Top 4 Ways to Make Better Coffee At Home
Hey coffee lovers! Today we are going to demonstrate the top four ways to make better coffee at home!
#4 | Freshness of Coffee
Depending on how old your coffee is will have an impact on how it will brew. Fresher isn’t necessarily best, but you also don’t want to brew with really old coffee either. When coffee is too fresh it contains a lot of volatile gasses such as CO2, which have been imparted into the coffee through the roasting process. This makes the coffee really unstable and difficult to brew. This is why we typically offgas or rest our coffee before brewing. In Colorado, since we are at a higher elevation, coffee degasses at a slower rate, so the peak time to brew coffee is between 7-21 days off of the roast date. If you are brewing a pourover or drop coffee, 3-4 days off the roast date is still great too.
#3 | Water
There are a couple factors that you might consider when it comes tot he water that you are using to brew your coffee. Water temperature – ideal brewing temperature for coffee is 195˚ – 205˚ F. Here in Boulder, Colorado, water boils at 202˚F. If your water isn’t hot enough, you might under extract your coffee. But if your water is too hot, you can over-extract the coffee. Coffee is made up of 98% water, so it’s very important to start with quality filtered water.
#2 | Coffee ratio
Coffee to water ratio is the amount of coffee you are using to the amount of water you’ll be brewing with. Ideal ratio: 1 part coffee to 15-18 parts water. Finding a ratio will help you determine the strength of coffee you prefer. We recommend using a scale, check out the Hario V60 drip scale. Your measurements will be much more accurate and will allow you to produce more consistent results. While you are waiting for your scale to arrive in the mail, start by using 2 tbsp of ground coffee to every 6 oz. of water.
#1 | Grind size
The MOST important factor: grind size and grind distribution. Depending on your brew method or the amount you will be brewing you’ll want to adjust your grind. For example, if you are brewing a single cup pour over, it will require a fine to medium-fine grind setting because you are brewing a small amount of coffee for a relatively short amount of time. If you want to use a larger brewing device or increase your batch size, consider coursing your grind.