HOW TO BREW THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE
THE FUNDAMENTALS…
COFFEE QUALITY
We recommend Flamenco Organic Coffee, because it is socially-conscious, environmentally-friendly, and wicked-good.
WATER QUALITY
Clean water is essential since your brewed coffee is comprised of about 98% of it. No need to pay for an expensive water filtration system for your home, but we encourage that you have some sort of clean water that is free of odors. Tap water will usually do just fine, but Britta water filters or any type of bottled water is ideal at home.
GRIND SETTING
If you grind your own coffee beans at home, be sure they are ground at the correct setting. This relates directly to the timing of your brewing process. Generally, the slower the brewing (french presses and other steeping methods), the coarser the grind. Your typical home brewer will require a grind between “coarse” and “fine.” Monkey around with this; in the end, it changes with each grinder and brewing method.
BREWING METHOD
There are many types of brewers out there, capable of filling everything from single cups to giant shuttles. At Flamenco, we believe in the simplest and most elementary brewers, because they allow you to control the basic (and most important) elements to brewing. Automated machines, timed brew functions, and other “luxuries” tend to take the control away from you, which accounts for a compromised cup of coffee. Be sure that your equipment is clean and your coffee pot is warm before you brew. Basically, you need to know that your brewing process subscribes to the parameters listed to your right. Whether it be a percolator, single-cup brewer, or a top-of-the-line superbrewer, your process is what mostly determines your taste.
WHEN YOU BREW…
…make sure to pay attention to these key details. You might find that these hints with produce the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had!
COFFEE-TO-WATER RATIO
This may be the the most integral factor to producing the best possible brew. Considering your water temperature and grind setting is correct, you’ll always use 3.5 – 4.5 oz. of coffee per 64 oz. of water. That’s about 1/4 pound of coffee per 4 fluid cups of water (cut it in half for 2 cups). When people say “scoops” or “cups” think twice; in the coffee world, none of these terms are consistent.
WATER TEMPERATURE
Coffee is extracted properly when the temperature of the water is around 200°F (right before boiling). As it turns out, most home coffee brewers are not capable of heating water to this temperature. Yes, it is a bummer. Consider french presses or single-cup brewers, where you can control the water temperature yourself.
TIME AND AGITATION
Believe it or not, brewing should take a certain length of time. For your typical home-brewer, a brew should last around 5 minutes. A french-press should steep for around 4 minutes, and a single-cup brewer should brew for around 3 minutes. Any less, and your coffee might not have extracted properly. Be sure to stir the coffee after brewing with a french-press and single cup brewer. Otherwise, your coffee might be “layered” and uneven in your cup.
BUT HEY, YOU SHOULD FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
In the end, we just want coffee to be important to you. Whether it be for the caffeine, the comfort, or the camaraderie, it means more to us that you enjoy your coffee your way.
This information is for those of you who want to maximize the potential of your cup. Feel free to take any bit of this advice and apply it to your routine. If you’d rather insert another plastic cup of sealed, preground coffee into your automated machine, that’s totally cool. We just wonder why you read this far…
FOR THE RECORD
“STRONG COFFEE” IS RELATIVE: when you ask for the “strongest” cup of coffee at your cafe, you might get the stink eye. A coffee’s strength is based on the extraction. No single origin or blend is stronger than the next. If you want a stronger brew, just add more ground coffee, or try a finer grind. Warning: it might grow hair on your chest.
DARK ROASTS HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE AS LIGHT ROASTS: well, actually, a little less. Darkly-roasted coffee has some caffeine “burnt away” but the difference in caffeine levels will vary so slightly that it is indeterminable. Dark and light roasts will give you the same buzz.
WHAT’S WITH DARK ROASTS ANYWAY?: a “dark roast” refers to a batch being roasted longer, which darkens the color of the bean. As your coffee roasts, the natural properties of the bean break down more and more. The darker it gets, the more “charred” it becomes and the more smoke it absorbs. Pretty soon, your dark roast will probably have the same smoky, caramelly, “roasty” profile as the next dark roast. That’s nice for consistency, but if you’d like to taste the nuances of your coffee, try a city or full city roast.
KEEP YOUR COFFEE FRESH
BEFORE YOU BREW…
Try your darnedest to purchase and store your coffee as a whole bean. Quality begins to deteriorate promptly after you grind the beans. It’s not a terrible thing to grind ahead of time, but know that it will greatly lessen the coffee’s potential. We recommend the purchase of a household grinder. Coffee is best stored at room temperature in a dry, dark, air-tight container. Too many physical changes can warp the taste of your coffee, so we don’t recommend freezing the beans any more than we do microwaving them. Your coffee might start to taste like your fridge’s leftovers too.
After about two weeks, your stored-coffee will have missed any opportunity to taste awesome. It will still be drinkable, but it won’t be perfect. So drink up!
AFTER YOU BREW…
Your brewed coffee will start to degrade as soon as it hits the coffee pot. According to certain elitists, your brew will be “unacceptable” in as little as 20 minutes. That doesn’t mean it won’t taste good, but your window of perfection closes quickly. We recommend that you serve your coffee immediately! You can prolong the deterioration of your coffee by keeping its temperature near 180°F. Steel or glass-lined, insulated carafes and airpots are wonderful, but often impractical. Again, just drink drink drink!
Any temperature changes will cause your brewed coffee to taste weird. Don’t reheat your brew in the microwave unless you like weird-tasting coffee. Also, try to avoid the hot plates that you can find on some home brewers; they can actually cook your coffee! Yuck.
WHY STRIVE FOR THAT PERFECT BREW?
Not unlike wine, cheese, beer, or anything else that you can be snobby about, coffee has a certain nuance and subtlety to its taste. Coffee, however, is the only one of these that requires your participation prior to consumption. When brewed incorrectly, even perfect coffees can taste downright poor. Perhaps you haven’t reached “coffee snob” staus yet. At Flamenco, we believe it’s never too late! Give this pamphlet a read and you’ll probably pick up some useful knowledge the help maximize your coffee enjoyment at home.
ABOUT FLAMENCO ORGANIC COFFEE CO.
Since 2004, Flamenco has put an emphasis on seemlessly combining social-responsibility, quality beans, and sound fundamental roasting practices. We’ve proven that it is possible to produce excellent coffees of great distinction while also being respectful of the industry, people, and planet that made it all possible. That’s why Flamenco adheres as much as humanly possible to an exclusively Fair-Trade and organic lineup of specialty coffees–one of the largest anywhere! Our roasters and staff are Golden Cup Certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, so you can trust that they know their crud. Our company, located in Minneapolis, MN, roasts small-batch coffees for cafes around the Midwest. We are normal people with babies and beards who bike to work, whine about the NFL, and play foosball in our break room.
Sure–Flamenco Organic coffee is roasted flawlessly to order, but without proper brewing, your coffee may taste similar to the swill you might find at the corner gas station. Follow these basic brewing techniques and procedures to make sure that you have the best possible coffee experience every time.
FOR EVERYONE: Coffee can be brewed perfectly when certain standards are applied. The basic keys to know:
-proper extraction begins when the water temperature is at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (barely boiling).
-the water should be dispensed as uniformly as possible, and all of the ground coffee should be soaked.
-the coarseness of the ground coffee plays a huge factor in the strength of your coffee, but also in the taste and quality of the brew.
-after being brewed, your coffee begins to deteriorate immediately! Drink up, because after 30 minutes, your coffee is considered spent (according to Specialty Coffee Association of America’s standards).
-it’s best to grind your coffee right before you brew; coffee begins to spoil as soon it is ground.
FOR HOME USERS: Unfortunately, most home brewers allow imperfections to occur during brewing. The water does not get hot enough, nor does it dispense uniformly over the ground coffee. Often times, the brew basket is too small for the amount of ground coffee you require. This tends to be across the board, no matter how much money you spend.
Lucky for you, Flamenco Organic Coffee helps to make available the some of the best brewers around. We recommend the following:
Melitta Single Cup Brewer: This small device is portable and fits over any size mug or travel cup. The Melitta is wonderful because it gives you access to the important factors like water temperature, grind setting, even water distribution, and amount. If your coffee tastes like dump, it’s only your fault! The roasters at Flamenco use this brewer to evaluate coffee samples they receive. AND IT’S CHEAP!
Put the Melitta onto a cup. Simply pour hot water over the ground coffee as it sits in the Melitta filter. Agitate the grounds by stirring the water with a spoon. Brewed coffee falls slowly from the bottom of the device, and continue pouring hot water until you have a full cup of coffee.
French Press coffee: Brewing with a French press is simple, but limiting.
OCS Professional Coffee Brewers: Despite the fact that it looks like your typical home brewer (the ones we told you that don’t work properly), you’ll find that this sleek model provides you with all the necessary components to brew a great cup. The water flows at a consistent 200 degrees with proper distribution over the grounds. Deep brew baskets, shut-off functions, and a stainless-steel carafe are just the icing on the cake! All you need to do is find the proper coffee-to-water ratio …let us know if you need help!
FOR CAFÉ AND COMMERCIAL USERS: Things get tricky here…if you think the coffee at your café doesn’t taste right, we want to help (as long as you currently use Flamenco Organic Coffee!). Give us a ring or shoot us an email. We can either talk you through it, or give you a visit. Don’t forget: we are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America to make you a Gold Cup Certified café!
