CoffeeSwirls

The Ten Commandments of Coffee

Coffee is a beverage/snack food/medicine that has a history both scientific and seemingly mystical. Some people think of it in purely scientific terms, some think of it as a way to fortell the future. In this page, I'll put in my own opinions of just what constitutes a good cup of joe and maybe a bit about what I think is a bunch of bunk.

What I won't do is go on about the story of Kaldi the goat herder. That is a story that has been told enough times already. So what can you do to make sure that you are drinking good coffee? That is what this swirl is all about, right? I'll give you a checklist:

1. Drink what you like. I can list off the names of some of my favorite coffee brands to you, but that doesn't mean that you will like the same kinds of coffee as me.
   
2. Buy quality coffee. Sounds simple enough, but many people choose to buy whatever is the least expensive or whatever everybody else is buying. In essence, they are ignoring my rule #1. I prefer 100% arabica beans. Most people do, once they've tried it. How do you know if your coffee is arabica? If it doesn't say it is, it isn't.
   
3. Keep your coffee fresh. Coffee is a food product. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, although you will hear conflicting arguments about this. What it does need is to be kept out of open air. Oxygen is the #1 enemy of fresh coffee. That inviting smell in every mall (the one you notice 100 feet from the coffee bean seller(s) in the mall) is the smell of the coffee you will be drinking going stale in open bins. Buy coffee that is in a vacuum-sealed container, or one that is designed to let gasses out without letting gasses in. Once you have broken the seal, use an airtight container to store the coffee. I also suggest buying coffee in smaller quantities. Buy no more than a pound at a time.
   
4. Grind your coffee finely. This is more of a tip for coffee economics than preperation. The basic concept is maximizing the surface area of the coffee bean that will come into contact with the water. I like to grind my coffee as fine as the preperation will allow for this reason. My drip coffee is ground about as fine as an almost powdery espresso grind.
   
5. Keep your coffee maker clean.I suggest cleaning your coffee maker at least once a month. To do this, run a mixture of one part white vinegar and five parts water through the machine. Then run clean water through the machine about five times to flush out the vinegar. Clean the carafe at least weekly, if not more often. Clean it as you would any other dish, making sure that you check the instructions that came with your machine.
   
6. Use clean, cold water. Your coffee is about 95-99% water, depending on your preference. If your water tastes bad, your coffee will taste bad. You are reminded to use cold water in the beginning of the process to be safe and also to avoid using boiling water, which will oxygenate and cause the coffee to taste funny...almost metallic.
   
7. Your recepe, your rules. You will likely see a recepe on the side of your coffee package. You will also see one with the instructions to your coffee maker. They may not match. What do you do? Try each one. Then change it to your tastes. Does it seem weak? Use more coffee. Do you have alot left over? Reduce your quantities. This is an extension of rule #1. Find what you like and stick with it, but don't be afraid to experiment a little.
   
8. Try other methods of preperation. By far, the most common way to prepare coffee in America is with an automatic drip coffeemaker. This includes any machine that puts hot water over coffee grounds that rest on a filter, and collecting the drips of coffee. If you use an automatic drip coffee maker, consider using either one with a cone-shaped filter or one that forces the water through the coffee grounds with pressurized water.
   
9. Don't let your coffee sit on a burner for too long. Believe it or not, it can burn while in it's liquid form. I didn't believe it until I tasted it, but then I didn't believe you could burn milk until I tried to help my wife with a baking project. I suggest keeping your coffee on the burner no longer than 15 minutes after its brewed. After that time, either discard it or keep it hot in an insulated container. Can you let it get cold and reheat it? I wouldn't. If you let it sit long enough (a few days), it will start to grow visible mold.
   
10. Don't mess with it until you try it. Believe it or not, I don't always use cream in my coffee, despite my unhealthy fascination with the coffee swirls. Some coffees are too good to mix with anything, while others are enhanced by some cream and/or sugar. This goes back to our recurring theme in rule #1.

    by Doug McHone at 12:36 PM | Comments (1)
    This entry was posted in the Musings category.