Perfect Brew the
Perfect Brew
Black with sugar, double cream, latte, espresso, drip, percolated or pressed, no matter how you serve it up - it's obvious that we have a love affair with our 'morning joe'.
Buy Fresh Beans
No Cheap Filters
Coffee is best when used within days of being roasted. Buying from a local roaster (or roasting your own) is the surest way to get the absolute freshest beans. Coffee beans packaged by quality-conscious roasters and sold in sturdy, vacuum-sealed bags are the best alternative.
Look for “oxygen-bleached” or “dioxin- free” paper filters (e.g., Filtropa, Melitta). Alternatively, you may wish to invest in a long-lived gold-plated filter (e.g., SwissGold). These are reputed to deliver maximum flavour, but may let sediment through if the coffee is ground too finely.
Everyone has a personal preference for their ideal brew and how to make the perfect cup has been debated for eons. So, according to one expert - here are the steps to the best brew:
Mind Your Beans
No Skimpy Brews
Store opened coffee beans in an airtight container. Glass canning jars or ceramic storage crocks with rubber- gasket seals are good choices. Never refrigerate or freeze coffee, especially dark roasts. Optimally, buy a week's supply of fresh beans at a time and keep at room temperature.
The standard measure for brewing coffee of proper strength is two level tablespoons per six-ounce cup or about 2 3/4 tablespoons per eight- ounce cup.
Beware The Heat
The proper brewing temperature is 200°F, or about 45 seconds off a full boil. Once brewed, don’t expect coffee to hold its best flavours for long. Reheating, boiling or prolonged holding on a warming platform will turn even the best coffee bitter and foul-tasting.
Be A Bean Snob
Snobbism among coffee drinkers can rival that of wine drinkers; specialty coffees that clearly state the country, region or estate of origin can provide a lifetime of tasting experiences.
Daily Grind
Keep Your Equipment Clean
Coffee starts losing quality almost immediately upon grinding. The best- tasting brews are made from beans ground just before brewing.
Clean storage containers and grinders every few weeks to remove any oily buildup. At least monthly, run a strong solution of vinegar or specialty coffee- equipment cleaner (e.g., Urnex) through your coffeemaker to dissolve away any mineral deposits. Rinse thoroughly before reuse.
Use Good Water
Nothing can ruin a pot of coffee more surely than tap water with chlorine or off flavours. Serious coffee lovers use bottled spring water or activated- charcoal/carbon filters on their taps. Note: Softened or distilled water makes terrible coffee—the minerals in good water are essential.
Illustration: cotici.com
FALL 2017 pei-living.ca
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