Would you like water or coffee first to make coffee? How much water do you use for pure coffee? How much do you use for fine coffee?

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Water or coffee first? How much water does black coffee need? How much water is used to brew fine coffee?

Many coffee brewing methods or data can be adjusted according to each individual preference, experience and taste, but there are still some general principles for brewing coffee. The following five points are summarized as "Five Rules for Making Good Coffee"--

1. fresh coffee beans

2. Correct grinding

3. good water quality

4. The right temperature.

5. gentle brewing

No matter what brewing method or personal habits, these five rules can be said to be universal, if you violate any of them during the brewing process, the result is likely to be a failed cup of coffee! Let's take a closer look at these five rules.

Fresh coffee beans.

If you ask a famous chef: how to cook delicious food? I believe that his answer will definitely include "fresh ingredients", because as long as a good chef does not use stale and expired ingredients to cook his specialty dishes. The first step to a good cup of coffee is fresh coffee beans.

What is fresh coffee? Please refer to the shelf life of coffee beans listed in the table below. You may be surprised by the harsh conditions, but in fact, coffee beans gradually lose their freshness after roasting. As the time of contact with air increases, the good substances in coffee beans gradually decrease, especially after grinding coffee beans. Why is the shelf life of ground coffee beans only 5-10 minutes? The main reason is precisely because the ground coffee beans surface area becomes very large, so the oxidation rate is relatively several times faster, it will not take long for coffee beans to be oxidized and all deteriorated, let alone want to make good coffee.

Coffee Bean Type Shelf Life (Limit)

Unroasted coffee beans 1-2 years old

Roasted coffee beans (for Espresso) for about 3 weeks

Roasted coffee beans (brewed by methods other than Espresso) 30-45 days

Ground coffee beans 5-10 minutes

Coffee beans must be preserved in a good environment to have the above life span

Therefore, it is strongly recommended that any coffee be ground before brewing, and only the amount required for one cup at a time! Even if you have ten cups to boil, wait until you finish one cup before grinding the next cup. Don't grind a pile in advance to save brewing time. So the next time you walk into a strange coffee shop, you might as well observe that the store is freshly ground, at least half assured, but if you see the store brewing coffee is scooped out of the sealed pot of coffee ground in advance, then you have to seriously consider whether to drink this coffee.

From a freshly ground perspective, buying coffee beans that have already been ground is clearly the hardest way to maintain freshness. The most common situation is to buy a pound of coffee beans from a coffee shop and ask the store to grind them for you. How long does it take to drink a pound of coffee beans? A week? Or more than two weeks? No matter how long it takes, the journey home alone exceeds the 10-minute freshness limit. How can you expect to make good coffee with coffee beans that have lost their freshness?

For the same reason, there is no need to believe in foreign brand coffee beans, especially ground coffee beans--even if the manufacturers constantly emphasize in their advertisements: we pay great attention to the freshness of coffee beans, fly to Taiwan every week, keep them fresh at low temperature and nitrogen filling all the time... etc., but what is in front of us is the expired coffee beans. Therefore, I suggest that you don't have to buy roasted coffee beans (powder) to send back to friends when traveling abroad next time. I believe the reasons are no longer necessary.

Second, the correct grinding

Because of the persistence of freshness, coffee beans must be ground before brewing, so the grinder has become a necessary tool, and then put forward a very important concept: a good grinder is more important than a good coffee machine! In the pursuit of good coffee on the road, a sufficient level of grinding machine is absolutely necessary equipment.

Why is the grinder so important? The true meaning of the so-called brewed coffee is "the correct extraction of the substances in the coffee beans". To achieve this goal, the key lies in "precise control of the thickness of the coffee grind and the brewing time". There is an inseparable relationship between the two. Why control brewing time? Because "the oil and aromatic substances of coffee beans will be dissolved by water first, caffeine and bitter substances are slower", so when brewing coffee, from the moment the water comes into contact with the coffee powder, it is necessary to stop the extraction at the appropriate time, and as soon as possible, the brewed coffee and coffee powder are separated to avoid those substances that we do not want from the coffee powder into the coffee.

Different brewing methods and habits have their own suitable grinding degree, which is distinguished by brewing method. Espresso is suitable for fine grinding, filter and siphons are suitable for medium grinding, and French press is suitable for coarse grinding. For example, in terms of the length of time coffee powder is soaked in water, the longer the time, the coarser the grinding particles; the shorter the time, the finer the grinding particles. But this is just a big principle, usually try a lot, you can certainly find the most suitable for their own brewing methods and habits.

In order to extract the substances in coffee beans correctly, in addition to grinding coffee beans to different degrees of thickness, it is also very important to make the particle size uniform. If the grinding thickness is different, the fine coffee powder will be extracted faster than the coarse coffee powder by water, which will cause the problem that the extraction time cannot be controlled. That is, in the same time, when the fine coffee powder has been over-extracted because it has been soaked in water for too long, Coarse coffee powder is not extracted enough because of insufficient soaking time. This coffee is not a good coffee.

So to make a good cup of coffee, you have to have a grinder that can not grind a uniform coffee powder, otherwise everything is empty talk, and this is why a good grinder is more important than a good coffee machine.

III. Good water quality

How important is water? Just look at a cup of coffee with more than 95% water. What kind of water is suitable for brewing coffee? The cleaner the water, the better? Not really. As with making tea, tea that is too clean will not taste better than tea that is brewed from mountain spring water. In the same way, if the water contains the right amount of minerals, it can make the coffee taste richer.

At present, most of the water in the general home is tap water, but because the quality of tap water has not reached a reassuring level, so not to mention brewing coffee, even as drinking water are not many people, the main reason is of course the problem of disinfectant residues in tap water, these chlorine residues in water not only affect the quality of water, but also cause brewed drinks taste bad. Therefore, many people will install RO reverse osmosis system or distilled water machine, etc., through these machines produced by the water, although the water quality is extremely pure, but also these water is too clean, so whether it is suitable for brewing coffee is a question worth thinking about.

The author once did an experiment: three different kinds of water were used to brew the same kind of coffee in a plug pot. As a result, all the friends who were present could clearly point out which cup was sweeter and tastier; which cup tasted poor and unremarkable. These friends did not know in advance which kinds of water I used, nor did they know the order of water use, but everyone felt that the most insipid was RO reverse osmosis water! Instead, the water tastes better when filtered through simple household filters, which are said to remove harmful substances from tap water but retain minerals in the water, and are cheap, easy to use and popular with coffee drinkers. The best taste is a bottle of mineral water imported from France. Friends who have compared RO boiled coffee all said in unison: mineral water coffee tastes more complex than RO water coffee, and it is sweeter and better to drink.

But do I have to use imported mineral water? That is not necessarily true, I have tried a lot of domestic mineral water are also very good, if the cost of mineral water is too high, with the simple water filter mentioned above can also be, as long as remember: water should not be filtered too clean, let alone directly use unfiltered tap water.

IV. Appropriate water temperature

Occasionally, I would see someone brewing coffee with boiling water that had just been removed from the stove. When such a scene appeared, I would always imagine the taste of that cup of coffee in my mind. I would think that there would be a bitter taste coming out of the root of my tongue…Because coffee is not suitable for brewing with boiling water of 100 degrees. This will not only burn the coffee but also make the coffee bitter and inedible. I have to add a lot of sugar and cream to taste it.

In fact, the temperature of water suitable for brewing coffee is between 85 ° C and 95 ° C, and the brewing temperature depends on the degree of roasting of coffee beans. The general principle is: the beans that are roasted deeply should be brewed at a lower temperature; the beans that are roasted lightly should be brewed at a higher temperature. If you don't know how many degrees of hot water to use at first, it is recommended to start from 90 degrees, which is almost suitable for most coffee beans, and then adjust the temperature according to your preferences.

A thermometer is necessary here in order to accurately judge the temperature, and there is also a basis for adjusting the brewing temperature if it is necessary because of temperature problems. In fact, as long as it is not just boiled water, it should not be too hot for coffee. For example, the temperature of hot water in a thermos bottle is usually kept at about 90 degrees, so you can directly take it out to brew coffee. As for the boiling water just cooked, just let it sit and let it cool naturally.

If you are really picky about temperature stability, the hot water used for brewing can actually be 3-4 degrees higher than the predetermined temperature, because you have to calculate the temperature drop caused by pouring hot water into the cold brewer, so a few degrees higher is a reasonable estimate.

Fifth, gentle brewing

In my opinion, no matter what kind of brewing method, there is a common point: the interaction between brewing coffee test water and coffee beans, the extraction action should be completed by water, not by the strength of the brewer! The only thing the brewer has to do is to make each coffee powder particle evenly surrounded by water, and the rest of the work is left to the water to complete!

Since brewing coffee is an interaction of water and coffee grounds, how can brewers help coffee grounds become completely surrounded by water? Here's the trick: cook gently. In addition to Espresso after entering the brewing program, the brewer really can't get involved, other whether it is the stirring of the plug pot or the flushing of the filter pot, please use the attitude of treating lovers, gently brewing the program, that is to say, no matter what action you do, please do it gently-gentle stirring, gentle water injection, don't like washing a watercolor pen, put the stirring spoon into the coffee pot and stir quickly and roughly, so that a bunch of unpleasant tastes dissolve into the coffee at once; Also don't use boiling water, mercilessly direct impact on the coffee powder, doing so will not help but burn the coffee beans. In short, if you can brew with the mood of "want to make a good cup of coffee", the whole process will naturally be very stable and gentle; if you only brew with a routine attitude, and do not intend to tap new experiences in the process of drinking, the action will naturally not be gentle, there will be some unstable conditions, these many small details together will easily get bitter ending.

Create your own style

In addition to these five rules, other data and methods can be adjusted slightly during the brewing process. This means that when you are new, it is recommended to follow the steps in the book step by step, while trying other people's coffee beans (or shops) to find out what you like to keep, while avoiding the disadvantages that you hate. But slowly when you have developed your taste, please try to start making some adjustments, these adjustments include brewing time increased by ten to twenty seconds, grinding thickness up or down a few bars, brewing temperature increased or decreased by a few degrees, using more force... etc. In this process, you can find the coffee that best suits your taste, thus establishing your own coffee style.

In the process of establishing their own style, whether brewing coffee or roasting coffee beans, some friends will be so concerned about other people's criticism that they lose their own opinions and finally establish someone else's style. To know that the so-called "aesthetics" or "taste" this thing is very personal, and everyone's preferences are not the same, so for the "style" only agree and disagree, but not right and wrong, when you have a complete understanding of coffee, and for brewing, baking technology has a certain degree of proficiency, please stick to your preferences (Here's a caution: if you want to move forward with your preferences, start with roasting rather than brewing, and it's easier), always remind yourself that the right cup of coffee should not have any unpleasant bitterness or sourness, and you can't go wrong working in this direction.

Fresh roasted fine coffee beans, properly ground,

With appropriate techniques, extract charming aroma and rich taste,

There is no unpleasant acid and bitterness, let alone unnecessary seasoning.

Make yourself a cup of real good coffee and start here...

Coffee brewing tips STEP BY STEP

Fresh coffee beans roasting DIY practical introduction

A Guide to Fine Coffee Beans from Major Global Producing Areas

Improve your coffee taste.

Coffee seems to be ubiquitous in our daily lives. Whether it's instant coffee, filter coffee in fast food restaurants, siphon corks in cafes, or popular Espresso and cappuccino, have you ever had a really good cup of coffee after drinking so many kinds of coffee? A cup of coffee without unpleasant bitterness and sourness, only rich flavor and rich taste? If in your impression, coffee is black bitter water that cannot be ingested without creamer and sugar, through this book, you are about to enter the wonderful coffee world unknown before!

With his boundless enthusiasm for coffee, the author of this book went from an amateur to the operation of the coffee shop, and taught each other many years of coffee experience through this book. from the understanding of coffee beans and the characteristics of the main producing areas, selection and preservation, tasting and appreciation to a variety of brewing methods and skills Especially for the general impression that only professionals can do coffee bean roasting also put forward a simple and easy to learn DIY way. This book is both conceptual and practical, which can help coffee lovers, whether they are beginners or those who want to move to the next level.

What kind of coffee have you had? Convenient instant coffee, filtered coffee in fast-food restaurants, siphon stoppers in cafes, or recently hot Espresso Italian Bresso coffee? After drinking so many kinds of coffee, what is your impression and feeling of coffee? No matter what it is, the right coffee should not be uncomfortable, bitter or sour. Again, a cup of coffee that makes you feel uncomfortable is the wrong coffee! So when you used to think that "coffee = bitter", congratulations, through this book, you are about to enter the world of coffee that you do not know.

There are many elements of a good cup of coffee, but the most important thing is:

First, the choice of coffee beans

Grinding and baking

Third, the way of making and cooking

The contents of this book include: establishing a correct concept of coffee, understanding coffee beans, correct roasting and DIY at home, the grinding method of coffee beans, how to make a good cup of coffee, coffee tasting and coffee-related utensils, and especially for the varieties, taste, recommended roasting methods and detailed introduction of the major coffee bean producing areas around the world, whether they are beginners or veterans who have been drinking coffee for a long time. I believe they can get a lot of help from this book and make a wonderful cup of coffee.