- Posted by Karrde
- Mon, 03/26/2012 - 10:22
16 tips for better coffee
I recently found this link (http://www.brokeandhealthy.com/16-tips-for-the-best-cup-of-coffee-ever) on reddit, and thought the crowd over on Roaste might find it interesting.
Most of it is pretty much second nature to most of us here, but some of the tips are pretty interesting. For example, the tip about using cold water instead of hot because hot water sits longer. It reminded me of the article a while back that suggested to heat water slowly for coffee.
The other interesting tip was letting the cup sit for a while before drinking. I've noticed this works especially well with milk based drinks like mochas. Letting the drink sit gives the favors more of a chance to meld together. I am not really sure it would do much for plain black coffee, and I'm not sure I'd let it sit for an hour before drinking, but it might be worth a try.
One thing I don't agree with is the coffee to water ratio she lists. The method of preparation will change that ratio quite dramatically. Not to mention that she gives a ratio of tablespoons to water, but depending on grind size tablespoons can differ wildly by weight. Scales are the way to go for consistency’s sake.
The other thing I kind of disagree with is ordering In bulk and storing in the freezer/cool dark place. Unless you're drinking a ton of coffee, I don't think you ever need to order 5 pounds of coffee at a time. Instead I think smaller batches are the way to go. While there have been several posts here on roaste.com about freezing and storing, most would argue that if you can instead just order such that there's no need to freeze that's the best.
The other things I think are in general good advice, and basically boil down to using good quality ingredients and experiment and the brew will reward you.
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REVIEWS & COMMENTS
YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT
samuellaw178 | Thu, 03/29/2012 - 21:57You're right about that 5lb part. But it's probably different for different person,especially without ROASTe prime shipping. Before I discovered ROASTe, I used to freeze and store coffee. If I don't do that, it;s probably over $18/pound shipped if you get the cheapest coffee. It would easily be up to $22-$25/lb for good coffee. With 5lb, it's more like $10/pound. Over 5 lb, I could definitely see the rationale behind freezing coffee.
@INTREPID510
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:28Yeah, it is cheaper, there's no denying that. I'm just saying that once you take shipping out the equation (ala Roaste prime) that it's not big enough of a difference to justify the difference in quality. Plus, who wants to be locked into the same blend for five pounds worth? That's like four months of coffee for me!
@HOONCHUL
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:26I agree 100%, although it always surprises me when I see someone talking about how great pre-ground six month old(at least) supermarket brand x is. Still, if that's what they like, I guess that's more premium coffee for the rest of us. :)
@GAZY
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:23I hope creamer isn't heresy (well...by creamer I mean actual milk not the powdered stuff) I love me some milk-based coffee drinks.
@GMANJENKS
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:22Enough people are saying that letting it sit increases taste that pretty soon I'm going to have to run an experiment and test it.
@JBVIAU
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:21I never let my coffee sit on a burner (I don't even have that option with my current set-up), but I agree it probably isn't too good for the taste to let it sit at that temperature for long.
@CHAMIE
Karrde | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 23:19How many people are drinking coffee at your house? I find that a pound lasts me like three weeks. I only have one-two cups per day though.
NICE TIPS, AND THE FREEZING
intrepid510 | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 15:01Nice tips, and the freezing part is because it's part of the blog, eating good on the cheap! 5 lbs orders tend to be a little cheaper.
PRETTY GOOD LIST OF TIPS BUT
hoonchul | Tue, 03/27/2012 - 10:37Pretty good list of tips but I say since its your coffee do what tastes good for you!
TIPS FOR COFFEE
Gazy | Mon, 03/26/2012 - 20:50Very good analysis Karrde.
A few more thoughts here. The article begins with a snobbish tone which the reader must overcome to read in full.
Who would use water from a water heater? Whoever does, might as well drink something else. And, of course, ANY coffee brewed at home or in a decent coffeehouse is 100x better than SB.
Letting it sit for up to 2 or 3 minutes is fine, mainly because you can taste the coffee without scorching your tongue.
Creamer? OMG, isn't this heresy?
The author seems to like extra dark coffee, but then, to each its own taste.
Finally, the first time I froze coffee I had such a bad experience that I have never done it again and certainly do not recommend it.
I FIND THAT LETTING THE
GmanJenks | Mon, 03/26/2012 - 20:28I find that letting the coffee rest for a few minutes really does make it taste better. I read some where that the flavours are most intense about 160 degrees so letting it rest / cool for a few minutes has always seemed to work best for me. I have tried sipping it off brew but either burnt my tongue or wasn't able to keep it on my tongue long enough to enjoy the flavour.
SMH A LITTLE
jbviau | Mon, 03/26/2012 - 16:24Letting the coffee sit is one thing, but letting it sit *on the burner* (as mentioned in the post) is another. Don't want to scorch it!
THE ONLY TIME I'LL ORDER THAT MUCH
Chamie | Thu, 03/29/2012 - 19:26...coffee is if I'm ordering green beans, where I don't have to worry about them getting stale. Otherwise, I order one pound at a time -- just about enough for a week. Which reminds me... I need to order!
Edit to add: There's 4 of us drinking the coffee, though two of us drink the lion's share.