Posts Tagged 'coffee brewing'

Coffee Beans

Start with fresh, whole bean Kirkland Signature (or San Francisco Bay) Gourmet Whole Bean coffees, available in 1000g bags.

Water

Brewed coffee is over 98% water. Thus your cup of coffee depends heavily on your water quality. It is important to use fresh, cold water. If tap water in your area is not very good, use bottled water. Never use distilled or soft water. Never use hot water which has gone through your hot water heater.

The following general rules apply to all coffee brewing methods.

To get the best tasting drink, you should start with a ratio of two tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water and adjust to your taste. Use the best possible water available. Tap water should be free of any strange flavors, odors or textures. If it is not, then use filtered or bottled water. Avoid distilled or softened water since some minerals are essential to coffee flavour. Tap water should be cold and allowed to run for a few seconds to aerate it before it goes into a maker or water kettle.

Water should be heated to just below boiling (200 degrees F.). For drip brewers, the brew cycle should be completed in 4-6 minutes. Other good methods are the “French Press” and “Vacuum pot” which brew in about 4 minutes. Avoid percolators and electric pots with brew cycles that take longer than 6 minutes. These will over-extract the coffee and cause bitterness.