Preparing Perfect Brewed Coffee

Many a coffee lover has wondered why brewing coffee at home doesn't have the same great taste they enjoy from Perfect Brew Coffee, Starbucks, or other favorite chain or local coffee shops. Some even shell out major bucks for coffee brewing machines that, though excellent, still don't give them the results they are looking for or the taste they desire.

The fact is, whether you use a simple drip coffee maker, an automatic drip coffee machine, a vacuum coffee maker, a French press plunger pot, an expensive esspresso machine or even an old-fashioned coffee percolator, you can get Perfect Brew Coffee at home if you follow a few simple rules:

1. Start with fresh, cold water. Water, not coffee, is the main ingredient in your coffee. If your area has good tap water, you'll more likely brew great coffee. If your tap water tastes foul, get a water filter system, whether it's one that attaches to your faucet or a less expensive countertop water filter. Bottled water works, too, but is expensive and a lot of hastle.
2. Use good-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans. Coffee's essential oils, the source of its aromatic, rich flavor, easily dissipate into the air, gradually carrying away flavor with them. Buy freshly roasted coffee in small batches and seek out a variety of blends, or brand you like. (You might want to explore different coffee bean varieties from around the world.) You can also purchase Perfect Brew Coffee in many blends from our online store. Perfect Brew Coffee can deliver even fresher products than you can find in stores because we roast our coffee daily and ship it the same day. You should also keep your coffee beans in an airtight jar at cool room temperature. There is no need to keep you coffee in the freezer.
3. Grind the coffee correctly, just before brewing. Use a good coffee grinder to grind the beans right before brewing. Grind to whatever fineness or coarseness best suits the coffee brewing equipment you use, checking the manufacturer's suggestions; generally, that means a fine grind for cone-shaped drip coffee filters and vacuum coffee makers, medium grind for French press plunger pots and drip coffee machines with flat-bottomed filters, and coarse for percolators. IMPORTANT: Do not reuse coffee grounds from an already-brewed batch.
4. Get the proportions right. A "cup" of coffee is generally 6 ounces, not the 8 ounces in a kitchen measuring cup. Use 2 tablespoons of Perfect Brew Coffee for every 6-ounce cup, adjusting the proportions slightly to your own particular taste for a stronger or weaker cup.
5. Clean your coffee equipment. Coffee's volatile oils can build up on brewing equipment and turn rancid, leading to a bad taste in the coffee you brew. After brewing, always wash your equipment thoroughly with warm, soapy water. Rinse it thoroughly too, so you don't wind up with soapy-tasting coffee.
6. Don't use fully boiling water. The ideal brewing temperature to extract coffee's best flavor is a few degrees below the boiling point. When brewing with a simple drip filter or French press coffee plunger pot, remove the kettle of boiling water from the heat and let it rest for a few seconds, until the turbulence dies down, before pouring. Good automatic coffee machines include thermostats that regulate water temperature.

Turn all of these steps into ahabit, and you'll likely find that your home-brewed coffee tastes as close to Perfect Brew Coffee as you can get without using our equipment.

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