When it comes to making a pot of coffee, a drip coffee maker like a Mr. Coffee is going to give you a much different result when brewing than using an espresso machine or French Press. Here is a guide to brewing a good cup of coffee.

Coffee Equipment

Make sure your coffee maker is cleaned after each use, coffee residue can leave an unpleasant, bitter taste in your cup of coffee. If you grind your own coffee beans run your washable glass coffee container through the dishwasher to clean the oil residue left from coffee beans. If you use a coffee carafe to keep your coffee warm, rinse out the carafe often to keep coffee residue to a minimum.

Purchasing Coffee

Fresh roasted coffee beans are preferable to pre-ground coffee. Purchase your coffee as close to the day it was roasted as possible. Whole beans are always preferable to pre-ground coffee, providing you a fresher, stronger flavored brew. Purchase as much whole bean coffee weekly as you would use in order to keep your coffee brewing as fresh as possible.

Grinding Coffee

Choose the appropriate equipment for grinding your coffee. If you grind your coffee beans at a grocery store, set the grind setting to the type of coffee maker you will be using. If you have a drip coffee maker, choose drip on the coffee grinder, French Press, choose coarsely ground, etc. Using a burr or mill grinder is the best choice at home to grind your own coffee beans since these machines grind the coffee beans to a consistent size.

If after brewing your ground coffee beans the coffee tastes bitter, it may be ground too fine. Fresh ground coffee that tastes flat may mean your coffee beans were ground too coarse and not ground enough. Experiment with how you grind your coffee until you find the depth of flavor you are looking for.

Water To Coffee Ratio

As a general rule use 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per six ounces of water to get the best brewed coffee. Keep in mind some water is lost to evaporation using certain brewing methods. Filtered water or spring water are most recommended. Be sure to use cold water, do not use distilled water as it does not contain enough minerals to bring out the best taste in the coffee.

Water Temperature

The best brewed coffee uses boiled water that is not too hot. Cold water makes for flat tasting coffee. Do not over boil your coffee water, let it rest for a minute before pouring over the grounds. An electric kettle is a good choice for heating water to the right temperature. An electric kettle hits the boiling point, then automatically shuts itself off, keeping the water hot until you are ready to brew your coffee.

Brewing Coffee

General brewing times for coffee is 4.5-5 minutes. Experiment with the time of brewing to find the best flavor possible for your cup of coffee. French Press, or a plunger pot, requires a shorter amount of brewing time at 2-4 minutes. Espresso coffee is more complicated since this process mixes coffee grinds and water in a short period of time. The brew time for espresso should take between 23-30 seconds to complete using 1.5 ounces of espresso coffee.

Sit Back And Enjoy

Once brewed, drink your coffee immediately for optimum flavor. Never reheat your coffee as this affects the original flavor of the coffee. Enjoy the aroma, smell, and flavor, and savor your finely brewed cup of coffee.