Coffee

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

And now–ENJOY.

Joe Bland will help you bring your ordinary coffee to gourmet coffee status. Find how some easy habits will easily make your next cup your best. Check out the articles and tips at http://www.Gourmet-Coffee-Authority.com.

Author: Joe Bland
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

When was the last time you cleaned your coffeemaker?

Like anything else, coffee makers require cleaning from time to time. Over time, lime deposits and “gunk” build inside your coffee equipment. Coffee oils can accumulate inside the coffee machine and become rancid. This will damage the taste of coffee. Mineral deposits can form inside the coffee maker as either lime scale or mineral scale. In general, scale reduces the efficiency of the coffee maker’s heating unit as well as the water flow. The coffee aftertaste changes to somewhat bitter and dirty. If this is happening to you, it is time to make your coffeepot clean again!

Coffee equipment should be cleaned at least once a month. Clean your coffee machine more often than that to ensure the best tasting coffee if you are a heavy coffee drinker. Other factors, such as the type and quality of water you use in your coffee machine also influence the cleaning frequency to use.

Most coffee makers have cleaning instructions included in the owner manual that you can follow. However, most people misplace or do not keep the owner’s manual for small and mid size appliances. You can spend money on a cleaning kit or you can use a very effective and inexpensive home made cleaning solution. The following cleaning method works very well.

Steps to cleaning your coffee pot,

• Put a filter into the filter basket unless your coffee equipment does not use paper filters.
• Pour an entire jar of white vinegar into the pour spot where you usually pour the water.
• Some people will add lemon juice to the vinegar which is fine. Others prefer to use a combination of half water and half white vinegar. Any of these combinations work. The decision is based on how dirty the coffee maker is and how often it has been cleaned.
• Turn your coffee maker “on” or use the “clean setting” if your equipment has one.
• Make sure all the vinegar drops down into the coffee pot recipient. When finished, discard it.
• The vinegar will deodorize your kitchen sink drain, which is a nice side benefit.
• Run two full pots of water through to make sure you flush out all traces of vinegar before brewing coffee again. Let the coffee equipment cool each time for about 10 minutes.
• Remember to wipe down the outside and all around the coffee maker very well to give it a shiny clean look and remove any traces of dirt.
• One area that is usually very dirty and sticky is where the coffee drips out of the machine into the pot. It’s similar to cleaning the inside ceiling of your microwave.
• Cleaning every single crevice of the coffee machine is essential to preventing mold build up in the piping and the filter basket.
• Wash the coffee carafe (glass container) inside and out very well with soapy hot water. Lime deposits form inside the carafe and can affect the coffee taste.
• If you have stains or burned coffee spots on the carafe, pour some table salt on them and let them stand for at least a half hour or overnight.
• You can add some water with vinegar and soak overnight. Depending upon how stubborn and crusty the stains or burn marks are, this step may need repetition. It will remove any “coffee film” inside.
• Check the coffee equipment to see if the smell of vinegar persists in the equipment. If it does, run more water through the coffee maker.
• Vinegar cleans the coffee pot and flushes out any buildup in the tank and tubes.

Good coffee starts with good beans and with a clean coffee maker. A coffee maker is easy to clean. On a daily basis, after each coffee brewing, you should remove all the parts that can be removed and wash them in hot soapy water. Use a damp soft towel or sponge all surfaces of the coffee equipment.

A clean coffee machine will make better tasting coffee. Your reward will be a delicious, clean, aromatic and great cup. What can be better than that for a coffee lover?

Let’s drink some Papua New Guinea AA Estate!

Timothy (“Tim”) S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him “Gourmet Coffee Guy.” He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

Come visit the author’s website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com

Copyright – Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Author: Timothy S. Collins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

To make a perfect cup of coffee every time you need:

- A Drip coffee maker

- A Stainless steel or gold mesh coffee filter, brown unbleached paper if you are insistent on paper

- A stash of vinegar and baking soda for cleaning

- A good quality whole bean coffee bean not the 1.99 a pound kind

- Fresh clean filtered water

- 30 minutes of you time (start to finish)

If you want a perfect cup of coffee, instant is not going to be in your vocabulary. To make an absolute unadulterated cup of coffee you need a little time and a few essential ingredients.

First off, almost any drip coffee maker will work. The 19.99 one all the way to the 99.99 ones all do the same thing. They heat the water and siphon it over coffee grounds. As the water is soaked into the coffee, picking up the flavor it is then drained through a filter into a glass pot. Honestly the coffee pot is not what makes the cup of coffee. If what you are looking for is the best tasting cup of coffee for your money and time, here is how to do it yourself.

A clean glass coffee pot is what you need to start off with. To clean this well, you need to place about ¼ cup of baking soda into the glass pot and with your fingers add a few drops of water. Use your fingers to spread the baking soda all over the pot, up the sides and such. After you have used this as a mild abrasive, add 1 cup of vinegar. Swirl and swish allowing the baking soda and vinegar to bubble away. Next, use a clean cloth to wash the inside of the glass pot. Now, rinse well under hot water. When you think it has been thoroughly rinsed, give it one more good rinse. We are trying to make sure our pot is clean with no residues of soaps, coffee oils, or vinegar and baking soda. A clean pot will make a lot of difference. No more washing the pot once a week, or just running it under the water and calling it good.

Second step to a great cup of coffee is the filter you use. Most of us buy the cheap white 150 for 1.25 coffee filters. Why are they cheap? Because, they are not good. Not only are they paper, but they add chlorine and bleach, and starches to your coffee. How are you supposed to have a good cup of coffee if you add those things to it. I recommend a metal strainer. Gold mesh or stainless steel is good. These are a little more expensive, but are not disposable so you can reuse them for a good long time. Average cost for these run 12.99-19.99. Clean these the same as the coffee pot. Rinse well!

Third step to a great cup of coffee is using good filtered water. I am not saying you need to use bottled water. But getting a Brita filter and filtering your water before brewing will take the extra minerals and chlorine and any other extras often found in tap water. Since coffee is mainly water that is heated and flavored doesn’t it make sense to use good quality clean water?

And of course the last step to a great cup of coffee is using a good whole bean coffee. No, coffee that is sitting on the shelf at Safeway will not do. You need to buy coffee beans from a good small company that buys their coffee in small batches, that are roasted daily or weekly. Only then can you be sure that the coffee you are getting is fresh. Choosing coffee this way runs about $12 a pound. But remember this is whole bean, you are getting a lot of coffee for the price. Grinding your own coffee bean at home is the best way to assure your very own perfect cup of coffee.

One more tip, do not reheat your brewed coffee, or leave it on for hours and hours. Brew only enough coffee that you will drink within the hour or so. Reheating and micro waving coffee just breaks the coffee down even faster. Yes, coffee does break down. When this happens you end up with a strong, sour taste. Not the perfect cup if you ask me. How do you brew just a few cups of coffee at a time? For every 6 ounces of water you add to your pot, add only 2 tablespoons of fresh ground coffee beans to the filter. When putting the ground coffee beans into the filter make sure it is level and spread evenly across the bottom of the filter. This assures even brewing. You now have no excuse to not enjoy your own perfect cup of coffee.

The author is from Medford, OR. Linda Cramer is owner of http://www.babygiftbasketco.com a wholesale site for baby gift baskets and gourmet food baskets.

Author: Linda Cramer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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