How to make a great pot of coffee?

Question

I have a middle of the road coffee pot...and better quality coffee beans but whenever I make my coffee its bitter and somehow never ever seems to taste good. I thought it was my beans but its that way with every type I make it with. Any good tips and pointers....starbucks is getting too expensive (not that their coffee is always great either)

THanks!!

Answer 1

Starbucks might be better expensive.  But the beans are a pretty good deal.  You might not like some of the coffee because it comes from different growing regions.  I know I HATE Asian (Sumatra/Komodo Dragon) and African(Kenya) coffees but I love Latin American (Colombia) coffees.  As for brewing it it depends on 3 things

Grind...Make sure it is ground for your filter

Proportion...2 tablespoons for every 6 oz of water

Water...filtered or bottled water

Make sure you don't let it sit too long.

Answer 2

The most important tip: USE FRESH BEANS! The fresher the better.

It’s all about proportion. Accurate measuring is key. A basic guideline to follow is to use 2 tbsp. of freshly ground coffee to 6 oz water (3/4 cup.) You can then adjust the proportions according to your taste.

Use the right parts--make sure the filter you’re using is the one made for your coffee maker. If you have to fudge it, do so, but stock up next time you’re out--you’ll be happy you did.

Use COLD water. And if your home tap is of questionable quality, go for bottled water or use a home filter. Using bad water is an easy way to give yourself bitter coffee.

Store it carefully. Leaving your unused coffee out in the open will dramatically affect the flavor (for the worst!) It’s best to keep it in an air-tight container and use it ASAP (for up to 10 days.) Don’t store it in the fridge or your coffee will take on the flavors and smells of other food nearby. Freezing it is ok, but not recommended unless as a last resort for an excess of coffee.

Keep things clean--make sure you wash out your coffee maker regularly. If you have hard water, it’s easy to get mineral deposits that settle into the machine. A white vinegar rinse through will help this problem tremendously. Just be sure to do 2 plain water rinses following to ensure the vinegar’s out.

Answer 3

I buy Dunkin' Donuts roasted (ground) beans coffee at BJ's.

I put around 3 or 4 soup spoons of coffee (already ground) and about 500 ml (or 1/2 a liter) or boiling water. I do not make it in the coffee maker, just sometimes. Almost every day, I put it in a normal coffee Melitta filter with the paper filter according to the size of the plastic filter, on top of my coffee maker's coffee pot.

The first water you put in the filter, put it as hot as possible, and cover the powder completely. Wait until it goes down, bc this gives the coffee more flavor. Then add the rest of the water, even if it has to be done 2 or more times.

Hope this helps!

And you're right, Starbucks is expensive and we get sick of it very quickly!

Just for the record, cold water is going to make your coffee bulk together and it is not going to extract what you need from the coffee. That would be like making tea with cold water, it would take 5 times the time it takes with hot water. You could give it a try, but I really don't think it will brew the most you want of the coffee.

See this page, it will take you hours, unless you start it the day before: http://www.howtobrewcoffee.com/concentra...

Answer 4

Bend over and look at the underside where the water sprays over the coffee grounds. Is it discolored? If so, you can scrub that sprayer thing with straight vinegar and a toothbrush. Pretend you're making a pot of coffee and run a 50% vinegar / 50% water mixture through the coffeemaker and into the pot. You should clean the coffeemaker about once a month.

Always use cold water to make coffee. As soon as the coffe has stopped brewing, remove the drip basket and throw away the grounds. Try to use freshly-ground coffee, although that's not always possible.

I quit drinking coffee a few years ago because it made me do stupid things faster, so good luck!