Easy steps to perk up your coffee at home
NELSONVILLE - Automatic drip coffee machines can be found on kitchen counters for good reason: convenience.
It makes your coffee while you prep for your day, whether it’s packing lunches for the kids or finding a missing dress sock. Coffee grounds go here. Water goes in there. Flip the switch. You’re free to shower, take out the trash or whatever else needs to be done before you dash out the door.
Problem is, even though it’s faster and cheaper than a stop at a coffee shop, flavor is lacking.
It doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to sacrifice precious morning minutes to tend a pour-over method for a better cup of joe says Jared Linzmeier, the founder of Ruby Roasters, a roastery and retail outlet 14 miles east of Stevens Point.
He offered a few simple steps to brew a better cup of coffee:
BEAN SELECTION
Linzmeier says: The quality, roast and freshness of one's coffee is absolutely the central component of creating an enjoyable experience at home. Quality degrades after 4 to 6 weeks of when the coffee was roasted.
My takeaway: Think of coffee like a piece of fruit (mostly because the beans are seeds of fruit). It doesn't have an infinite shelf life in your cupboard. Think of a whole bean as a whole apple that hasn't been sliced and coffee grounds as peeled apple slices. Once you slice that apple, you want to eat it right away, not 2 weeks later.
WATER FILTRATION
Linzmeier says: Water for brewing should be filtered to remove unwanted chemicals and other contaminants, but the desired composition for brewing coffee also requires some mineral presence. The appropriate minerals like sodium and calcium help make coffee extract properly and taste sweet and balanced.
My takeaway:Holy cup of Joe, Batman! Filtered drinking water — along with weighing ingredients (see below) — even took mass-produced, ground beans brewed in my run-of-the-mill Mr. Coffee machine to near restaurant quality coffee. NOTE: Results steadily deteriorated each day after breaking the vacuum sealed container (see above).
WATER TEMPERATURE
Linzmeier says: Coffee should be brewed between 195 to 205 degrees F and ideally that window should be 200 to 205 for medium to light roast coffees.
My takeaway: Water temps topped out at 175 F on my Mr. Coffee machine. Some drip machines will heat water to ideal brewing temperatures such as the Bonavita BV1800 and BUNN BT Velocity. Prices for those models range from $117 to $160.
GRINDER
Linzmeier says: Quality of grind and freshness of grind are both important. Evenness is achieved better with a burr grinder and best done right before brewing to prevent oxidation and flavor loss.
My takeway: I had planned to do a story about pour-over brewing methods, but when Linzmeier said if he had $150 to spend on home brewing equipment, he'd spend $140 on the grinder — the story took a different direction. When someone who travels to remote Central American villages to meet coffee farmers supplying his beans makes that kind of statement, you take notice. We tested my cheap grinder against his professional grade grinder using a pour-over brewing method. The difference really emerged as the coffee cooled, super hot coffee will mask off flavors. My grinder, that turned beans into chunks and dust, was markedly more sour and bitter. You can save a few bucks by purchasing a refurbished grinder at baratza.com.
SCALE
Linzmeier says: Scales help eliminate guesswork in brewing to achieve one's desired strength. We like to brew about 60 grams of coffee to 1000 grams of water in most drip methods.
My takeaway: The best part is that a scale, the other half of the dynamic duo helping me brew better coffee at home (see WATER FILTRATION above), doesn't cost a fortune. The Escali P115 (about $25), has been doing the trick for me.
Daniel Higgins writes about food and drink for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Email: daniel.higgins@gannettwisconsin.com,
Twitter and Instagram @HigginsEats, facebook.com/gwmdanhiggins.