Premium Gourmet Coffee Bean Tips

There are many different types of coffee, and many ways to prepare it.   A good cup of coffee is based on an individual’s personal preference.  We have provided some suggestions for grinding, brewing and storing coffee.   Adjust as needed to your personal preference.

How to Grind Coffee

Brewing good coffee requires the right grind for the right coffee maker.  In addition, different coffee brewing techniques require different grinds. How coarse or fine coffee is ground is critically important to making good coffee!  Coffee beans that are ground too fine will delay the brewing process and produce a bitter cup; conversely, coffee beans that are ground too coarse will speed up the brewing process and produce a watery, less robust beverage.   Try to grind your coffee beans immediately prior to brewing it.  You want to keep your coffee in whole bean form as long as possible, as this will tend to prolong its freshness. There are two types of grinders; blade grinders and burr grinders. Here at Javámo, we highly recommend using a burr grinder, as it crushes the bean slowly, creating almost no heat. Blade grinders, using spinning high speed blades, can create high temperatures which can actually ‘burn’ the coffee, creating a burned (bitter) flavor.

If you do use a blade grinder, here are some appropriate grinding times:

• Extra Fine Grind: 20 seconds  (espresso)
• Fine Grind: 15 seconds
• Medium Grind: 12 seconds
• Coarse Grind: 9 seconds

When grinding, try not to operate (pulse) the grinder for more than 5 seconds at a time, and wait 5 seconds between pulses in order to keep the heat buildup to a minimum.

How to Brew Drip Coffee

Measure:
Use 1 Tablespoon of ground coffee per 6 oz. cup.  Use more or less coffee based on your taste preference.
Water:
Coffee is 98% water so the better the water, the better the coffee.  Use cool water.  We do not recommend using distilled water due to the absence of minerals, which actually help the coffee taste better.

 How to Store Coffee

Once coffee is opened it should be consumed within a week for optimal taste and freshness.  Store coffee in an airtight container in a dark, dry, cool location since the natural enemies of coffee are air, moisture and heat.   It is not recommended that you store coffee in the refrigerator or freezer.  Doing so can add moisture (one of the enemies) and the bean may also absorb the odors of the refrigerator.