How many times have you been disappointed in your cup of coffee? Brewing coffee to produce a great cup of joe is not as easy as you might think. However, the good news is that good coffee is more about technique than splurging on expensive gadgets. A bold and delicious cup can be yours by simply avoiding these eleven common mistakes!

 

1. Buying Pre-Ground Beans

 

Immediately upon being ground, coffee beans begin to let go of their subtle flavors—the longer time before brewing with them, the more lost flavor.  If you go through a lot of coffee like I do, ground may be convenient, but if you are an occasional coffee drinker, those grounds lose flavor after 2-3 weeks.

 

·       Solution: Try buying whole bean coffee. Grind your beans at home immediately before brewing. Invest in an inexpensive blade grinder or spring for a burr grinder for an even finer grind.

 

2. Using Stale Beans

 

When brewing coffee, the ideal is to use beans that have been roasted within the last three weeks. In order to do this, you need to know the roasting date. If you grab a bag of local beans at your neighborhood farmers' market or grocery, check the bottom of the package to see if the roasting date is stamped there.

 

·       Solution: Buy your beans from a coffee roaster that markets their beans on site or a coffee seller that partners with a small batch roaster. Coffee is often roasted 1-2 times per week and then sent out directly to the customers from roasting.

 

3. Eyeballing Your Measurements

 

If you have gone so far as to make sure your beans are recently roasted and carefully ground, don't just heap your grind into the filter any which way. Measuring your grounds enables you to control the strength of your cup of coffee.

 

·       Solution: Follow this rule of thumb. Use eight heaped teaspoons of grounds if you are using a standard size French press (34-ounce). You will get coffee that is bold and assertive but not as strong as espresso.

 

4. Ignoring Water Quality

 

It's tempting and easy to use tap water because it's free, and you just open up the faucet. However, tap water's impurities will affect the taste of your morning brew.

 

·       Solution: Switch to filtered water or bottled spring water. These waters are not acidic, do not contain impurities, and are free of minerals. 

 

5. Using Water That Isn't Sufficiently Hot

 

When brewing coffee, water for a perfect cup needs to be between 195 to 205 degrees. Unfortunately, many drip coffee brewers never attain this ideal temperature, which extracts the most flavor from the beans.

 

·       Solution: Migrate to a French press or a pour-over way of brewing (e.g., Chemex). By these brewing methods, water just off the boil is poured over your grounds, which are then allowed to steep for three to four minutes. 

 

6. Not Paying Attention to the Correct Ratio of Coffee to Water

 

Have you ever tasted a cup of coffee and thought, ugh, this is really weak? The problem here is that when brewing coffee with too much water or not enough coffee, you get a wimpy result. 

 

·       Solution: Begin with two heaping tablespoons of coffee per cup of water and then modify future brews if necessary.

 

7. Overlooking a Dirty Brewer

 

Don't leave used grounds sitting in your filter. A dirty brewer will have traces of coffee that have turned acidic or even moldy. So, just like everything else in the kitchen, your coffeemaker should be cleaned regularly. 

 

·       Solution: Wash your carafe, lids, and filter basket in soapy water after every use. Run a brewing cycle with equal parts of vinegar and water at least once a month. Click here for detailed instructions on cleaning a coffee maker.

 

8. Drinking Coffee From the Wrong Kind of Cup

 

You might love that dainty china tea set you inherited from your grandmother that you set out for special occasions. However, the coffee in these cups is going to cool down quickly, leaving you with (oh no!) joe at room-temperature. 

 

·       Solution: Use a thick-walled cup that will maintain your coffee's steaming hot temperature for longer. Use a mug with a thick wall, such as a diner-style white coffee mug or a sturdy, handcrafted ceramic mug. 

 

9. Pouring Your Coffee Into a Cold Cup

 

Think about it, pouring hot coffee into a container with a lower temperature means your coffee won't stay hot for long. Your sipping pleasure will be prolonged by pre-warming your cup. 

 

·       Solution: When your water is on its way to boiling, just pour a little into your cup and leave it there until your coffee is brewed. Also, why not ask for an electric smart mug for the holidays, or your birthday.

 

10. Ignoring the Quality of Your Milk and Sugar.

 

How you drink your coffee is a matter of personal choice, but it's important to try to get the most flavor for your sip. You might be anti-fat, but nonfat milk can water coffee down and does nothing for the taste.

 

·       Solution: Use whole milk or half-and-half. Go for raw sugar (turbinado) because it is simply better tasting than white sugar. 

 

11. Storing Your Coffee Incorrectly

 

If humidity gets into your beans, it will affect the strength and taste of your coffee. For this reason, do not store your coffee in your freezer.

 

·       Solution: Store your coffee in a container with an air-tight lid (e.g., a mason jar) and place it in a place free of humidity, such as a shelf in your pantry.

 

Brewing Coffee: Final Thoughts

 

Avoiding these coffee brewing mistakes might seem to take a lot of effort. However, your reward will be the best cup of joe you've ever tasted. It will not only please your taste buds, but will also be good for your psyche. To set you on the path toward a great cup of coffee, visit Operant Coffee and choose from our selection of high-quality beans. All of our beans are Fair Trade Certified.