Coffee Crafters Brewing Tips

Fundementally, a great cup of coffee has five primary components:

1)  Good water quality: a great cup of coffee starts with water that contains 50 - 100 parts per million of dissolved minerals and does not taste like chlorine or rusty pipes. The recommended water temperature for brewing should remain between 195 - 200 degrees F.

2)  Great Coffee:  Obviously we recommend Coffee Crafters Coffee but the choice is yours.  The SCAA's "Golden Cup" mid-point coffee/water recommendation is 8.25g per 150ml.  Don't have a scale or graduated cylinder?  About two heaping teaspoons of whole bean coffee per 6oz cup should get you close. 

-          Ultimately, the ideal coffee to water ratio should be 1.0 - 1.5% coffee to 98.5 - 99% water, respectively. 

3)  Coffee Grind:  The coffee grind should be consistant with the extraction method being used and should be ground immediately prior to use.  
  

-          In general, longer brewing times should use a larger particle sizes and vice versa.

-          For example: Espresso brews for ~ 24 seconds and reqires a very fine grind, whereas, a french press will normally steep for 3.5 minutes and requires a more coarse grind.

-          Follow the recommendations of your coffee grinder manufacturer for the your brewing method and adjust accordingly.  Be careful not to use too fine a grind for your preferred brewing method as over-extraction can occur and diminish you coffee's flavor and increase bitterness.
* Coffee Crafters recommends the use of a quality burr grinder to achieve consistant particle sizes during the grind.

4) Clean and Properly operating brewing equipment:  Brewing equipment balances the heating of water, the lenght of the brewing process and the amount of mixing during the process.  Maintaining clean and properly working equipment will help you to achieve a better cup of coffee. 
* Coffee Crafters recommends a high quality French press for coffee brewing, if you have the 3.5 minutes to spare. 

5)  An Appropriate Filtering Medium: A well-made filter is essential to clarify the beverage and separate the extract from the coffee grounds.