How to Brew the Best Cup of Coffee

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While there are many different methods that you can use to make a great cup of coffee, below you will find some of the more common methods along with information to help you get the best cup possible.

Whole Bean vs Ground

Most pre-ground coffees that you purchase at the grocery store have been sitting in those containers for months, and maybe even over a year. Using fresh roasted coffee is going to significantly improve your cup while grinding your beans fresh, right before brewing, will give you the most delicious results. As soon as coffee is ground, it's quality begins to deteriorate significantly faster and the oils in the beans start to go rancid. If you don't have a coffee grinder, a great place to start is with an inexpensive blade grinder (Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder). The next step would be a burr grinder (OXO Brew Burr Grinder), but take it one step at a time! If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me:

Pintabeancoffee@gmail.com

Do I Really Need a Scale

The short answer is No....but it will help you up your coffee game and get the best cup of coffee possible each time you brew! The scale will keep you consistent in your ratios and can actually add some more fun to tweaking your recipes! It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive; Here are some recommendations:

Greater Goods Digital Scale (I have this one)

Greater Goods Digital Coffee Scale with Timer

Traditional Drip Brewing

This is probably the easiest and most common method of brewing coffee out there. This is how I usually make my coffee in the morning as well. You just can't beat the "set it and forget it" convenience that these machines offer. Convenience doesn't always produce the best cup of coffee, however. To ensure you start your morning off with a great cup of coffee, try to follow the "golden" ratio. For every gram of coffee grounds you are using, use 18 grams of water. For a stronger pot, use more coffee grounds; try using 15 grams of water for every gram of coffee.
For the average 12 cup (2041 grams of water) coffee maker, you can use about 113 grams of coffee (about 1.5 cups of grounds)

French Press

The French press coffee is another common brewing method coffee lovers use in their morning routine. One reason they are so popular is their ease of use; pour your grounds in, add your hot water, let it sit for a couple minutes, and then push down the plunger. For best results, you will want to stick to a coffee to water ratio of 1:10 to 1:12. For example, if you use 30 grams of coffee, you will want to use between 300-360 grams of water, depending on how strong you would like it. The only down side to the French press is the likelihood that the smaller grounds make their way through the filter screen. To minimize this, you will want to use course grounds.

Pour Over

Pour over coffee is very popular among coffee lovers. This method produces an extremely clean cup of coffee that highlights the nuances of the beans being brewed. Since you are manually pouring water over the grounds using a filter, all the particulate is left out of your cup. While the paper filter will absorb some of the coffee oils, you will end up with a full-flavored cup of coffee to enjoy. To get that perfect cup, this method requires a little more precise measurement, but it's worth it!

One of the most popular and proven brewers is the Chemex Pour-Over.

Here is a proven recipe for the Chemex that translates well to other pour-over brewers as well:

Start heating your water to just below boiling. While the water is heating, weigh out and grind your coffee to a medium-course grind. Depending on how much you are making, you will want to measure out 15-16 grams of water per gram of coffee.
Place the paper filter in your brewer and rinse the filter with the heated water. Pour out that water
Place your brewer on a kitchen scale and tare the weight of the brewer. Add your coffee to the filter, we will start with 36 grams of medium-course ground coffee.
Tare your scale again and pour about 80 grams over the entire surface of the grounds, trying to wet them all, and then wait 1 minute. This will allow the coffee to "bloom" and produce the best cup. You may have to tap your scale to make sure it doesn't turn off.
Then pour the remaining water over the grounds in a circular motion in two batches. Fill the filter with water up to about 1/2 inch from the top, allow it to filter through, and then add the remaining water to the grounds (until you hit about 520g of water).
After a few minutes, the water will filter through the grounds and into the carafe below. Remove the grounds, being careful not to burn yourself, and enjoy your coffee!

Aeropress

The Aeropress has become my favorite way to make a quick cup of delicious coffee. It is extremely easy to modify your recipe to your liking. The Aeropress can make coffee similar to espresso that you can dilute with water to your liking. Here is a recipe to start with:

Step 1 - Insert plunger and turn brewer upside down.

Step 2 - Add about 11 grams of medium-fine ground coffee to the brewer.

Step 3 - pour 200 mL (almost 1 cup) of 210ish degree water into the brewing trying to wet all of the grounds. let sit for 2 minutes then stir.

Step 4 - Place filter and cap firmly in place and then invert onto your mug.

Step 5 - Press plunger firmly, but slowly down until all liquid has been forced Into the mug

Step 6 - Enjoy!

Cold Brew

Cold brew, when done right, is bold, super smooth, and has very low acidity. Due to the lower temperatures of the water, you get all the great extraction from the coffee and the acidity gets left behind! This is one reason that it's so popular....that, and its super delicious. We offer our Signature Cold Brew blend that meticulously roasted and blended to give you a super smooth, chocolatey cup of cold brew. Here is a recipe using a Coffee Sock which is available in our Brewers section:

-Initially, boil new filters in fresh water to clean and shrink for 10 minutes.

Step 1 - Fit Cold Brew filter over lip of wide mouthed canning jar.

Step 2 - Add desired amount of coarsely ground coffee.

Note: We recommend 3 ounces by weight (1 cup dry) per 32 ounce serving.

Step 3 - Wet (bloom) the dry coffee and let sit for 30 seconds, allowing the water to fully penetrate the coffee grounds from the center. This is necessary to maximize flow and to avoid dry pockets, and weak brew.

Step 4 - Add filtered water in batches or very slowly, to fill.

Step 5 - Close filter by gathering the top of fabric together, wrapping the strap around the gathered neck of the filter, and pass through the attached ring.

-Times vary with volume of brew and ambient temperature. Warmer temperatures and shorter brew times yield a brighter and less extracted brew. Long cold soaks produce rich and smooth brews.

Brew Time Chart

32oz 64oz 1 Gal. 2 Gal.

SunBrew 4-6 hrs 5-8hrs 6-10hrs 12-15hrs

ShadeBrew 5-8hrs 6-10 hrs 12-16hrs 14-18hrs

ColdBrew 6-10 hrs 12-16 hrs 14-18 hrs 16-20hrs

After brewing, discard grounds (great for the compost), and thoroughly rinse filter.