Coffee Tips
Never store your coffee in its original bag. Transfer your whole beans immediately into a ceramic or glass container with a rubber seal and preferably one that does not allow light through it. Air, light, heat and moisture are enemies of coffee.
DO NOT freeze your coffee beans! Contrary to what you may have heard, never store your coffee in the freezer, especially the refrigerator as this develops moisture around the bean.
To get rid of bad refrigerator smells, place a small open bowl with 1/2 cup of ground coffee on each shelf and leave it there for a couple of weeks. The coffee will absorb the odors and leave a clean smell. Throw the grounds away afterwards because it is totally undrinkable.
If you or your guests like chocolate, try serving your coffee with a square of chocolate on the saucer which can either be eaten separately or added to the coffee.
If you want your coffee to stay hot longer, heat your coffee cup or mug with hot water and remove the water just before pouring in your coffee. This will keep your coffee much hotter a lot longer.
The best way to clean everything from your brewer to your cups is with a mixture of baking soda and water. Be sure to rinse, rinse, and rinse again so no residue is left behind to spoil the coffee flavor.
If you make a dessert that calls for coffee, you might consider using decaf. Desserts are usually eaten later in the day and those requiring coffee may contain a considerable amount of caffeine for the late afternoon or evening eater.
When mixing desserts and coffees, the more plain the dessert, the lighter the roast of the coffee you may want to accompany it. Espresso goes well with richer desserts and lighter roasted coffees with less rich desserts.
Freshly ground coffee makes a wonderful potpourri. The smell of coffee will mask the "foulest" of odors. So now you can replace those aromatherapy scents with something that a true coffee lover appreciates, that wonderful smell of freshly ground coffee.
Since heat intensifies the sweetness of sugar, use less sugar or syrup in a hot espresso drink than a cold one.
If you enjoy iced coffee at home, pour coffee into ice trays and freeze them to use in your iced coffee drinks. This will prevent your iced coffee beverage from getting watered down as the ice melts.
If you are wondering what to do with those leftover coffee grounds, try using them as compost in your garden or sprinkle them around your plants.
Serving your coffee is as important as the brewing. Clean everything from your brewer to your cups with a mixture of baking soda and water.
If you are going to drink coffee from a Styrofoam cup, be sure to rinse it before you use it to remove any loose particles that might affect the taste of your coffee.
A good test for freshness of a coffee bean is to actually bite into the bean. If it has a crisp bite and a strong, full-flavored aftertaste, it is fresh. However, if it is chewy or bitter, it is not.
Syrups and sweeteners are best dissolved if poured into the cup before the espresso.
Vacuum-packed coffee requires the coffee to set for a minimum of five days after roasting before it can be vacuum-packed. You get the false impression of fresh coffee from the packaging when actually vacuum-packed coffee is just the opposite.
If you are seeking coffee perfection use a stainless steel French Press. The French Press engages the essence of the flavors and oils simultaneously, leaving nothing out, for a perfect cup of coffee.
If you prefer your coffee weaker, make it full strength, then dilute it with hot water or milk. It will taste much better than trying to use less coffee.
The Arabica bean is the bean of choice in gourmet coffee. Arabica beans have more flavor, aroma and contain less caffeine than their counterpart, the "Robusta."
Water softeners are great but not for your coffee. Artifically softened water will produce bitter tasting coffee. Since coffee is 98% water it makes sense to use pure and clean water with no artificial ingredients.
If you grind your own coffee here are two tips. Too coarse a grind will produce a weak cup of coffee. Too fine a grind can cause the brewer to clog and produce a bitter cup. Experiment with your grinder a few times you'll become an expert.
The best solution for keeping your coffee fresh and hot is transferring your coffee into a thermos or air pot coffee dispensor. This isolates the coffee from air, slowing down the oxidation process. The coffee will last up to 1 hour before you start losing the good flavor.
Grinding Tips
Keeping the grinder clean is extremely important. You never want anything but fresh beans to be ground.
Don't grind flavored beans because they will leave flavor residue in your grinder that is almost impossible to get out.
Grind your beans just prior to brewing for the freshest coffee flavor.
To achieve a more consistent grind gently shake the apparatus while grinding.
Burr grinders allow you to pre-select the proper grind but with blade grinders timing is critical.
Course Grind – for electric percolators grind for 5-10 seconds.
Medium Grind – for electric drip or French press 10-15 seconds.
Fine Grind – for espresso machines grind approximately 30 seconds
It's best to experiment with your equipment, grinding time, and different coffee blends to achieve the results that please your tastes.
