How the hell do you make a decent cup of coffee?

[TRUMPHENT]

Quality ingredients are critical to making quality coffee. Water is the main ingredient. Insane3D touched on the need for high quality water. The best coffee I have ever tasted was made from rainwater that was collected moments before brewing. It was the nectar of the gods as far as coffee goes.

Other than water, it's the coffee. After the coffee it's the grind that matches your brewing technique and machinery. Hopefully, your machinery isn't polluting the coffee with gunk left over from previous uses. Run some high quality vinager through the pipes and carafe. Be sure to rinse the ol' pot out with something like good ol' rainwater.:wine:

 

[sandorski]

Anothher vote for: Grind your own beans. Even cheap beans freshly ground will make better coffee than pre-ground coffee.

One thing to consider: "Cooking" has nothing to do with coffee. What you want to be doing is brewing.

 

[joecool]

1) go to starbucks
2) order coffee
3) pay for coffee
4) enjoy drinking good coffee

 

[caddlad]

Use a French Press.

You can simulate the feeling of crack cocaine with a little experimentation.

Oh yeah, buy fresh coffee.

 

[dym]

go get a french filter...

 

[0roo0roo]

u have to remember "cups" are only 6oz. so a mug or normal cup needs 2.5-3table spoons of grounds.
freshness of grounds matters too. overextraction of beans = ick. dont do it.

 

[BD2003]

Use MINIMUM one 1.5 scoop for each 6oz "cup, and 2 scoops for a real 8oz cup. Coffee is cheap, dont be concerned with wasting it.

Most important, is to use good water. Filter it for sure.

And equally more important, the water MUST be hot enough. If youre only making 1-4 cups, unless your machine has a button for it, and even then, the water probably isnt going to get hot enough. If you really want good coffee, make a pot at a time.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Oh, and starbucks is mostly all over-roasted IMO.

mostly? they burn those beans. it's disgusting. i don't see why its so popular.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
u have to remember "cups" are only 6oz. so a mug or normal cup needs 2.5-3table spoons of grounds.

what the fsck are you talking about?

a cup in measurement is 8 oz. a normal coffee cup is about the same.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea thats the other thing, big coffee makers should not be used to make a small batch unless theres a small batch switch. use a small coffee maker for a small batch.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
u have to remember "cups" are only 6oz. so a mug or normal cup needs 2.5-3table spoons of grounds.

what the fsck are you talking about?

a cup in measurement is 8 oz. a normal coffee cup is about the same.

Not for tea, and I'd assume coffee is the same way.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
u have to remember "cups" are only 6oz. so a mug or normal cup needs 2.5-3table spoons of grounds.

what the fsck are you talking about?

a cup in measurement is 8 oz. a normal coffee cup is about the same.

definition of "cup" of beverages like coffeeis more fuzzy http://www.swedish.org/17931.cfm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c...2002/12/08/LV227920.DTL&type=printable

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
u have to remember "cups" are only 6oz. so a mug or normal cup needs 2.5-3table spoons of grounds.

what the fsck are you talking about?

a cup in measurement is 8 oz. a normal coffee cup is about the same.

Coffee cup is 6oz my brother.

 

[BatmanNate]

1. Replace coffee with tea.
2. ....
3. Profit!

I use a french press and loose tea, but the french press makes for better coffee too if you can stomach the vile stuff. Bunch of barbarians.

 

[TechnoKid]

What the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) has to say

The general american standard, as others have stated, is 2 level (and uncompacted) tablespoons (i.e 10 grams, or .36oz) of ground coffee per 6oz of water. European standards are 7 grams per 125ml cup.

I'd reccomend brewing at a minimum 2 cups if using a french press, and a minimum of 4 cups if using a drip. French press is regarded by many as the way to go for making coffee is concerned, but you can achive great results with drip.

I've been using fresh ground eight o'clock coffee lately, reverse osmosis water, and a krups machine. Pretty good results.

As others have stated, never brew with extra water to make the coffee less strong. You end up over-extracting the beans, and over extraction leads to bitterness. You can always add more hot water after the brew is done to adjust the flavor to your liking.

http://coffeefaq.com/coffaq1.htm

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate
1. Replace coffee with tea.
2. ....
3. Profit!

I use a french press and loose tea, but the french press makes for better coffee too if you can stomach the vile stuff. Bunch of barbarians.

While I do enjoy a good cup of Earl Grey, tea does stain your teeth faster and more so than coffee does.

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Oh, and starbucks is mostly all over-roasted IMO.

mostly? they burn those beans. it's disgusting. i don't see why its so popular.

Starbucks is good for espresso and latte's, but their brewed coffee is nasty.

 

[mjquilly]

Text

 

[Gilby]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Oh, and starbucks is mostly all over-roasted IMO.

mostly? they burn those beans. it's disgusting. i don't see why its so popular.

Bah. It's because it's damn good. Wonderfully bitter, but not sour.

 

[flyingboujanero]

French Press Coffee maker- makes coffee w/o the bitter flavor

 

[dak125]

Originally posted by: MDE
Ask Alton Brown

Update: I used that link's instructions earlier today and the coffee wasn't bad. I used this cone type filter I didn't know we had, but had to use a regular round filter. It was a bit too strong for my taste, I'm going to try 3.5 tablespoons and 12 oz of water and see what it tastes like.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[everman]

<----- Coffee Nut

The simplest way, and cheapest is to use a good press pot. Very easy to use, great control for the perfect brewing temp, and perfect grounds saturation. It's my favority non-espresso way to brew.

Beans: Use some good quality beans that are less than a week old. Get to know what kind of beans you are using, not some blend name. IE: Ethiopian Yirgacheff is great, and I'm also currently brewing Ethiopian Harar, a Rawandan, and a Yemen. They all have distinct flavors.

Grinder: As mentioned above, press coffee is great. However grinding too fine will result in dust getting through the screen and creating sludge. A good burr grinder will let you adjust your grind to a proper setting that will produce a very even grind. You get what you pay for with grinders.


Personally I buy green beans and roast my own as needed. Using a Rancillio Silvia and Mazzer Mini. Nothing beats a perfect triple ristretto

 

[dak125]

Originally posted by: everman
Personally I buy green beans and roast my own as needed. Using a Rancillio Silvia and Mazzer Mini. Nothing beats a perfect triple ristretto

Sounds good. Too bad I don't know what the hell you're talking about . Can you explain this press pot deal a little more? I stick a heavy pot on something?

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: dak125

Originally posted by: everman
Personally I buy green beans and roast my own as needed. Using a Rancillio Silvia and Mazzer Mini. Nothing beats a perfect triple ristretto

Sounds good. Too bad I don't know what the hell you're talking about . Can you explain this press pot deal a little more? I stick a heavy pot on something?

These things , Alton also mentions them here. You just throw grounds in the pot, pour in hot water, stir, wait 3-4 mins, press the handle down and enjoy

 

[dak125]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: dak125

Originally posted by: everman
Personally I buy green beans and roast my own as needed. Using a Rancillio Silvia and Mazzer Mini. Nothing beats a perfect triple ristretto

Sounds good. Too bad I don't know what the hell you're talking about . Can you explain this press pot deal a little more? I stick a heavy pot on something?

These things , Alton also mentions them here. You just throw grounds in the pot, pour in hot water, stir, wait 3-4 mins, press the handle down and enjoy

Thanks much, I'll check it out.