4 Things You Should Know About Brewing Coffee
We want you to be as excited (and informed) as we are when it comes to coffee.
Here you’ll find a little bit of our coffee insider info, which we hope will help you understand the important points for achieving a consistent and delicious brew.
We also want you to have the confidence and skills to experiment with brewing at home. So if you have any questions, feel free to shoot us a line or stop by at the cafe and chat with one of our experienced baristas. We will be more than happy to help you.
Let’s get to it!
Whatever your preferred brewing method there are some basic principles that by taking the time to understand you will be brewing much better coffee!
GRIND SIZE
Coffee needs an appropriate amount of contact time with water to produce a great cup of coffee. This can be controlled by adjusting your grind size; by going finer and therefore increasing the surface area you will expose more of the coffee and increase the contact time by slowing the flow of water. If your coffee tastes thin and sour, you may want to consider grinding finer. Conversely if your coffee tastes dry and flat, you may want to grind coarser.
GRIND BEFORE BREWING
Grind your freshly roasted coffee just before brewing. We don’t recommend grinding a lot of coffee all at once if it’s just going to sit there for days or weeks. You know how it always smells so good when you first grind your coffee? Well, that’s the aromas coming out of the broken bean. Once you’ve ground your coffee, those aromas will escape into the air…the longer you wait to brew after grinding, the less there is in your cup.
COFFEE TO WATER RATIO
In coffee we have a golden ratio of 60g of coffee per litre of water. It is not hard and fast but offers a great starting point for your brewing. It’s important to note that the weight of coffee and water must be measured using a gram scale. Volumetric measurements such as scoops or cups are not appropriate as coffee's density - based upon its origin, process, roast degree and other factors - varies greatly and therefore will change from roast to roast.
Check out our How To Make Great Pour-Over Coffee post to improve your brew game even more!
WATER WATER WATER
We get flavour from coffee because there are soluble compounds which are taken by the mineral ions present in water. This means it is important, particularly for those in hard water areas, that you are using a method for filtering your water. Hard water will create cups that are flat and dull, while soft water will cause your coffees to appear thin, sour or empty.
Have any questions? Leave us a comment. Happy Brewing!