Is coffee an important part of your day?
If you’re a serious coffee drinker like me, then you understand how important it is to have good coffee anytime you want it or need it. It took me years to understand what went into making a good coffee and to appreciate all the subtle differences you can find in coffee beans from around the world.
Good beans paired with the right roasting method can equal an amazing cup of coffee. And while it seems like a simple task, just like a fine wine needs a highly trained vinter, you need a coffee master skilled at roasting and blending beans for the optimal flavor profile.
In fact, we talk about coffee beans the same way we talk about wine grapes, referring to the varieties as varietals. Different varieties have distinct flavors, body (mouthfeel), and other characteristics. The amount of acidity, bitterness (or sweetness), as well as differing amounts of caffeine all, make up the complex flavors that we have come to enjoy and expect in a good cup of coffee.
Where do you find good coffee?
I have traveled the world enjoying different types of coffee everywhere I go. Just as I sample local craft beers during my travels I also look for local coffee roasters. But to be able to taste and understand the differences in coffee, you need to start with a good baseline. A quality cup of coffee on which to judge all others by. And this is why I drink Peet’s coffee in my home.
Find a coffee company that is obsessed with freshness. Fresher coffee makes a more flavorful cup. If you don’t have a local roaster find a company online that roasts beans to order and delivers directly to your home.
How to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Making the perfect cup of coffee can be as complicated or as easy as you like. What you have to remember is it’s going to be perfect for your taste and your lifestyle.
That can mean elaborate equipment, grinders, and temperature controls. But tech junkie or coffee connoisseur, you can still make an amazing cup of coffee with a cone and filter if you just follow some simple guidelines.
- Use cold filtered water (if you don’t like drinking your home water, don’t make coffee with it)
- Measure your coffee- use 1 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6-8 ounces of water (usually one cup on your brewer)
- Water temperature needs to be between 195 degrees – 205 degrees. If you boil water let it sit for 30 seconds before using it (water boils at 212 degrees which is a little too hot to brew coffee)
- Rinse your filter with hot water before brewing. Use a good quality oxygen bleached filter.
- Pour just enough water over the grounds (wet not saturated) to let them bloom (they get puffy). After 20-30 seconds continue the pour over. This will get the most flavor from your coffee.
- Drink your freshly brewed coffee within 30 minutes of brewing. Don’t let coffee sit in a brewer all day long. Make it as you need it.
You do have lots of options these days for making coffee just how you like it. Whether you grind your own beans or have a particular style of coffee maker you need to start with good coffee and good water.
How do you brew the perfect cup of coffee in your home? I’d love to hear from you.
Recipe FAQ’s
Fresh coffee is essential to creating the perfect cup of coffee. After roasting coffee beans begin losing flavor and ground coffee loses flavor even more quickly since more edges are exposed to oxidation after grinding. As coffee sits oxidation and time cause the flavors to dull, and all the notes and flavors of the coffee begin to fade away.
To be honest with you, I grind half a pound of coffee beans at a time and use those grounds in 5 or 6 days. Ideally, if you want the best flavor you should grind it before you make the coffee, but I’m barely awake at that stage of my morning.
Coffee will remain fresh for 4-5 weeks in an airtight container, kept out of sunlight and away from heat.
*Grinding your coffee right before brewing will give you the best tasting cup of coffee possible.
Check out my contribution to The Expert’s Secrets For a Perfect Cup at the Porch and learn more about brewing the perfect cup of coffee or tea.
Breakfast cakes that go with coffee
The Perfect Cup of Coffee
Ingredients
- 2.25 ounces ground coffee (12 tablespoons)
- 36 ounces filtered water
Instructions
Pour Over
- Rinse the coffee filter with hot water
- Place the coffee grinds in filter
- Heat water to boiling and allow to sit for 30 seconds. Water used for brewing should be 195 degrees to 205 degrees.
- Using a circular motion starting from the outside wall and working your way inward, pour 40-80 grams (3 to 5 tablespoons) of very hot (not boiling) water over the coffee grounds, The grounds end up uniformly soaked but not dripping wet. Let the grounds sit for about a minute as they bloom.
- Continue pouring the rest of the water
Coffee Maker
- Place the filter in the coffeemaker’s basket
- Add your fresh roasted and ground coffee beans and then pour in your hot water. Use just enough to soak the grounds without pouring through.
- Wait 45-90 seconds, permitting the grinds to settle, and then simply operate the automatic coffeemaker as you normally would.
French Press
- Gently pour a small quantity of hot water onto the coffee grounds. You should immediately notice a bloom start to form as foam on top of the water in the press-pot.
- Let the bloom remain for 15-20 seconds, then stir it with your spoon. This is to ensure that all grinds in the bloom have complete contact with the water
- Complete your normal French press brew regime, which normally involves 3-4 minutes of steeping time.
Coffee Prudent says
I appreciate the emphasis on using freshly roasted beans and grinding them just before brewing. This step ensures maximum flavor and aroma in the final cup. Your explanation of the different grind sizes for various brewing methods is also helpful, as it allows readers to achieve optimal extraction and flavor profiles
Matt says
The coffee maker is the usual mode of choice for making it but when the power went out we used the percolator. You can use a French Press too but part of making coffee for me is easability- sure the French Press is simple but the coffee maker is even easier.
Sue R. says
Do you use additional water to pour over the coffee prior to brewing? You put 36 oz. in the coffee maker or do you use some of it to pour over the grounds? 12 tablespoons of coffee with 36 oz. of water sounds like it would be too strong! I’m an idiot!
Chef Dennis Littley says
sorry for the error, it should have read 2 tbsp for 16 ounces
MMarci says
Hi Dennis,
I learned so much from your article on how to make the perfect cup of coffee. I bought one of Fresh Market’s s signature blends, this time trying something different. I saw a lot of Peet’s coffee there and was curious. I am def going to try this coffee since you have recommended it. Thanks for sharing. I did not know about wetting the filter or just right water temp. I think I’ve been using too hot water and not stirring the grounds. I use a single drip through gadgect that sits on top of the cup. Next time I am going to buy my beans and grind them at home.
Bill Bernhard says
Good morning to you, Dennis !
Thank you for your “blooming technique”, which I shall endeavor to use this morning.
As you say the trick is to find a coffee variety that fully captivates the individual taste buds,
and that seems t be the challenge, as these taste buds seem to have a new, wandering sense about
just what offers that fulfilling flavor, without being too strong or (especially) too bitter.
I appreciate your advise on this matter of good coffee !
Andrea says
What is the whole bean measurement (tablespoons) to cup ratio for a coffeemaker
Chef Dennis Littley says
it would depend on the grind and size of the beans
Ashley Judd says
This is the perfect post for coffee lover 🙂
Lori V. says
What should the grind be for the cone method? This is the part where I usually get into trouble and make inconsistent tasting coffee. So frustrating! I have an electric gadget and a hand grind. Thank you to anyone who responds. 😀
Chef Dennis Littley says
hi Lori
the grind for a cone filter should be medium-fine which is about the consistency of sugar. I use cone filters but keep mine at more of a medium grind which is the consistency of sand.
This is where it gets to personal taste preference. The smaller the grind the more areas of the coffee are exposed to the water, but sometimes that can also add more bitterness.
If you grind it in the stores they should have a setting for drip coffee, and when I use that its usually on the lower end of the options for a finer grind.
Kelly says
Thank you! I needed some confirmation & validation! I have preferred the pour over method since moving home to the US from Germany nearly 20 years ago. I’ve used porcelain & plastic Melitta pout overs but recently purchased a stainless steel reusable filter and I really like it! For me, a close second to pour over is using a French Press.
I also recently purchased a hand grinder and find the act of grinding meditative. I often wonder if it’s the cup of coffee I love or the all of the gadgets & equipment associated with preparing the perfect cup! And … I also have a mug problem! LOL
I generally pour over but at least once or twice a week I deviate. Always, the goal for me, is the lingering chocolatey silky finish!
Mary says
We love Peets. It knocks Starbucks outta the park. My husband and I use a Biglietti stovetop espresso maker. It makes excellent coffee. Can’t go wrong with Peets.
Irene@scaa coffee maker says
Really great post for the coffee lover. As I am a coffee lover this post will be so much helpful for me. I learn many things from you. Thanks for posting such a great article and keep it up!
Tim says
Hello Dennis,
I am trying to find the perfect coffee. (Aren’t we all!) At the moment I use a Aeropress with a metal filter. I am learning to roast my own beans … using Costa Rican or Columbian beans (not together!). I roast in a covered pan. Presently, my preference is to roast until the beans are turning dark brown and beginning to sweat (I cannot work out the first and second cracks so I go by sight, I suppose). So far, both coffees taste far better than any bought roasted beans, or even a cafe coffee! Looking at your recipe, would you recommend any slight alterations for an aeropress coffee? … Or, do you think I would do just as well if I used a simple cup filter and pouring the water onto the grounds in it? I haven’t marked your recipe yet because I want to try it out first as you have instructed. But thanks for this blog.
Chef Dennis Littley says
it sounds like you really take your coffee seriously. A pour-over is supposed to make the best coffee. I’ve never used an aeropress so I don’t have any advice about that type of process. I think half the fun of finding the perfect cup of coffee is the different attempts along the way.
Robert Hawkins says
I love Peet’s! I prefer lattes, but Peet’s is a great company!
Eric says
There’s something to be said about a properly brewed cup of coffee. Sadly, I’m a lazy coffee brewer and set my automatic coffee maker the night before but this would be fun to play around with.
Lori V. says
You’re speaking my language! 😀