My Secrets to Perfect Coffee…
Posted by Stephen on
January 28, 2007
No matter how Kelly tries, she can never replicate the smooth bold taste of my coffee. How do I do it? I’m going to show you my secrets. Pay attention!
The Magic Beans
The best coffee comes from beans so buy beans. Pre-ground bags of coffee just don’t taste the same. It’s worth it to spend that extra 30 seconds to grind your own beans and you don’t need a fancy grinder to do it. They all work pretty much the same. To make life easy, just get one that has cup settings and a timer. They cost about $20 bucks. I usually go for organic blends and try to stay away from the overburned Starbucks. There are so many excellent coffee beans out there that you just have to look off the beaten path sometimes. My local IGA sells a brand that I’ve never heard off, but it is organic and fair trade and is probably the best I’ve ever tasted.
Every cup deserves two heaping teaspoons of beans. Don’t be a coffee bean scrooge!
Water Works
The perfect coffee also requires good water. I have a BRITA installed on my faucet to give me my filtered water, but if you have access to a filtered water dispenser, I would use that. I often wondered why some offices have better coffee than others. Well, this is the reason. The better coffee is always produced when the person making it heads to the water cooler instead of the sink to fill the machine. Use the right amount of water, and don’t overfill the machine.
Filter Preparation
You might be thinking “Umm… Don’t you dump it all in and hit the switch?” : WRONG! Filter prepration is essential to getting every last drop of flavour out of your beans.
I use a high quality reusable filter. The reason I do this is because paper filters can affect the taste of the coffee. Depending on how cheap or where they are made, the coffee taste can be affected by this. Once you get your reusable filter, make sure you take good care of it. Rinse it off thorougly after ever use and don’t just let it sit in the machine. It’ll cake up and be more difficult to clean. If you did leave it in too long, steal someones toothbrush and give it a good scrub. That normally does the trick.
The other mistake I notice is that some people just don’t level their coffee out. They dump it in unevenly. As a result, you’ll get coffee that is dry on one side of the filter, and a mess on the other. This can also lead to strange tasting and inconsistent coffee that may be too strong or too weak. Take the time to make the coffee level in the filter and you will get an even and smooth drip.
Finally, you’ll notice in the picture above that there is a sprinkle of white crystals in the center. This is the big secret: Salt. I don’t know why this works, but since I started adding a small pinch of salt to every brew, the coffee has turned out full on smoother than normal. Kelly noticed it right away. I tend to use sea salt rather than your regular table salt.
If you follow all the steps above before you hit the switch, you’ll be guaranteed a perfect cup of coffee every time. Let me know how it goes 
Maybe I should start making my own coffee instead of my current two options: 1) instant coffee (yuck) or 2) Starbucks et al ($$$)
My coffee tastes better than Starbucks. I’ve actually got a new Espresso machine that I’m using to make Americanos and Cappucinos too.
If you figure that a decent coffee machine costs $50, a grinder another $20, and a big bag of good beans for $15, you’re saving a whole ton of money per month over the Starbucks habit.
yea, my friend and i are stuck in that habbit pretty bad, lattes taste really good when its cold, so even if you only get about 2 or 3 per week thats still like $8 a week and $32 a month, thats almost like paying a cell phone bill per month.
Hey there!
What type of Coffee Machine are you using? I use a stove top coffee pot and it´s just great
http://www.andybarson.co.uk/Images/StoveTop.jpg
It’s made by OSTER. I also have a Krupps Espresso Machine.
Hi,
Just want to let you know that you should go for a burr coffee grinder because regular blade grinder can heat up coffee beans, affecting its taste. A burr grinder also gives a more consistent grind.
I have the President’s Choice Burr Grinder; it is a good value.
Here is a site that tells you more about it.
http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_mod/conicalb.htm
Hope that this helps.
I’ll have to add that to the “What to Get Steve…” List!
I didn’t realise the taste was people’s priority, I only ever drink coffee if I’m tired and have work to do, tase doesn’t matter
Well, if it doesn’t taste right, that means more milk and sugar. I drink my coffee black it’s so good
Fair point, but I could drink 5 cups in the time it takes you to ponce about with that machine by which point my caffeine intake will already be suitably high
You’d also need to see a doctor about your cholesterol! Easy there fella! Too much cream and sugar is a killer!
My wife is the Coffee Addict in our family, she found a Coffee Company called Kicking Horse that ships her incredibly Fresh, Organic, Fair Trade coffee to the door. They even toss in samples of other products all the time, like organic teas which I use to make my famous homemade ice tea. I have to admit that since I quit drinking caffeine about 10 years ago, I do like the occasional decaf kicking horse. It tastes like high test and a whole heck of a lot better than StarBigBucks.
To keep in line with her addiction she does grind it fresh for each cup and insists on Spring Water, never filtered water, she uses a one cup cone filter, not a flat bottom filter and she NEVER uses an automatic machine. Has to be poured by hand from the hot water kettle.
That is a pretty obsessive addiction if you ask me.
You’re right. That IS pretty anal. Makes me feel normal! LOL!
I’m not sure I would go that far. Normal is a relative term.
do you think that the beans are better because they have less surface area and are not as stale? because grinds are exposed to more air, maybe that affects the flavor.
Also, do you freeze your beans? my mom does that with her coffee.
I put my beans in the fridge after I open them. It says so on the label to keep them fresher
I had a fairly good espresso machine but hardly used it – mostly laziness.
My wife bought me an Automatic Espresso Machine – Gaggia brand. It is absolutely fantastic. It grinds the beans (built in burr grinder) to the setting and amount I like, tamps the grinds down in place – puts the water in (temperature 82c , I think) makes the espresso and then discards the used grind puk.
All with a touch of a button. Perfect espresso with great crema. It would make at least 6-10 cups every day and I have had it for nearly 3 years working faultlessly.
I must say you should use good beans and filtered water.
For me this is much beter than filter coffee (reminds me of macdonalds stuff sorry)
cheers,
– GoldCoaster
Wow, that things sounds pretty swank! I actually just picked up a Burr Grinder when Starbucks was having a half off sale. The Burr Grinder totally changed the way the coffee tasted. It’s so much more fragrant and rich now. I hardly ever go out for coffee for the sake of having coffee now. The stuff at home is way better