coffee mistakes at home

[Ken Gargett]

the freezer v fridge bit was interesting. i've heard opposite views but this seems to make sense.

Don’t Make These Coffee Brewing Mistakes at Home

 

 

 

Michelle Arnold / EyeEm/Getty Images

Advice from a master barista

REBECCA FIRKSER 

August 15, 2018

Illy Caffé recently paid a visit to Extra Crispy HQ, during which I learned that most of the things I do when I when making coffee at home are technically wrong. Oops? Of course, it’s fine to be wrong sometimes, but when I realized these errors are actually probably making my coffee taste worse, I started to pay more attention. I cornered Master Barista Giorgio Milos after his demo and had him detail all the ways we’re making coffee improperly. He had plenty to say, and I know I’ll be removing my coffee beans from the freezer ASAP.

Mistake #1: Using tap water

“Water quality should always be a top consideration among other variables (remember that coffee is 97-99 percent water!),” said Milos. “The use of tap water is never recommended because the mineral content often leaves behind unpleasant tastes. It is highly recommended to use bottled spring water or filtered water for clean taste and consistency.”

Mistake #2: Buying big batches of coffee

Milos explained that since coffee beans are alive like other fresh foods, they will go stale over time “no matter what you do to avoid it.” For the best-tasting coffee, he suggests buying fresh beans weekly. (For storing coffee longer than seven days at a time, check out Mistake #6.)

Mistake #3: Buying ground beans

“Many of the aromas in coffee are volatiles (in gas form) and are trapped into the coffee bean cells.” noted Milos. He explained that as you grind coffee beans, the gasses are liberated, meaning that ground coffee loses aromas 40 times faster than whole beans, so it’s better to buy whole beans and, as Milos advised, “Invest a few bucks for a home grinder.” Which brings us to…

Mistake #4: Using the wrong grinder

According to Milos, grinding beans just before brewing coffee is essential when it comes to getting the best flavor, but you have to buy the right equipment. Sadly, if you were just about to pull out that spice grinder you never use, you may want to think again. Milos says, “Blade grinders are not the right way to go. A burr grinder provides more consistent and precise grinding.” He said that good home grinders run about $20-30 (for a manual crank grinders), or about $50-100 (for electric grinders). One more thing, “If espresso is your coffee of choice you should look for espresso grinders that cost a little bit more, price range is $200-$350.”

 

Mistake #5: Leaving coffee in the bag, or in direct light

“Airtight containers are better than leaving the coffee in the bag,” said Milos, noting that Illy Coffee comes in a pressurized can. “An even better way to store the coffee beans is by using a vacuum container, so you can eliminate all the oxygen when storing your beans.” I probably won’t be investing in a vacuum container any time soon, but I can rest assured known that keeping my beans in an opaque, airtight container will keep them fresh for longer.

Mistake #6: Keeping coffee in the freezer

It’s a pretty common rule in the food world that if you’re not planning to eat something fresh, you can toss it in the freezer and it’ll be just as good for months, if not longer. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case when it comes to coffee. “Putting your coffee beans in the freezer is never recommended due to water expansion,” said Milos. “The freezing process breaks many coffee cells where the precious aromas are trapped.”

So while putting your coffee in the freezer is a no-no, Milos is OK with the fridge. He said if the coffee is in an opaque, airtight container, you can store it in the refrigerator for over a week, which “slows down the degassing, the natural process of the beans losing aromas over time.”

If you do keep coffee in the fridge, Milos had one final tip: “Take the beans out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you are going to brew your coffee. This allows the coffee oils locked in the beans to come back to room temperature.” Once those oils are back at room temperature, the flavor of your coffee will increase for the better exponentially. So why not try setting that morning alarm a little early tomorrow? Pull your coffee out of the fridge, and head back to sleep for another half hour. It’ll be well worth the trouble.

[gweilgi]

#1 is a good recommendation for another reason: in places with "hard" tap water, the limescale deposits can ruin the internal pipes of a coffee/espresso machine in short order.  

[Hammer Smokin']

i'm cheap.

90% of stuff people buy these days is overpriced.

however, buying whole beans and grinding them just before brewing is a cheap and easy way to massively up the coffee quality.

after that, things get super expensive, with hipster coffee makers, grinders, etc.

Want to keep your existing coffee machine, instead of wasting hundreds (or thousands) on a fancy coffee machine....just take some fresh beans, grind them, and brew them up (bottled water is a bonus).

Any increase/improvement after that, well, the increased costs will produce diminishing returns.

[ponfed]

24 minutes ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

i'm cheap.

90% of stuff people buy these days is overpriced.

however, buying whole beans and grinding them just before brewing is a cheap and easy way to massively up the coffee quality.

after that, things get super expensive, with hipster coffee makers, grinders, etc.

Want to keep your existing coffee machine, instead of wasting hundreds (or thousands) on a fancy coffee machine....just take some fresh beans, grind them, and brew them up (bottled water is a bonus).

Any increase/improvement after that, well, the increased costs will produce diminishing returns.

Yeah, that's what I say to everyone I know.

The improvement you get in you coffee by getting a decent grinder and grinding whole beans as needed is probably an order of magnitude more than the price you pay for said grinder. 

 

Even if you buy cheap beans, it's more than worth it. 

 

 

[gweilgi]

5 hours ago, ponfed said:

Yeah, that's what I say to everyone I know.

The improvement you get in you coffee by getting a decent grinder and grinding whole beans as needed is probably an order of magnitude more than the price you pay for said grinder. 

 

Even if you buy cheap beans, it's more than worth it. 

 

 

To put the whole issue of "cheap" in context: on Thursday, the global wholesale price for one pound of Colombian mild beans (arabica) was 128.8 US cents.  That's a buck 29.  Depending on the preferences of your local barista, one pound of beans will produce 50-75 cups of coffee (the rule of thumb is 7-9 grams of coffee for one espresso) ... sold to punters at anything up to $5 per cup.  

Talk about margins....

[ponfed]

6 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

 

Talk about margins....

That's really interesting. I mean we all know that coffee and chocolate has lot of exploitation, and that the difference between wholesale and retail is big. But to see the numbers....

[mikeyjb]

I don't think it's the coffee shops making the profits, it's more likely to be the coffee roasters/wholesalers/importers.

By the time you add on to the beans, cost of the big commercial espresso machine(s) (upwards of 10-15k for a decent machine), staff costs (huge in Australia and will be bigger if Labor gets in and reinstates penalty allowances), electricity (the big espresso machines cost a fortune to run), rent, insurance, takeaway cups, spoons, sugar etc. the poor coffee shop wouldn't be making very much at all.. probably way less than a dollar.

To give you an idea how much expenses have gone up, my parents ran several coffee shops in the 80's... a coffee of any type they sold for $1.00aud and they made decent profits...they still have the menus!

[SigmundChurchill]

For coffee makers that have a built in water filter, I wonder if it matters whether I use tap water or not.  Sometimes I get my water from the tap, and other times from the spring water dispenser in my kitchen, which does take longer to fill the tank.  I dont notice any difference in taste.

[GrouchoMarx]

My espresso machine has a filter which is changed regularly - so, I guess I'm clear of #1.

I'm clear of the rest also  -  except I do buy my coffee in 1 KG  vacuum sealed bags. So I guess I'm guilty of #2?

[HarveyBoulevard]

I'm 5 out of 6 I'd be 6 out of 6 but I buy grounds so I don't bother with the "wrong" grinder...

[prodigy]

I'm just now diving deep into coffee. It's my mom's fault, she gave me her old Starbucks estro profi machine. It's bottom of the line, and like 20 years old. It works fine, but there is a lot more to gain from a better machine. I found a mahlkonig k30 vario used on eBay. It's a $2000 grinder that I snagged for $775. Overkill? Yes, but it will last the rest of my life if properly cared for. I'm now looking for a used machine that utilizes an e61 grouphead. Should be able to find one for around $600 or so used, which is a fraction of the new price. I love when rich people buy every little toy they want and then never use them. Makes buying expensive toys that I actually use a lot more affordable. For perspective, we've had my mom's machine for 6 months or so and have not once made regular coffee, and it's used at least 2x a day, every single day.

A guy at work told me all coffee tastes the same and there's no difference between folgers and the gourmet stuff. Nothing could be further from the truth...

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[Fuzz AI]

What's so hard about making coffee?

1. Boil water
2. Open Nescafe Blend 43 jar
3. Spoon in some coffee into mug
4. Add boiling water
5. Add sugar and milk to taste
6. Drink

[Hammer Smokin']

1 hour ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

I'm 5 out of 6 I'd be 6 out of 6 but I buy grounds so I don't bother with the "wrong" grinder...

don't need to spend much on a grinder.

my bur grinder cost $55 Canadian Dollars.

1lbs of good Colombian coffee is $16 CAD.

I can't imagine buying a good coffee maker (I do not, I have a very basic one), good quality coffee, using good quality water, then using pre-grind coffee. (unless you literally were buying the coffee, having it grounded, and using it all up in 3 days).

[Gamehawker]

I'm 6 out of 6.  We are all about great coffee in our home.

I use Spring Water

I buy green coffee beans and roast my own coffee beans and keep them in a vacuum container (I roast every two weeks)

I have a commercial coffee grinder - MACAP MC4 Doserless Stepless grinder (I know it is overkill)

I also use a scale to measure the amount of fresh roasted coffee beans I am using.

I have a commercial coffee brewer - Commercial Bunn CW15-TC Coffee Brewer 

Here is a picture of my set-up (the Nespresso Lattissima Plus is my wife's). 

[Lucass111]

Never been much of a coffee drinker but if I start, I'll be a pro.

[dageshi]

4 hours ago, SigmundChurchill said:

For coffee makers that have a built in water filter, I wonder if it matters whether I use tap water or not.  Sometimes I get my water from the tap, and other times from the spring water dispenser in my kitchen, which does take longer to fill the tank.  I dont notice any difference in taste.

It may depend on how "hard" your tap water is. I have noticed this, I was travelling with my own portable coffee gear and using bottled water bought in a 7-11 (Thailand) when I got home and started using tap water the difference was noticeable, with the tap water having a noticeably metalic taste vs the bottled water I'd been using in previous months.

That said, I still do use tap water because it's just easier :) but there's no doubt in my mind that the type of water you use  does make a big difference.

[Hammer Smokin']

sure does!
and another cheap addition to making quality coffee.

after using fresh ground beans, using bottled water is the next best thing to make great coffee (without buying commercial grade equipment $$$$$$$)

[HarveyBoulevard]

Maybe I phrased that wrong, I have 0 out of 6 and am guilty of five out of six. LOL.

 

[dicko]

I might start using better water that is a good idea.

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