of the coffee elite read this and flood my mailbox with hate letters, let me add that, given the choice, I say spend the Bling Bling on a good conical grinder. You will notice a difference. But still: grinding right before brewing is better than grinding at the store.

As for the right grind for your filter? It depends on your filter. For the typical drip coffee makers, if you’re using a flat-bottom filter, you’ll want to grind a little coarser than what’s shown in the pic above. Cone-shaped filter? Grind like the picture.

Next: the water.

The faucet is the WORST place to get your water for brewing coffee. What you see above shouldn’t be what your brewer sees. There’s just too many chemicals and minerals in the tap to give you a quality cuppa. If you use bottled or filtered water, you’ll be golden.

How much coffee do you need?

According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, you should use 6 grams of coffee per 5 ounces. What? Don’t have a gram scale available? No problem! We recommend one heaping tablespoon of coffee per cup line on your brewer.  Is that too strong for your liking? Once the coffee is brewed, add hot water to dilute the coffee. Changing the dosage of your coffee will only cause you to lose the flavor quality of the brew.

Did we mention the brewer?

The brewer is just as important in the process as any other part. And here’s the simple fact. Brewers designed for home are not capable of brewing the best cup. They just don’t get the water hot enough. Ideally, you’re brewing your coffee with water just off the boil. The home brewers are lucky to reach 160 degrees.

So how to fix this issue without spending a boat-ton of money? Start with hot water. Heat it somehow then add it to the water tank on your brewer. This will help the brewer get the water even hotter.

Also, while we’re on the topic, do you have one of those brewers with the glass carafe on the burner? Yes? Invest in a thermal carafe. Once the coffee is done brewing, pour it from the glass carafe into the thermal carafe. The burner does nothing but continue to cook your coffee. Your second or third cup will taste like poop.

There we have it! The path to the perfect brew. Gone are the days where you could just “pour hot water over grounds” and get an acceptable cuppa. It’s time to enjoy that $10+/pound cup of coffee and really explore what the world has to offer.

Questions? Comments? We want to hear them!