Brewing Great Coffee at Home

 

To brew a great cup of coffee at home, you must start off by avoiding its 2 biggest enemies…. oxygen & moisture.

Contrary to common belief, refrigerators and freezers are not actually friends, but rather enemies of good coffee. One of the main problems with storing coffee that way is that moisture condenses on the beans or grounds, damaging the flavor.

 

Here are four fundamentals to help brew the perfect cup of Black Diamond coffee at home:

Proportion

The general rule for coffee-making is two tablespoons (10 grams) of ground coffee for each six ounces (180 milliliters) of water. Too few coffee grounds result in over-extracted or bitter coffee.

Too many grounds result in under-extracted coffee that does not achieve the full flavor of the blend. Proportion is the most common coffee-making mistake - and the easiest mistake to correct.

Grind

Different brewing methods require different grinds. A grind that is too fine will trap water and result in a bitter, unpleasant brew.

A grind that is too coarse leaves coffee weak and without distinguishing characteristics or flavors. Over-extracted coffee tastes much worse than under-extracted coffee, so when in doubt as to the brewing method, always err on the coarse side.

Water

While it may not seem like an important ingredient, coffee is 98 percent water.

The type of water used when brewing greatly affects the final taste. Always use clean, fresh water that is filtered or free of impurities - avoid soft water or well water. Water heated to just off the boil (195°-205°F or 90°-96°C) does the best job of extracting the coffee's full range of flavors.