We all have that one friend who seemingly does everything you do, but somehow every cup of coffee they make is dramatically better than anything you’ve ever made. You’re following the same recipes, you’re doing everything the same way, so why is it that their coffee tastes so different?
Well, chances are you both might not be doing everything the same way. Even the tiniest differences in how the coffee is brewed, like the temperature of the water, and the freshness of the coffee itself. If you and your friend are making the same coffee with the same recipe, and you use crushed coffee beans while your friend crushes them right before using them, the results will both taste different from one another.
If you want to know all about the tiny steps that make a cup of coffee great, keep reading!
Keep Track of Your Recipes
If you’ve been working on developing your own personal recipe or trying to make one taste better, or if you just like to experiment with different coffee blends, it would be a good idea to keep track of all your experiments, recipes, and what the results were.
A good old notebook might do the job, but you can also sign up for Good Fika and have their AI program track your recipes and blends. It’s much more intuitive and efficient, and it might even help you get where you want to be faster!
Use Whole Coffee Beans
The longer you leave your coffee to sit after grinding the beans, the more flavor they lose. This process is called degassing, and it gets worse the more time the crushed coffee spends sitting on a shelf.
This is why the best coffee houses and coffee enthusiasts like to use coffee beans and grind them at the spot, which makes it easier for the coffee to retain it’s flavor.
Next time you’re out buying coffee, get the whole coffee beans if you didn’t already.
Measure the Coffee by Weight
You can’t use the same amount of coffee for different recipes, especially when the types of coffee you’re using are different. The general rule of 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water has been going around for quite a while, but every type of coffee has a different density and strength of flavor.
This is why it’s a better idea to measure your coffee beans by weight for all your recipes instead of by volume. If you do this, you’ll have less chances of getting the amount of coffee wrong.
Store Your Coffee Properly
Coffee isn’t meant to be kept out in the open once it gets to you, and it’s not meant to be kept in extreme temperatures either.
You should store your coffee in an airtight container in a cupboard, away from any direct light and too much what or cold. This also means that you can’t put your coffee inside the refrigerator, and if you’re keeping it in the kitchen you should take care not to put them anywhere near the heat of the stove or the kitchen appliances.
Is Your Water the Right Temperature?
If you use water that’s too hot, the coffee will be pretty acidic. If you use water that’s too cold, your coffee will take longer to brew and not taste that rich. This is why you need to make sure the water is just the right temperature before you use it for coffee brewing purposes.
People recommend using water that’s somewhere between 195 – 205 degrees F. Water around this temperature will be the best at pulling out all of the coffee’s complex flavors, richness, and depth.
Using a thermometer is ideal, and with time you’ll start to develop a gut instinct for when the water is ready - maybe that’s your friend’s secret?
Remember, brewing the perfect cup is all about practice, experimentation, and following the right steps. The more you try, the better you’ll get at it!