Gourmet-Tasting Coffee Without the Gourmet Price Tag

By R.L. Fielding

Quality in, quality out. The formula seems elementary but, in the minds of many coffee drinkers, quality is synonymous with higher costs. Coffee lovers are seemingly faced with a trade off between the gourmet taste they crave and the money in their wallets. Many coffee loyalists continue to surrender their cash to the ritzy big-name coffee shops in order to capture the luxury of gourmet brews. Other people opt to buy the cheap stuff, looking for the same buzz and sacrificing the flavorful experience.

However, Gourmet-tasting coffee without the gourmet price tag is not out of reach. With a few wisely chosen ingredients and tools, anyone can brew professional-grade coffee at home. The beverage, at its best, is more than a caffeinated booster; its a full-bodied treat for the five senses. Nothing compares to the color, temperature, flavor, aroma and sound of a perfectly percolating pot of joe. Learn how to get the most from your next cup with the following tips.

Ingredients for Success

If you strip coffee down to the basics, what you are left with is water and ground coffee beans. The higher the quality of these two ingredients, the better your finished product will taste. The key is to start with fresh, cold water. You want to enhance the coffee while letting its desired natural properties shine through. Water that is hot or stale can produce a bitter taste. Depending on the mineral content of your tap water, you may prefer using bottled water for a purer coffee flavor.

Grinding your own coffee beans will provide the freshest, most flavorful coffee. Many people steer clear of this step because they think it takes too much effort or is too time consuming. The truth is, with the aid of a powered grinder, the job can be done in 30-seconds or less. The amount of beans you'll want to use for your brew varies by the type of machine youre using and the desired result. For your average pot, use approximately 1-cup of coffee beans per cup of coffee.

Freeze-dried or instant coffee will get the job done but, when you truly want to indulge, go for fresh grounds or whole beans. Many stores prepare the beans daily, or you can check the bottom of the bag for its freshness date. Good beans should appeal to the eye and the nose. Avoid purchasing broken beans because they will stale more quickly. For that gourmet kick, choose beans from the Arabica coffee plant only. Robusta coffee beans are renowned for their high caffeine levels, but they provide a more acidic taste.

To find a flavor you really enjoy, try a few different roasts and brands. Beans with a high acidity level will have a sharper taste. Everyone's taste-buds are different. Don't be afraid to go for specialty coffees just because they sound intimidating or look fancy. When trying the new brew, let the drink cool a bit and take the time to swish it around in your mouth before swallowing. This will give your tongue the chance to identify the many layers of flavor in each sip.

Caffeine content should also factor into your decision when picking a coffee, as it affects your overall experience. This stimulant is naturally present in the coffee bean and can have mildly addictive effects if large amounts are consumed. Many coffee drinkers enjoy the increased alertness brought on by the drug, but too much caffeine can cause negative effects such as headaches, insomnia and nervousness. Lighter roasts have higher caffeine content than do darker roasts because less of it is lost during the shorter roasting period. Many coffees offer decaffeinated varieties which can be delicious if you seek to limit your caffeine intake.

Be sure to store your coffee in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place away from any potentially contaminating odors. Freezing beans can damage the oils that give coffee its body and flavor. To really lock in the freshness of whole beans or cut grounds, double bag them. Ground beans can lose flavor within a few hours if exposed to the air. Even well-stored ground coffee begin to stale after only a few days, so its recommended that you don't prepare more beans than you need at the moment. A trick for adding life to pre-ground, stored coffee is to briefly grind it again so new surface area is exposed.

If you choose to use fresh coffee beans, apply the following rule of thumb regarding how finely ground the coffee beans should be: Longer brewing cycles equal coarser grinds. For example, an expresso or cappuccino maker requires beans with a very fine, almost powdery grind because the machines brew in less than a minute. Electric drip brewers with paper filters should utilize coffee grounds with a consistency similar to salt granules. Percolators work best when paired with coarsely ground beans. This may seem like an unimportant detail, but it has a tremendous impact on the strength of your drinks taste and can cause problems for your machine, such as filter clogs.

Tools of the Trade

Coffee making has become an art and where would a good artist be without the proper tools? For the best results, there are a few must-have machines that every coffee enthusiast should have in his or her home.

When working with whole beans, youll want to invest in a coffee grinder. These tools are well worth the money if you enjoy a fresh cup of coffee. Some coffee machines come with built-in grinders to help simplify the brewing process. You can get an easy-to-use stainless steel blade grinder for a reasonable price. The grind-level is controlled by how long you let the blades run. The metal can get hot if you're making a fine ground coffee, which can unfortunately create a burnt taste if you aren't careful.

Burr grinders are different from blade grinders in that the coarseness of the ground is controlled by the burrs position. They work by crushing the coffee beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. These are often more expensive and create a more consistent ground than bladed grinders. Wheel burrs are reasonably priced because they operate noisily and with some mess. Conical burrs are the best grinders that money can buy. These tools usually work more quietly, less messily, and are the least likely to clog because they operate at a slower speed.

The demands of your lifestyle will determine the type of coffee brewer you prefer. On-the-go coffee fanatics have made the single-cup coffee maker a popular item in recent years. Most people use a traditional stove-top boiling pot or a paper filtered automatic-drip coffee machine to make theircoffee at home. To properly brew using this equipment, be sure to read the directions carefully. The shape and size of a stove-top pot can impact the boiling time and the amount of grounds needed.

The peak temperature for boiling coffee is 195 to 200 degrees and can be attained by letting the water come to a boil for at least a minute before adding the coffee. Measure your water and grounds carefully; otherwise you can end up with a bitter-tasting, weak brew or an overly strong coffee that must be diluted with creamer.

With a filtered brewer, you'll use approximately 1 tablespoon of coffee per ground per 6 ounces of water. Choose your filter carefully. A heavier, higher quality filter will not clog as easily as a cheap filter and will prevent coffee mud from getting into the bottom of your drink. Similar to the filtered brewer is the French drip brewer. These pots have a built-in strainer on top that filters the coffee grounds as hot water is poured over them.

Flavorings, such as sugar, may be added to the grounds before they pass through the filter. This provides a more blended taste. To protect the strength of each cups flavor and aroma, serve the coffee immediately after brewing.

Percolators are great for brewing large quantities of coffee and are available in both stove-top and electric models. These brewing devices have declined in popularity in the past decades because they often produce a watery, bitter tasting drink. Two of the trendiest coffee makers available at the moment are the French Press and the expresso maker. To operate a French Press, youll first steep hot water and coffee grounds in a glass beaker. A plunging device is used to push the grounds to the bottom of the beaker, leaving only the dense coffee liquid on top. Expresso makers produce full-bodied drinks by forcing hot water through the grounds and directly into your cup. The brewer is also capable of processing the steamed milk used in lattes or cappuccinos.

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R.L. Fielding Bio

R.L. Fielding has been a freelance writer for 10 years, offering her expertise and skills to a variety of major organizations in the education, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing industries. She lives in New Jersey with her dog and two cats and enjoys rock climbing and ornamental gardening.

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