Brewing a Perfect Pot of Coffee

Going to a specialty coffee shop to get your much-needed cup of coffee in the morning can be very inconvenient at times.  Fortunately, with a little bit of knowledge and trial and error, you can brew your own perfect pot of coffee at home.  Here are a few tips.

First of all, you should know freshly roasted beans will yield a better pot of coffee.  After the beans have been roasted they will slowly lose their taste.  Instead of buying from the grocery store, roast them yourself or find a local roaster to buy from.

Unless you buy coffee beans which have already been ground up, you will need to grind them up yourself.  Once again, freshly ground coffee is better if you are trying to brew a perfect pot.  There are basically two types of grinders you can buy for home use; burr and blade.  Blade grinders are noisy and do not grind the beans up consistently.  They are cheaper than their burr counterparts though.

No matter what type of grinder you have, you need to consider the grind setting.  The particular type of filter you have in your coffee machine will determine what type of grind to shoot for.  If you have a flat-bottom filter it is best to use a medium grind.  The grind should be just slightly finer if you have a cone filter.

In order to brew a perfect pot of coffee you need to pay attention to how much grounds you put inside the machine.  Using more will yield stronger coffee, and conversely using fewer will produce milder coffee.

Water is the most important ingredient besides beans.  To make the best pot of coffee, use purified or filtered water.  This will keep your coffee machine from building up minerals as quickly, so you will not need to clean it as often.

Water temperature will also influence how your pot of coffee turns out.  If it is not hot enough, not as much flavor will be extracted from the beans.  However, if you heat the water up too much, it will not be good for the coffee's taste either.  The ideal range is anywhere between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pay attention to how effectively your coffee machine's heating system works.  You can help it heat up the coffee to the ideal range by using water which is room temperature or slightly warmer.  Avoid using cold water from the refrigerator.

As previously mentioned, if you use filtered or purified water, you will not need to clean the inside of your machine as often.  Just make sure you do clean it out every so often.  Coffee oils and other impurities will build up and begin to affect the taste of your coffee.