Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee
It’s the best part of waking up and starting your day, something to enjoy after a good meal or just relaxing and enjoying a good cup of coffee anytime, but there are a million ways to brew it.
Coffee brewing is the process of extracting the flavour from roasted coffee beans and turning it into an enjoyable beverage.
While the particular steps vary with the type of coffee and with the raw materials, the process includes four basic steps; green coffee beans must be roasted, the roasted coffee beans must then be ground, the ground coffee must then be mixed with hot water for a certain time (brewed), and finally the liquid coffee must be separated from the coffee grounds.
Coffee is usually ground and brewed immediately before drinking as it loses its flavour quickly.
Coffee may be purchased unprocessed (green beans), already roasted, or already roasted and ground. Coffee is often vacuum packed to prevent oxidation and lengthen its shelf life.
Either buy green beans and roast them yourself or buy freshly roasted coffee beans and grind them yourself. Buy in small batches so they are always fresh. Look for a roast date on the package. You want coffee that’s no more than two weeks off the roast for best results.
The Premium quality coffees that we offer are 100% Arabica coffees. Each variety of coffee beans are hand roasted, giving focused attention to the specific characteristics of their point of origin.
Buying the finest coffee is only the beginning and can go for naught if the brewing is not done correctly. Brewing methods are an important aspect to get the best flavour from Tibaagan Coffees special roasts.
Different methods of grinding and brewing the coffee beans give a bit of a different flavour to the same coffee beans and roasts.
Invest in a good conical burr grinder. You will get better extraction from coffee beans that are evenly ground.
Make sure your water is hot enough, between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, which leads to optimal extraction. Water about 15-30 seconds off the boil should be ideal; don’t let it go longer than a minute off the boil.
Making coffee is like following a recipe: the correct proportion of ingredients (in this case, coffee and water) is vital. We suggest using two heaping tablespoons of whole beans for every six ounces of water.
Grinding before brewing ensures the freshest coffee by releasing the flavours and aromas inside the coffee beans so they can be savored in your cup.
Freshly-roasted, freshly-brewed coffee should never sit around, but should be enjoyed as soon as possible. If coffee sits on a burner or is reheated, it will have a scorched taste and lose the aromatic complexity of the coffee.
There are various methods to brew coffee and we will discuss some popular methods here:
The Drip Coffee method, the Pour Over method and the French Press method.
Drip Coffee Makers
They come in all shapes and sizes and and have a variety of built in features. You want one that will heat the water to 200 degrees and will drip the coffee in 8 minutes. They vary in price and more expensive does not always mean better. Do your research as a good coffee maker can make the difference between an okay cup of coffee to a perfect cup of coffee.
Pour over Coffee Maker
The pour over method is elegant without being prohibitively difficult. For those accustomed to coffee from a drip machine, this method will produce something similar but noticeably more delicate and complex. Pour over coffee brings out the purer and more subtle flavours of coffee.
Pour over coffee starts with (freshly) ground coffee, a filter, and a filter holder, often called a ‘pour over dripper.’ At the most basic level, pourover brewing involves pouring water over and through the grounds to extract the coffee flavours into your cup or a carafe.
A slow-pouring kettle is essential to using these brewers well. A gram scale and thermometer will also help you brew great coffee consistently.
Coffee grind, batch size, pour rate, roast level, processing method, and more, all of which vary and produce different results. Experiment and adjust to taste!
French Press Coffee Brewing Method
The French press goes by various names around the world. The modern French press consists of a narrow cylindrical beaker, usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a metal or plastic lid and plunger that fits tightly in the cylinder and has a fine wire or nylon mesh filter.
A cylindrical pot with a plunger and built-in filter screen that presses hot water through ground coffee: that’s the simple beauty of the French press, method of choice for many the world over, creating an earthy, rich taste in the cup.