Uncle GQ X Coffee solved six puzzles and taught you to make a good cup of coffee.

To make a good cup of coffee, we have mentioned the importance of choosing beans and how to preserve them. However, owning good beans also requires good craftsmanship to make a cup of mellow coffee. Although you and I are not professional coffee brewers, we only need to master a few key points to avoid drinking bad coffee. GQ asked Uncle Coffee to solve a few doubts about brewing coffee, so that you can brew a good cup of coffee at home.

GQ: which kind of water is the best for brewing coffee?

Uncle Coffee: what kind of water to use to brew coffee has always been a doubt in the minds of many people. In fact, the taste of coffee brewed by different water will be different, and everything depends on personal preference. Many people will think that there are too many impurities in tap water, which will affect the taste of coffee, so they switch to RO reverse osmosis water, but because the reverse osmosis water is too dry to extract the essence of coffee, the coffee taste is relatively poor; it uses trace mineral water to brew coffee, but it tastes better, and some people will use mineral water to brew it. However, I personally think that there are some filter kettles on the market, using filtered water to make coffee, the taste is the best, you might as well try it. But I still want to remind you that you still have to make a judgment according to how you drink.

GQ: what is the best water temperature for brewing coffee?

Uncle Coffee: it is often seen that many people will directly use boiling water to brew coffee. In fact, this kind of water is not very suitable, and the taste of the brewed coffee will be too bitter and difficult to import. The water temperature that is really suitable for brewing coffee is about 85 degrees Celsius to 92 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature is too low, it will taste sour. On the contrary, if the temperature is too high, it will be bitter, because the water with higher temperature will have more coffee powder extract. Although it is generally believed that the more the extract is, the stronger the flavor is, but it is not the best taste, and there may be miscellaneous flavors dissolved into it.

GQ: when brewing coffee, how to choose the ratio of water to coffee powder?

Uncle Coffee: hand-brewed coffee has become more and more popular in recent years, but some people still don't know the ratio of coffee powder to water when brewing, or they are still groping to adjust it. In fact, the best powder-to-water ratio is 1:10, that is, 10 grams of coffee powder, it is recommended to use 100cc water, the extracted coffee tastes best. However, some people will use a method to make the coffee taste more layered. For example, today, 30 grams of coffee powder is used, but only 280cc water is used to brew it, and finally pour into 20cc boiled water. Since there is only 280cc in the water passing through the coffee powder, according to reason, this cup of coffee will be more full-bodied, but after being mixed with plain boiled water of 20cc, the original rich flavor can be pulled away and the taste will be more layered. As for the powder-to-water ratio of espresso is different from that of hand-brewed coffee, we often hear that Espresso is also paired with three terms Single, Double and Ristretto, which represent different concentrations of coffee. The common Single is about 9 grams of coffee powder will rush out of 30cc coffee; Double is 18 grams of coffee powder washed out of 60cc coffee, as for coffee with a Ristretto of about 14 grams and 16 grams, the taste and phase will be thicker than Single.

GQ: does filter paper affect the taste of coffee?

Uncle Coffee: yes. Filter paper is also divided into different grades, poor quality filter paper, sometimes will dissolve the taste of the pulp into the coffee, so it is recommended to blanch the filter paper with hot water first, so as to avoid the smell of the paper. In fact, at present, there are quite many kinds of filter paper on the market, such as hemp, bamboo fiber, cotton, and high-grade Japanese and paper; the fiber length of filter paper will affect the taste, and some thicker filter paper can also correct the taste of coffee, such as American Chemex filter paper, because it is thick enough to filter out most impurities, it may taste better than using other filter paper. If the beans you buy today are not ideal, you can use filter paper to change the taste, and if your coffee beans are good, you can use general filter paper.

GQ: what's the difference between French coffee and filter coffee?

Uncle Coffee: use the hand of filter paper to make coffee, because it will absorb the oil and drink it brighter and clear. on the contrary, using French-pressed coffee, the extracted coffee retains rich oil, and the floating oil flowers can be seen vaguely, so the taste will be a little thicker, but also because the pore diameter in the pot is too large, it tastes more pink. In addition, there is a similar concept of French pressure on the market, called Philharmonic pressure, because of its small aperture, low residual powder, and the ability to drink coffee with a full taste, it is also loved by many people.

GQ: can you ask Uncle Coffee to tell us how to avoid brewing coffee with mixed flavor?

Uncle Coffee: because the taste of coffee depends on its own taste, some people prefer sour, some people prefer bitter, but if you want to avoid drinking "off-flavor coffee", the three most important keys are: 1. The temperature of the water, 2. The thickness of coffee powder, 3. The adjustment of the amount of water, as long as a good grasp of these three factors, can avoid brewing coffee with a poor sense of export.