Storage.
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There are a lot of philosophies on this topic. My preference is to store the unopened 12 oz. bags of coffee in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Once I have opened a fresh bag of coffee I store it at room temperature in an airtight container. Try to use it up in 10 - 14 days because this is the coffee's peak period of freshness. Oxygen is coffee's #1 enemy to freshness. Unlike most perishables, freezing your coffee does not halt the staling process. Every time the container is opened, new oxygen is introduced and absorbed by the beans. I've seen no research indicating that freezing even slows down the absorption rate. And since frozen coffee needs to be at room temperature before grinding, it comes down to a matter of convenience. |
| Grind. |
First, put your money into a good burr or hand mill grinder. It's important that you can dial in the size of grind and that it is consistent in order to produce good coffee. Second, grind right before you brew. Ground coffee stales 7 times faster than whole bean coffee. |
| How Much Coffee? |
1-2 tablespoons of coffee per 8 ounces of water is the norm. If you're using a drip brewer I recommend 1 tablespoon. If you're using a french press try 2 tablespoons. If you want to be really hardcore, weigh your coffee before grinding, about 10 grams per 6 ounces of water. |
| Which Coffeemaker? |
Drip coffeemakers are certainly popular and convenient but be aware that few heat the water adequately to the optimal 195-205º F brewing temperature. French press overcomes this challenge, adds the advantage of portability and requires no paper filters if you don't mind a little extra fuss. I definitely do not recommend any coffeemaker that cycles the brew over the grounds multiple times, as in the case of the perculator. It tends to over-extract the grounds, introducing bitterness. If you're ready to depart the beaten path of brewing checkout Chemex manual drip, the vacuum pot, or the Turkish ibrik. |
| Water. |
Coffee is 98% water so it only stands to reason that good tasting water will contribute to good tasting coffee. There are a number of easy filtration methods for home and field. It's a simple way to improve flavor. |
| Consumption. |
Coffee is best as soon as the brewing is done. Use a thermal container to perserve temperature instead of the constant heat of a warmer plate. For practical reasons I will often leave the coffee on the warmer plate, but for no longer than 20 minutes. After that you'll notice that the flavor starts changing toward sour and bitter. |
