THE 5 STEP PROGRAM TO SERVING THE BEST COFFEE

NUMERO UNO-Water, Water, Water!

Water is approximately 98.5% of a coffee brew! So first and foremost, check your cafes filtration system.
( between 100 and 200 ppm dissolved minerals, for you scientific managers).

Good water is the start of good coffee.
A cup of coffee brewed from coffee beans that are fresh-roasted, ground just before brewing and brewed at the right temperature with the correct amount of clean, filtered water. That's what makes a great coffee that smells so good, and has a complex, mouth-filling aftertaste.

KEEP IT REAL-Storage!

Protect those beans from their worst enemies: moisture, heat, and oxygen! Packages simply need a cool, dry place. The dry storage area in most of the cafes is the perfect place for this. Read these three important steps!
1. Don't let coffee beans come into contact with oxygen. Oxidation in coffee beans is the number one factor in causing coffee to go stale.
2. Don't let coffee beans come into contact with moisture, either in the liquid or vapor forms. Water vapor will condense when cooled down to form liquid water. Just remember that the water vapor contained in air at room temperature will condense into the liquid form when the air is cooled down to a certain temperature, referred to as the "dew point". The exact dew point depends on the amount of water vapor (relative humidity) contained in a given quantity of air at room temperature. Rest assured that your refrigerator, and certainly your freezer, will produce the condensation of water from room temperature air. Water greatly increases the oxidation within coffee beans, and the presence of water in coffee beans leaves them in a very unstable condition.
3. Don't let coffee beans come into contact with light. Aside from raising the temperature of the beans, light will dramatically increase the chemical activity on the surface of the beans.

NOT TOO COURSE, OR NOT TOO FINE!

GRIND (PARTICLE) SIZE
The purpose of grinding coffee beans is to enable the water to remove (extract) the solubles (flavor compounds, oils, and solids) that create the flavor and body in coffee. The grind, or particle size must be matched to the brewing method, and the particle size must be as consistent as possible. The particle size (aggregate size) is extremely important to successful brewing. Don't be mislead by the popular belief that a finer grind will give you more flavor. The finer you grind coffee, the more particle surface area in relation to particle mass is being exposed to the hot water. The finer the grind, the more rapid the extraction. Over-extraction means you get too much, both what you want and what you don't want! The aggregate size must be matched to the brewing method being used, and the brewing time must be correct. Using an "espresso grind" for a drip brewer will slow the flow of water through the aggregate, and would result in a badly over-extracted and bitter infusion. If the grind is too coarse, the water flows too rapidly, and the resulting infusion will be under extracted and watery

MEASURE IT RIGHT!

Experts, including our coffee nerds, believe that perfect flavor is achieved when a brew has 1.1 to 1.4 percent solids in solution.
The proper way to measure coffee is by weight. If you are really serious about coffee, then you should invest in a scale that can weigh small portions of coffee accurately. A good scale is indispensable when blending your own coffee in small amounts, unless you want to spend a lot of time counting coffee beans. You can measure coffee by volume, but you lose a lot of accuracy because of varying bean densities and having to rely on visual estimation. The proportion of ground coffee used in relation to the amount of water used, constitutes the brewing ratio. After the coffee has been brewed, the amount of solubles that have been extracted in relation to the amount of water, constitutes the drinking ratio. The brewing ratio usually determines the drinking ratio, but it doesn't have to. Hot water can be added to the infusion after brewing to reduce the concentration and flavor intensity of the brew, thus changing the drinking ratio


THE SERVE
The brewing temperature of the water used is very important. It should be between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C). The closer to 205 F (96 C) the better. Boiling water (212 F - 100 C) should never be used, as it will burn the coffee. Water that is less than 195 F (91 C) will not extract properly
High quality coffee should be 140 F (60 C) and no more than 160 F (71 C) when consumed. Hotter coffee will diminish the ability of the taste receptor cells to sense properly. The sensory capacity decreases rapidly with the rise in temperature of the infusion. One of the main reasons Americans have developed the habit of drinking coffee so hot is the poor quality of coffee that has been sold in the past. Hot coffee can't be tasted very well, and if the coffee doesn't taste good to start with, the solution is obvious. How common it has been in the past to hear someone complain that their coffee has cooled down and that it tastes horrible. They were right!
The brewing time must be controlled exactly. Improper brewing time is one of the main reasons that people get different results when preparing coffee