by Kevin Chorice

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: September 09, 2011

Ok, so once agian I have found something on here that I know a lot about.
I work at Starbucks and have been there for about 4 years now.

There are 4 things that make great coffee..whether or not it is Starbucks coffee or just some other kind that you prefer.

water
grind
proportion
freshness

Now I will go into detail on each of these.

Water: to make good coffee you must start with good water. Any impurities in your water are going to effect your coffee. Sounds simple I know, but tap water is just not going to cut it. If you want good coffee at home you need a water purifer. Even if you think your water taste fine, your coffee will taste so much better once it is filtered. Remember coffee is 98% water and only 2% coffee.

Grind: There are so many different ways to grind coffee. You need to know what type of filter your coffee maker uses. It could be flat bottom, cone, paper, metal, french press and of course espresso. Getting the grind right will effect the flavor and strength of your coffee. I personally suggest taking any coffee you buy to Starbucks and have them grind it for you. They shouldn't complain that you want to just have some coffee ground. Ohh by the way...don't ever ever buy pre-ground coffee...because the shelf life of coffee after it has been ground is only a week.

Proportion: The right amount of coffee grinds to use is up to you. It all depends on how strong or how weak you want your coffee. However Just so that you know Starbucks proportion is two teaspoons of grinds to 6 oz of water.

Freshness: Coffee can be stored whole bean for a long time. It does not need to be kept any special way. you can just keep it in the bag you bought it in, in a safe, dry place of course. If you find a great deal on whole bean coffee and want to stock up, then go right ahead, as long as it is not preground you will be fine.

To keep your coffee grinds fresh at home after they have been ground, they need to be kept in an airtight container. Coffee can absorb flavors around it so DO NOT keep your ground coffee in the fridge. I tell my mother this all the time and she still doesn't listen, maybe thats why I don't drink her coffee.

Alright now here is a tip about coffee:

Coffee is acidic, right after you grind your coffee it is starting to release gas. If you brew your coffee right after it is ground then all that gas will end up in your stomach. It might make you feel sick, so the best thing to do is wait a day after it is ground before you brew.

Anyways hope this helps...just follow these simple 4 things and you'll have amazing coffee.

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