Hi coffee friends! - Of all the things I've learned about brewing a better cup of coffee over the years, it really boils down to three simple things:
- Coffee
- Grinder
- Water
If you can cover these 3 bases, your cup of coffee in the morning can be consistently awesome - regardless of your brewing method/device. Below, I'll break down each one and why they're so important.
1. Coffee - Get it Fresh, pay for Quality
If you want an awesome cup of coffee, you have to start with awesome roasted coffee. Coffee is an incredibly diverse, complex beverage. In fact, there are more potential flavors in coffee than you'll find in wine. And like most food and beverage, there are quality grades to coffee. Some is terrible and cheap. Some is incredible and costly. And there's a lot of in-between.
Two things to keep in mind with awesome coffee: a) buy Specialty-grade; and b) buy it from a roaster that sells then roasts (not the other way around). Many roasters around the country follow this "roast to order" model and source only Specialty Coffee, and we're one. Check out our offerings:
2. Grinder - Buy Whole Bean, Grind per batch
Coffee goes stale when exposed to oxygen. Whole Bean coffee stays "fresh" about 2-4 weeks after its roast date. After that, even a well-sealed bag, oxygen will start to rob some of the flavors of any coffee, even the good stuff. Read more: Specialty Coffee & Freshness - Prolonging the Magic
The next question is: Which grinder do I need? First: Get a burr grinder. They're far superior to blade grinders. There are many burr grinders to choose from, and we have this handy blog post to help you figure out what will work best for your situation: Choosing the Right Coffee Grinder for your Home - And check out the 2 that we offer:
- Manual: Handground - Precision Manual Burr Grinder
- Electric: Baratza Encore - Electric Conical Burr Grinder
3. Water - The Unsung Hero
A cup of coffee is 98% water. If you use terrible water, you'll make even the best Specialty Coffee taste like a cup full of "meh." So check out our handy guide to improving your water situation for brewing coffee: Is bad water ruining your coffee? Here's how to fix it
And check out this awesome coffee water hack: Third Wave Water
So there you have it: 3 simple steps to brewing better coffee at home. Happy brewing, coffee friends!