COFFEE
101
- Buying a Bag of Coffee
- Making Coffee
- Tasting Coffee
Here are some things to consider when buying coffee.
ROAST DATE
Look for coffee bags that have a roast date on them - it’s an indication that the roaster cares enough to inform you about freshness. If you prefer to buy pre-ground coffee, consider buying smaller amounts at a time so that you’re enjoying fresher coffee.
FLAVOR
Some coffee bags will note flavors that you can spot in the coffee, just like how wine bottles might display flavor notes. These notes don’t mean that the roaster actually added flavors to the coffee (at least that’s not the norm); they just mean that the coffee reminded someone of these flavors.
ROAST TYPE
Generally speaking, roasts can be categorized as light, medium, and dark; which correlates with the relative color of the coffee beans. With lighter roasts you'll notice a tart flavor that's referred to as acidity. Medium roast coffees display a balance of acidity and dark-chocolate sweetness. The darker a coffee is roasted, toasted/burnt flavors come out and oils appear on the bean's surface.
GRIND SIZE
For the freshest coffee, purchase whole beans and, using a burr grinder, grind the amount you need just before brewing. If you prefer to purchase pre-ground coffee, make sure you have it ground to the correct size for your coffeemaker. For Palmpress, use medium grind size.
Here are the variables you can control and tweak, to
hand-brew your perfect cup of coffee:
1.INGREDIENTSWater is the most abundant ingredient in your coffee. Opt for a pure-tasting filtered water so that your cup tastes as clean as possible. And of course, use coffee that you like! See the Buying Coffee section on what to consider.
3.MEASURINGCoffee is a dry ingredient, and dry ingredients are best measured by weight. Although it’s totally fine to measure your coffee with a spoon or scoop, consider measuring your coffee using a food scale for a more consistent taste cup to cup.
4.BREWINGWe aim for a balanced cup of coffee, and below are tips to help achieve just that. We want to avoid an under-extracted or over-extracted cup, which can yield unpleasant flavors.
Use water at the correct temperature
For hot coffee, use approximately 200°F (93°C) water, which is about a minute off boil. For other types of coffee, refer to the water temperature that the recipe calls for.
Ensure even saturation
Make sure the coffee grounds and water are in full contact. If needed, gently stir the coffee and water mixture.
Brew for a sufficient amount of time
For Palmpress we recommend that you start with a three-minute brew time, and tweak to your taste from there. Just like cooking anything else, you control how long it’s cooked for until it’s just right. Good to know: The larger the grind size the more brewing time may be desired, and vice versa.
2.GRINDChoose the right grind size for your coffee-brewing method
The recommended grind size varies from coffeemaker to coffeemaker because of differing filter types, brewing techniques, etc. For Palmpress use a medium grind size, similar to drip or pour over.
For fresher coffee, grind your own
For the freshest taste, grind only the amount of coffee you need just before brewing. Opt for a burr grinder which produces more consistent results than blade grinders. Uniform coffee particles = even extraction of coffee = better tasting coffee.
5.StoringStore your coffee at room temperature in an airtight container, away from light, heat, and moisture.
6. RATIOA coffee’s strength and caffeine content is best measured as the ratio of coffee to water. The higher the coffee-to-water ratio, the more concentrated and stronger your cup will be. Experiment with ratios that suit your taste!
1.INGREDIENTSWater is the most abundant ingredient in your coffee. Opt for a pure-tasting filtered water so that your cup tastes as clean as possible. And of course, use coffee that you like! See the Buying Coffee section on what to consider.
2.GRINDChoose the right grind size for your coffee-brewing method
The recommended grind size varies from coffeemaker to coffeemaker because of differing filter types, brewing techniques, etc. For Palmpress use a medium grind size, similar to drip or pour over.
For fresher coffee, grind your own
For the freshest taste, grind only the amount of coffee you need just before brewing. Opt for a burr grinder which produces more consistent results than blade grinders. Uniform coffee particles = even extraction of coffee = better tasting coffee.
3.MEASURINGCoffee is a dry ingredient, and dry ingredients are best measured by weight. Although it’s totally fine to measure your coffee with a spoon or scoop, consider measuring your coffee using a food scale for a more consistent taste cup to cup.
4.BREWINGWe aim for a balanced cup of coffee, and below are tips to help achieve just that. We want to avoid an under-extracted or over-extracted cup, which can yield unpleasant flavors.
Use water at the correct temperature
For hot coffee, use approximately 200°F (93°C) water, which is about a minute off boil. For other types of coffee, refer to the water temperature that the recipe calls for.
Ensure even saturation
Make sure the coffee grounds and water are in full contact. If needed, gently stir the coffee and water mixture.
Brew for a sufficient amount of time
For Palmpress we recommend that you start with a three-minute brew time, and tweak to your taste from there. Just like cooking anything else, you control how long it’s cooked for until it’s just right. Good to know: The larger the grind size the more brewing time may be desired, and vice versa.
5.StoringStore your coffee at room temperature in an airtight container, away from light, heat, and moisture.
6. RATIOA coffee’s strength and caffeine content is best measured as the ratio of coffee to water. The higher the coffee-to-water ratio, the more concentrated and stronger your cup will be. Experiment with ratios that suit your taste!
Like with wine tasting, coffee tasting is about finding the words to describe what you're reminded of as you sip and smell. Here are simple tasting steps:
1.Don’t add anything to the coffee for now; just keep it black.
2.Let the coffee cool down a bit after brewing. It’s harder to identify specific tastes when the coffee’s piping hot.
3.If possible, compare multiple coffees at once because it's easier to taste comparatively.
4.Answer these questions to begin to identify what you're tasting:
BODY
How does the consistency of the coffee feel as you sip? Perhaps like one of the following consistencies:
• Tea, thin (light body)
• Skim milk (medium body)
• Velvety (full body, heavy)
FLAVOR
Do any of these words capture the flavors you taste? Choose all that apply. Then, try to dig deeper. If it’s fruity, which fruits best match that type of fruitiness?
• Fruity • Chocolatey
• Sugary • Earthy
• Savory • Nutty
