You deserve a good cup of coffee.

By application of a few
basic principles, you will have the knowledge you need to
make the best of your coffee brewing experience at home.
METHODS
Below you will find a few of the options to choose from for
brewing your coffee at home. Choices are about discovery
and preference with coffee, not superiority.

The Human Tongue

Hario V60
A lltaste sensations come Methods like the V60 have been
from all regions of the around since the 17th century
tongue , but some parts are Considered by many to be a great,

YOU DESERVE
more sensitive to certain meditative brewing experience
tastes .

French Press
TASTE F rench P ress coffee provides a
unique texture loved by many coffee
Coffee has over 1,500 aromatic and flavor compounds - drinkers
for a relative comparison, wine has around 200.
T hough clean - up can be a pain , the
The exploration of the flavor possibilities within your F rench P ress is a favorite of many
coffee is within your reach. When you consider the
flavors, you will focus on A lso referred to as a cafetiere

SWEETNESS a result of the naturally occuring sugars

within the bean itself, in some coffee this sweetness
tastes fruity, while in some it tastes chocolatey
Aeropress
BITTERNESS generally a result of an over-extracted cup Quick and easy brew and clean-up
of coffee, bitterness serves the purpose of balancing Great for travel - sturdy build
out sweetness and taming acidity. M a n u fa c t u r e d b y t h e f r i s b e e
c o m pa n y A e r o b i e

ACIDITY not like in orange juice. What people commonly

think of as acidity in coffee resulting in stomach aches
comes from over-roasted coffee. Acidity in coffee refers
to citric, malic, lactic, and acetic acids - so if you drink a RESOURCES
coffee and your tongue feels like it tastes citrus, an apple, For further discovery, you will find a handful of resources A primer to enable
sweet cream, or vinegar - thats the acidity in coffee.
suggested below.
AROMA Your nose does a lot to help with taste, and the
taste of coffee is no exception. Try tasting something Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) - The SCA is the
with your nose plugged. . . boring, right? international authorit y on all things coffee

Barista Hustle - A blog run by former World Barista

In order to extract the flavors available within your
coffee, you simply have to be mindful of the two
ingredients necessary. . .
Champion Matt Perger, Barista Hustle explores the
nitt y-gritt y of coffee
The Curious Baristas Guide to Coffee - A book by
Tristan Stephenson which ser ves as a gateway to
the wide world of coffee

BEANS & WATER Your local barista - Engage in your communit y.

Typically, baristas are passionate about coffee and
would love to connect with you on the subject
 BEANS
ORIGIN
Coffee, as a plant, is only able to grow between
the Tropic of Capicorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
Although each cup of coffee is unique, each region
does have characteristics they generally exhibit.
East African coffee tends to be full-bodied and fruity.
Central American coffee tends to be smooth and rich.
WATER
QUALITY
A cup of coffee is between 98 - 99% water, so it
is easy to recognize how the quality of water
has a high impact on your cup of coffee.
Many folks grow accustomed to the
taste of their water and believe it does
not have a taste, but as subtle as it may
be, it is present and can have a doozy
of an impact on your coffee.
DISCOVERY
Use the map of the human tongue to help
develop your palate, which is what it means to
learn to recognize and appreciate the flavors
available in coffee.
The better you train yourself to distinguish
where you feel a sensation on your
tongue when tasting coffee, the more
equipped you will feel to make the
necessary modifications to your brew.

These two regions will be the primary coffee you will
find, and are at the very least a great place to start your
journey.
ROAST
Dark roast tends towards a roasty flavor, and the longer
roasting process cooks out most of the unique traits in
a given bean. Dark roast also tends to cook out a good
amount of the caffeine in the bean. Coffee with a lighter
roast allow for the coffee to really show its flavor,
and also provide more caffeine content.
GRIND
The freshness of your beans
will impac t your coffee, but if
you assure your beans are
freshly ground for brewing,
and ground to the appropriate
particle size (the size of the
grounds), youll do wonders for
the flavor of the coffee in your
cup.
Regardless your brewing method,
you want to be sure that your grind
and dose (the amount of coffee being
used) are adjusted accordingly. T h e
p a r t ic le size of the grind will var y by
method, but typically you will want it somewhere
around the size of a grain of sugar.
For tunately, the Specialty Coffee
Association (SCA) has put a good
amount of time and effor t to determine
the best level of Total Disolved Solids and
optimal temperature for extraction of flavor
from your coffee.
for too long, too many solids are extracted from
TOTAL DISOLVED SOLIDS
Total Disolved Solids (TDS) refer to the measure of
total inorganic and organic substances (such as
contained in a liquid. The quantity of solids
figured in to TDS is harmless in regard to
your health, but does impact the flavor
of the water you drink.
TEMPERATURE
For best extraction, you want to
use water which measures be-
tween 195-205 degrees Farenheit.
Te m pe rature is t he mo s t
c om mon is sue au tomat ic
dr ip c o ffe e ma ke r s have is t he
heat ing me c ha n is m - they simply
do not heat the water to the optimal
temperature.
How can you develop these skills at home?
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
If your c o ffe e tas tes bi tter i t is
ove r- e x trac te d.
When water is in contact with the coffee grounds
the grounds.
If your coffee tastes over-extracted, you want to
adjust the grind to be larger (or coarser) so that
you are not extracting so much flavor from the
grounds.
Make sure you are using the correct
amount of water, too.
If your c o ffe e tas tes s our, i t is
unde r- e x trac te d.
When water passes too quickly
through your coffee grounds, you want
to adjust the grind to be s ma l le r (or f in e r) s o
t he wate r is e x trac t ing more f lavor f rom t he
c o ffe e g rounds .
Your coffee can improve if you use the knowledge
you now have. Its just beans and water, but you
deserve to enjoy your coffee at its best.

No matter the method, grind, or other factors, a
good rule to follow is to keep your ratio of water
to coffee at 15:1 - that is, 15 grams of water for
every 1 gram of coffee.
Follow that , and use quality water, and you will
be well on your way to a vastly improved cup of
coffee. Speaking of water. . .
- Taste coffee from a variety of origins, par ticularly as they are in season.
- Buy lighter roast so the flavor has not been cooked out
- Grind your fresh, whole bean coffee at home rather than using pre-ground - a hand burr grinder is
a great way to go
- Use good water. Distilled, or purified are an improvement from tap, and Third Wave Water is a
product designed to give you cafe quality water in a bottle.
- Heat your water to the proper temperature by use of a kettle and thermometer.