Why Over 1/3rd Of America Is BROKE

[Solus]

Here is the deal. Like most Americans I don't really like the taste of Coffee, or the "coffee breath" it leaves you with. I NEED the beverage, more than I WANT it. I much prefer the taste of tea, and drink it quite regularly. However, it doesn't wake me up in the morning anywhere near as well as coffee does. I know someone will come forward with stats that show various types of tea that have more caffeine than coffee does. While that may be true, it just doesn't get it done for me in the morning. And I've tried every tea grown under the Sun.

I've never been an admirer of coffee. All that chocolate and whipped froth crap they sell at Starbucks is anything but coffee to me. It reminds me of a Baskin & Robbins on high heat instead of frozen. I think the people who buy it are like me, in that they want the wakeup with a better taste. I've found a dash of salt in my coffee takes out a lot of the bitterness. But no matter, it's not a taste I prefer, but rather require the results it's consumption gives me. It seems the older I get, the more this requirement takes hold.

If it tastes bitter, it's a bad cup of coffee....generally comes about by the coffee sitting in the water too long.

[Timothy]

If it tastes bitter, it's a bad cup of coffee....generally comes about by the coffee sitting in the water too long.

Yes, and the process was flawed..

I just saw something over the weekend about the bean in a bag of coffee.  Some roasters of the bean add things to "add weight" to the bag which adds bad flavors.  Others don't sort and leave out "bad" beans.  I forget the term they used but one or two bad beans in a 12-16 ounce bag of whole beans can trash the whole bag.

There is a science involved in coffee that is not fully understood by most folks.  I love coffee for it's taste, the caffeine is an ancillary benefit.  Being a Navy Vet, I've had my share of crappy coffee which is another reason I don't bother with Dunkin Dognuts or Starbucks.

Shit is shit...don't kick a fresh turd on a hot day!

[alfsauve]

I did a short study of the coffee industry a few years back, mainly focusing on arabica vs robusta.   Besides learning about the bean production and marketing, there were two little tidbits we picked up.

A "cup" in the coffee industry was typically 6oz not the standard 8.  (Some coffee makers have their markings calibrated in 5oz, btw.)

And the industry recommended to restaurants they keep coffee in pots no longer than 20 minutes.

[billt]

If it tastes bitter, it's a bad cup of coffee....generally comes about by the coffee sitting in the water too long.

I don't know what I can do different? I pour in the water, fill the filter with coffee, and run it through. How do I alter this process on most every automatic coffee maker out there?

[tombogan03884]

I like Taster's Choice myself.

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

How to Brew "The Perfect Cup" of Coffee

Brewing a perfect cup of coffee is the weakest link in the full enjoyment of fine coffee. Buying the finest coffee is only the beginning and can go for naught if the brewing is not done correctly. It is very easy to ruin otherwise excellent coffee with improper brewing. We realize you would like to hear that once you have purchased excellent coffee beans, the rest is as simple as pushing a button, but, all we can say is: it's time to "wake up and smell the coffee". The grower, and the roaster do their parts, and you have to do your part. If either party drops the ball, exquisite coffee will not happen.

The first thing that must be understood is what is going on during the brewing process. The aggregate (ground up coffee particles) is being exposed to hot water in order to "extract" the essential solubles (flavor compounds, solids, and oils) from the particles. That which is extracted winds up in the water, creating the infusion we call coffee. In theory, perfect extraction would get everything that's desirable out of the coffee bean and into the cup, while leaving behind all that which is undesirable. Is this possible? Currently, only in our imaginations. But some methods are better than others.

Coffee to Water Ratio

The proper way to measure coffee is by weight. If you are really serious about coffee, then you should invest in a scale that can weigh small portions of coffee accurately. A good scale is indispensable when blending your own coffee in small amounts, unless you want to spend a lot of time counting coffee beans. You can measure coffee by volume, but you lose a lot of accuracy because of varying bean densities and having to rely on visual estimation. The proportion of ground coffee used in relation to the amount of water used, constitutes the brewing ratio. After the coffee has been brewed, the amount of solubles that have been extracted in relation to the amount of water, constitutes the drinking ratio. The brewing ratio usually determines the drinking ratio, but it doesn't have to. Hot water can be added to the infusion after brewing to reduce the concentration and flavor intensity of the brew, thus changing the drinking ratio. Experimentation will lead you to your own personal brewing and drinking ratios. It is always wiser to brew your coffee on the strong side and then "cut" it to taste with water. If coffee is brewed too weak, all you can do is start over. The Standard Brewing Chart (seehttps://www.blackbearcoffee.com/resources/83?destination=resources/83- ) gives the brewing ratios that are accepted as the standard by serious coffee drinkers. It can not be stressed enough how much personal taste should be the sole basis for determining brewing ratios. It is very easy to misjudge a coffee that has been prepared using a brewing ratio that is not suited to your particular taste.

Water

The water to be used must be right or the coffee will be wrong. The infusion you drink is mostly water. The flavor of coffee can easily be contaminated by other intruding influences. The best rule of thumb is, if the water you are going to use doesn't taste right, don't use it. It should have no discernible taste, or "character", such as sharp or astringent qualities. Bad water makes bad coffee. As a rule, bottled spring water is your best bet. Municipal water is usually not good enough for high quality coffee, unless you are using a good filtration system. Water that has been "softened" should also be avoided. It does not extract as well as non-softened water. Distilled water should not be used, because all of the mineral content has been removed. The minerals in water are essential to the extraction process. It is very important to note that if you're using any type of container to store water in, it is very important to frequently, and thoroughly clean the container. The build up of bacteria in water being used to brew coffee will have a dramatically negative effect on the coffee. This is one of the most commonly overlooked sources of trouble when brewing coffee.

Water Temperature

The brewing temperature of the water used is very important. It should be between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C). The closer to 205 F (96 C) the better. Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee. Water that is less than 195 F (91 C) will not extract properly. Keep in mind that if frozen beans have been ground, the aggregate will drop the temperature of the water upon contact. In this instance the temperature of the water being added to the aggregate should be right at 205 F (96 C).

The Brewing Process Itself

There are two basic brewing concepts you need to understand, percolation and maceration. Percolation means water is allowed to flow around the particles and through the aggregate of ground coffee. Maceration means the ground coffee is soaked (or steeped) in the water.

Understanding the extraction process will enable you to learn how to brew coffee successfully. First, the grind (aggregate size) of the coffee is crucial. The finer the grind, the more surface in relation to mass is exposed to the hot water. An un-ground coffee bean results in the least amount of surface area in relation to mass, and would be impossible to brew successfully. The tendency is to assume that the more finely coffee is ground, the better the resulting infusion will be. This is where you can destroy a good cup of coffee. If the grind is too fine, and the exposure too long, you'll get much more than you want. Over-extraction of the aggregate will dissolve too many of the undesirable compounds, generally referred to as "bitters". The trick is to get just what you want out of the coffee, and no more.

 It is of the utmost importance that you understand that the brewing time must be controlled exactly. Improper brewing time is one of the main reasons that people get different results when preparing coffee. If you shorten the extraction time, you'll fail to dissolve the essential flavor compounds that were so carefully developed during the roasting process. Again, over-extraction of will dissolve too many of the undesirable compounds. For example, alkaloids are one group of compounds that dissolve more slowly than others, and are very bitter. The challenge is to get the aggregate size and the extraction time in perfect balance.

There is an important exception to "exact brewing time". 90 percent of the solubles are extracted during the initial phase of the brewing process. It is possible to achieve your best results with a grind that's slightly on the fine side, and shortening the extraction time. For instance, when I use our ground coffee in a French press, or the brew and filter method, I use a 3 minute extraction time. Since our grinder is calibrated to grind coffee that will achieve a 4 minute extraction time in a commercial airpot brewer, for my taste, 4 minutes in the French press over-extracts with our ground coffee. By the same token, you can also use more coffee than usual in a drip brewer with a short extraction time. It's all a matter of increasing surface area, reducing extraction time, and getting less of the bitter compounds that take longer to dissolve. It comes down to experimentation, and finding your perfect brewing formula.

http://www.blackbearcoffee.com/resources/87

Seems complex but it's not...good water, good grind, right process, correct temp and residence time..

Drip coffee makers of the residential kind don't get the water hot enough.  The time the grinds spend in the water are rather brief as well.  Invest in a coffee press and in less time that it takes to take a shower, you've got a very nice cup-o-joe and the rest is just science..

[Big Frank]

I did a short study of the coffee industry a few years back, mainly focusing on arabica vs robusta.   Besides learning about the bean production and marketing, there were two little tidbits we picked up.

A "cup" in the coffee industry was typically 6oz not the standard 8.  (Some coffee makers have their markings calibrated in 5oz, btw.)

And the industry recommended to restaurants they keep coffee in pots no longer than 20 minutes.

If I'm not mistaken Robusta has twice the caffeine of Arabica but it doesn't taste as good. Nearly all coffee I see nowadays is 100% Arabica. My coffee makers have all been 6 ounce cups. Tim Horton's is supposed to throw out the old coffee after 20 minutes and brew a new pot. I don't know if they actually do it.

[billt]

"Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee."

So then every coffee percolator ever manufactured since the dawn of time has made "burnt" coffee? Because all boil water in order to get it to percolate.

[Timothy]

"Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee."

So then every coffee percolator ever manufactured since the dawn of time has made "burnt" coffee? Because all boil water in order to get it to percolate.

Yes!

Just because it was manufactured doesn't mean it actually worked well! 

Drip coffee makers don't get the water hot enough and percolators over heat the water...commercial drip coffee makers are designed to fall within the correct range of temps.

I boil the water and let it rest for 30 seconds before I pour it into my press and yes, I've measured the drop in temp with a thermometer.  This works for me...

[Timothy]

 Tim Horton's is supposed to throw out the old coffee after 20 minutes and brew a new pot. I don't know if they actually do it.

Dunkin Dognuts is supposed to do that as well but it's rarely done.  I can't count how many cups I've tossed that were undrinkable over the years.  That's why I haven't bought a cup of joe from DD in at least a decade!