The Last Link

on the Flavor Chain

From Roasted Coffee to the Cup

Understanding the many variables affecting coffee flavor means revisiting the coffee flavor chain, where the last step is extracting the coffee flavors from the roasted bean into your cup. Terribly brewed coffee will taste terrible! If your perfectly roasted ccoffee tastes bitter and pungent—drinkable only when drowned in milk and sugar—then most likely it’s not brewed correctly. Read on.

How to Brew the Perfect Cup

When crewing coffee, consider the factors that affect flavor:

  • Brewing Method

  • Coffee to Water Ratio

  • Grind Size

  • Water Temperature

  • Water Quality

Equipment

What do you need to brew the cup coffee? That depends on the brewing method. An espresso brew will require an espresso machine of some kind, while an immersion brewing method will need some way of seeping the coffee grind in water. There’s a world of equipment to start exploring, and our recommendation is to start with the basics. See the links below for what we like.

Regardless of how you’re brewing, however, you need a good coffee grinder. We like the Eureka Mignon Specialista for fine grinds (espresso and Turkish coffee) and the Baratza Encore for immersion style brews. In theory you can get one grinder for all kinds of brews, but in our experience no one grinder works prefectly for everything.

Brewing Method

First decision is the extraction method—how are you going to brew your coffee? Espresso extraction produces one kind of flavor while immersion methods (French Press, Pour Over, Drip, Turkish ibrik) another. Each method has a range of ideal coffee to water ratios and preferred grind sizes.

Espresso. By espresso, we mean the traditional method of using water forced through a densely packed puck of coffee under high pressure to extract the coffee flavors with some form of espresso machine. In general, they can be as simple as the AeroPress to the automated Jura style machines to the even more involved commercial espresso machines in most coffee shops. The idea is the same in all those extraction methods—pressurized water runs through coffee to pull out flavors into your espresso cup.

For this to work, the coffee must be finely ground. How fine? You can experiment with different settings on your grinder, but it should look like a fine power. The water should be around 203F (for those machines that let you set temperature) and the coffee to water ratio should be 2:1 water to coffee. So for a typical 40g shot, weigh out 20g of finely ground coffee. If you want a “lungo” shot, the ratio goes from 3:1.

French Press. This is wakes us up in the morning! The french press is consistent, smooth, easy to do brew and bursts with a bloom of beautiful aroma. We love the Espro double filtered french press, either in stainless steel or glass.

Grind your beans course for French Press, like course sand or even tiny rice grains. They should look courser than your typical ground drip coffee. The coffee to water ratio should be 1:18 for a mild strength coffee, but you can experiment to anywhere from 1:12 to 1:20. At around 1:18 ratio, 16 oz of water (455g) should be almost 1 oz of ground coffee (25g). Scoop the coffee into the press first, then pour in water boiled to 200F. Hotter water will make the coffee more bitter.

We don’t like to stir. Let the coffee float in the water, generally making its way to the top. After 2 minutes, “break” the coffee bloom at the top with a tea spoon by pushing the coffee down to the bottom. Get ready for a wonderful burst of aroma—fruit, honey, chocolate, floral gardens. We’re not shy to stick our noses right up to the press. After 2 minutes (for a total of 4 minutes of brew time), press the filter down and enjoy your freshly brewed coffee!

Pour Over. It’s a simple as slowly pouring hot water over a filter right into your cup or pot! A bit faster to prepare than the French Press, but it’s filtered, which to us mellows the flavor more. Some think the filter lowers cholesterol content, but that’s another debate. We like the simple Hario v60.

Grind your between fine and course, somewhere between a drip and French Press—this is where you experiment to find your right setting. Like the French Press, the coffee to water ratio should be 1:18 for a mild strength coffee, but you can experiment to anywhere from 1:12 to 1:20. At around 1:18 ratio, 16 oz of water (455g) should be almost 1 oz of ground coffee (25g). Also remember to keep your water temperature around 200F. Don’t sweat the technique of how to pour the water over the coffee too much. Just pour it steady and slow. A gooseneck kettle will really help you out.