Brewing a perfect cup of coffee – Basic Coffee Machine Method

For our ‘Brewing a perfect cup of coffee’ series, we are going to stick with the basics and assume no special equipment. In the case of the basic coffee machine method this means you have to use the basic coffee machine you have. No need to rush out and buy anything. We are talking Mr. Coffee or Bunn or whatever happens to be staring at you when you open the door to your kitchen at home or the office.

1) Clean the equipment. Sorry – not what you wanted to hear – and (let’s be honest) not what you are going to do when you are in morning-need-coffee-now mode. But nevertheless, as soon as you are up for it you need to clean everything: coffeepot, whatever filter there is, the heating element or plate, the outside of the machine, the place you put the water in (reservoir), and the place you put the coffee in (filter, hopper, whatever). Don’t skimp. Use soap and vinegar and hot water. Get it all clean and dry.

2) Use clean water – at home this isn’t really a problem – your tap water is almost certainly fine and if it isn’t, well then you have bigger problems than a better cup of coffee. But at the office – your water may well have been sitting in a  metal pipe for days or even weeks – might not taste great. The easiest way to tell is just to taste it. If it tastes OK, then it will be OK.

If it tastes horrble, then go get water from the water fountain.

3) Use fresh coffee – preferably ground right before you plan to use it. If you really can’t do this (can’t afford a grinder, etc.) then use coffee that is at most five days old. At five days it is already well gone in losing flavor and you have to draw the line somewhere.

4) Follow your coffeemaker’s directions – they know what they are talking about. Except in one thing. Use more coffee than they say. For most machines you want a little more than two tablespoons of coffee per cup.

5) Don’t go off and leave your coffee and forget about it. The automatic heating systems on most coffee makers will burn or oxidize your coffee in under an hour. If you have to leave and come back, come back five minutes later. If you wait fifteen minutes you seriously risk all the coffee being gone. Because once your family/housemates/co-workers taste that good coffee you make they are all going to wait and let you make it and then swoop down and drink it all! Whenever you catch them doing this, make them clean the coffeemaker – again. Now you got it clean you need to keep it clean…

There are some hidden secrets in these instructions. One is that you are better off dr

inking fewer cups of stronger coffee – if for no other reason than it tastes better. You will do

even better if you get in

the habit of drinking a glass of water WITH your coffee like the Arabic and Eastern Mediterranian countries do. Your coffee will last longer and each sip wwill taste better. The other is that time is the biggest enemy of a good cup of coffee. Time since it was roasted, time since it was ground, time siince it was brewed.

Related posts:

1. Make A Great Cup Of French Press Coffee
2. How To Brew Perfect Drip Coffee
3. The Best Coffee Cup