by K. Thomas

Created on: March 22, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Here are some great tips for making sure your coffee experiences are always as good as they should be!

If you are making coffee yourself:

Always try to use whole coffee beans.

Check the back of the packets in the shop or ask the assistant in the specialist coffee shop, but make sure the level of strength and aspects of flavour are appealing to you before you buy it. There are many different tasting coffees out there. There are also now some very tasty fair trade brands of coffee beans available in main-stream shops. A very good way to make a great coffee and feel great about supporting fair trade when you're drinking it!

Only ever grind the amount you need every time you make coffee.

Ground coffee loses it flavour really quickly after it is ground. It is better to only grind what you need at the time to insure a fresh flavorsome brew. If you use old coffee grounds they can taste very bitter.

Don't leave a lot of time between grinding and brewing it. A main element of a great coffee is freshness.

If you are using a coffee filter 'drip', always start with cold water and make sure the pot is warm. Makes a better brew...

Store your coffee beans in a dark, cool place. There is a some debate about whether keeping coffee in the freezer is good for it or not. It certainly keeps it fresher in some aspects, but the owner of my favourite cafe (and maker of some of my favourite coffee) swears that putting coffee beans in the freezer is bad. He recommends keeping it in a dark cupboard in an airtight container. Let the debate continue...

If you are using an Italian style stove-top percolator, always start with cold water and make sure that you don't have the hob temperature up too high. If your coffee can percolate slowly it will not run the risk of burning and ruining the flavour. Remove the percolator from the stove as soon as it starts to finish bubbling and making those lovely coffee gurgling noises. If you leave it any longer it will impair the flavour.

If you are using a plunger or cafetiere, use water that is just off boiling point in a pre-warmed plunger. Pour a little bit of coffee into the plunger and let it sit for a moment first to give the grains a chance to swell. Pout the rest of the water in, give it a little stir to break up the grounds floating on the surface and replace the filter to the top of the pot. Do not push it down yet. let the coffee then sit for at least 2-4 minutes to give it a chance to infuse, then push the filter slowly to the bottom.

A good guide for amounts is to use 2 tablespoons of coffee per coffee cup. There should be enough coffee in there to make a strong enough cup, but not so much that the filter is difficult to push to the bottom of the plunger.

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