As regards the perfect cup of coffee, everyone has his or her secrets.
1. First, find your favourite type of coffee. In order to do that, you should keep an open mind when it comes to purchasing different blends. If you like different varieties, consider purchasing multiple blends that can be stored in the freezer. Experiment with different types of coffee until you discover something you'll like.
While you’re at it, consider purchasing fair trade coffee: the taste is excellent and, in the same time, you help a small farmer from a developing country. While it is more expensive, the quality is worth it and you can also feel good about yourself when drinking your morning coffee!
2. Coffee must be kept sealed, in order to maintain its freshness. When it’s exposed to air, it becomes stale and tasteless. Whether you have coffee beans or ground coffee, use an airtight container to prevent this loss of freshness over time.
3. If you like to use coffee beans, make sure you use a coffee grinder with conical or flat burrs, which don't use a large amount of heat. Your coffee will taste better because of the lower heat. Grinders with blades are not very consistent, because they produce too much heat and it alters the taste of the coffee.
The plant is said to have been cultivated for the first time in Ethiopia. Anyway, the first documented evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the 15th century,in the Sufi Muslim monasteries around Mocha, in Yemen.
4. Water is a key element in making the perfect cup of coffee. Use only good filtered water and avoid de-mineralized or distilled water. Their low mineral content can cause your coffee to taste bad. You may want to use bottled water our you could install a water purifier on your faucet.
5. The ideal brewing time is somewhere between four and five minutes. Overbrewing usually results in bitter coffee; on the other hand, if you don't brew it long enough, the coffee will be weak and bland. After you finish brewing coffee, serve it immediately. If it sits on a burner plate for more than 20 minutes, it becomes too bitter. Also, consider stirring it the pot right after you brew it.
6. If you can never manage to recreate the flavor of the drinks from the coffee shop, maybe you should just increase the amount of coffee grounds you use. For every six ounce measurement of water, coffee shops will use two tablespoons at most of coffee. When people use a measuring cup for water, that cup is actually two ounces more than a regular cup of coffee, that’s why the coffee is weaker.
7. Finally, you can add different flavors to your coffee. The simplest one is milk. Although cold milk is generally preferred, warm or frothed milk adds an entirely new texture. And cream is simply divine! You can also sprinkle some cinnamon, cocoa or even nutmeg, or you can add flavored syrups. Enjoy!