Coffee tips

Storing

• Keep all storing, grinding, brewing and serving equipment clean.
• For ultimate freshness: buy your coffee fresh, on a weekly basis and avoid storing for more than 10 days.
• For 2 weeks or less: keep in valve bag or airtight container at room temperature.
• For more than 2 weeks: keep in valve bag or airtight container in deep freezer. Avoid repeated transition in and out of the freezer, as condensation will build up and make the coffee go stale faster than when kept at room temperature.
• If you can’t buy your coffee supply on a weekly basis: divide your coffee purchase into weekly supply double- freezer bags. Once you have taken your weekly supply out of the freezer, it should remain at room temperature to avoid deterioration due to condensation.

Grinding

• Whole beans keep their freshness and flavour longer.
• Grind only what you need before each brew.
• Grind your beans evenly and according to the brewing equipment you have and its instructions.
• The longer the brew cycle, the coarser the grind.
• If your coffee comes out of your brewing equipment too thin and less flavourful, try using a finer grind.
• If your coffee comes out bitter, try a coarser grind.
• The grind for a French press (Bodum) is slightly coarser than for drip.
• The grind for Melita cup filter is between espresso (very fine grind) and fine drip.

Brewing

• Keep brewed coffee in a thermal carafe to preserve its flavour. Never leave it on a burner.
• Use water just under boiling temperature.
• Let the boiling water stand for about twenty seconds
• Boiling water sears the coffee oils, which contain most of the flavours.
• These notes are benchmarks. Adjust according to your own taste. If you like the coffee stronger add more ground coffee, less grounds if you like your coffee weaker

French press (Bodum):

• Measure 2 Tablespoons of ground coffee to 6 ounces of fresh water.
• Bring water to a boil and let sit for 20 seconds. Pour water over coffee grounds and
• let steep for 4 minutes before slowly plunging and then serving.

Commercial Drip machine:

• Use 80 to 90 grams of ground coffee per 1.7 litres of water (regular carafe).
• Adjust your grind so that the brew time is 4 to 6 minutes (optimum around 5 min. 30 sec.)
• Gold plated filters are simply the best. Unlike paper filters, they don’t absorb the flavourful coffee oils.
• Oxygen bleached filters come second. They impart less paper flavour than unbleached filters and none of the chlorine taste that the chlorine-bleached filters do.