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03/15/2004: "Coffee Tips"

If the coffee you make at home doesn't measure up to the coffee you get at your favorite coffee shop, it's probably not your equipment or your coffee beans. People who care about coffee usually have those things covered going in. The disappointment comes in when you've done the research, spent the money, and you still can't get the results that you want. Click more.. below.

The most common problem, and the easiest to resolve, is failing to use the correct amount of ground coffee per cup. One coffee measure per six ounces of water is correct only if your coffee measure holds two level tablespoons of ground coffee. Check your coffee measure carefully.

The next most common problem is poor water quality. Taste the water you use to make your coffee. If it tastes like hell, so will your coffee. If you need to go with bottled water, use springwater and not distilled water. Distilled water has unusual properties and will not make good coffee.

The last most common problem, keeping things clean, will usually not be a problem at all until you're making great coffee. When you're making great coffee you tend to make it frequently, and every time you do, residue accumulates on your equipment ruining the flavor of your coffee. You must brush out your grinder, and wash your coffee maker with hot soapy water every time you make coffee. If there are parts of your coffee maker that you can't reach, as would be the case with an electric drip machine, wash everything you can reach, and every week or two run a solution of white vinegar and water through the machine as though you were making coffee.

If you're wondering what all the fuss is about because you've never had a cup of coffee that tastes anywhere near as good as it smells, then it's time for you to wake up. The coffee made correctly does taste as good as it smells. Visit a Starbucks coffee shop and you'll see what I mean.

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