7 Tips To Make The Best Drip Coffee
Do you knock your neighbor’s socks off with your drip coffee? Well, now you can, if you follow these 7 Easy Steps To The Best Drip Coffee.
1. The Coffee Must Be Fresh
Coffee has a shelf life of around 6 weeks. The coffee in the grocery store is on average 3 to 12 months old. What that means for you is, if you are drinking store-bought coffee you are enjoying the coffee equivalent of moldy stale bread. To avoid this and to enjoy the vast array of coffee’s flavors — only purchase coffee from a local independent roaster. Your coffee will be hours young not months old.
2. Your Water Has To Be Filtered
The water you use is the second most crucial step to having great tasting coffee (just after the coffee itself). Use filtered water or even bottled water. DO NOT USE distilled or softened water.
3. Be Specific About Your Grind
USE ONLY A BURR GRINDER. If you have a blade grinder, then I’m sorry. You are better off getting the custom treatment you can only get from a local roaster. A good, local roaster can grind your coffee according to your filter needs. If you have a burr grinder then here’s what you do. For ‘cone’ shaped filters (paper or gold cone), grind your coffee at #4 on your grinder. For flat-bottomed filters grind a little coarser with a #6 grind. The grind is imperative to the extraction process and the subsequent flavor.
4. Use The Right Amount
Use 2 level tablespoons of ground coffee per 6oz. of water.
5. Pre-Wet the Grounds
This is a fun trick many don’t know. If you have an Insta-hot or can quickly heat up a very small amount of water, sprinkle no more than an ounce of water on your grounds before you start brewing. This begins the extraction process and starts pulling the flavor to the surface of the grounds. When the brewing starts, it will have a head-start on the extraction.
6. If It Ain’t Hot, It’s Time To Shop
Your coffee maker should maintain a constant temperature of around 200?F to ensure optimal extraction. If you’re coffee is cool or colder than you remember, it maybe time for a new machine. BONUS TIP: A drip maker should also take only 5 – 7 minutes to brew.
7. Don’t Wait, Enjoy It Right Away
Nothing ruins your coffee experience like cold coffee. So, don’t wait, drink it right away. A thermal carafe will keep your coffee warm longer than a glass pot. No matter how warm you keep your coffee make sure to finish it off within 30 to 60 minutes of brewing. BONUS TIP: Re-heating coffee can never revive the optimal just-after-brewing flavor. That’s the seventh step in how to make the best coffee.
Conclusion:
Many coffee ‘experts’ will downplay the flavor of a drip brewer for many reasons. In reality though, a drip coffee maker can make a the best coffee in the world with the right beans, water and grind. Whether you like a light roast coffee, a medium roast coffee, or a dark roasted coffee, you just have to pay attention to the details. Oh, and when you’re done, don’t forget to help your neighbor find their socks.
Source | NCA Brewing Guide (combined with some of our own expertise)