How to brew coffee

Brewing the perfect cup of coffee isn't as difficult as it sounds but it does take some work. There is the preparation work such as selecting a coffee and brew method, filtering and heating the water, then putting it all together to and brewing your favorite cup.

But first a little on the standards for coffee brewing.
The specialty coffee association or SCA has traditionally been looked to for the requirements
for brewing the best cup, sometimes referred to as the golden cup standard.

So here the the SCAA golden cup standard

•  Coffee to water ratio 55g/l +/- 10%
• Water temperature 200 degrees F +/- 5 degrees
• Time of coffee to water contact 1 to 8 minutes depending on brew method.

The   resulting coffee shall exhibit a brew strength measure in total dissolved solids of 11.3 to 13.5 grams per liter corresponding to 1.15 to 1.35% on the SCA brewing control chart resulting from a solubles extraction yield of 18 to 22%

What does this mean for those of us that brew at home? Coffee brewing can be highly scientific process, but it doesn't have to complicated and can be fun finding the best cup with a particular coffee. it also makes a great science experiment for the kids. Get your fresh coffee beans, brewing device, water, and measuring devices together. It's best to measure by weight instead of volume and using the metric system makes it easier. The conversions are straight forward. A food scale that measures in grams is preferred.

Start with measuring out the coffee and water using the SCA recipe you will need 55g of ground coffee and 1000g of water(1ml is equal to 1g). Heat the water to 200 degrees F then add to the coffee. Then adjust the three variables till you get a cup that you like.

How to Store Coffee​
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So, you have just bought a bag of awesome coffee, how do you store it so that you can enjoy it for the months to come?

First realize that the beans are perishable, they will go stale, and in some cases rancid if not consumed in a timely manner.  There are four harbingers of doom to your precious coffee beans oxygen, heat, light, and moisture. In storing your coffee its best to find an environment and container that limit these factors.

The first consideration should be a container.  Your first option and cheapest is the bag the coffee came in.  Just make sure to roll the bag closed to get as much air out as possible and secure it with a rubber band or other similar item.  The best storage container would something made specifically for storing coffee.  The container will help keep oxygen and light at bay and preserve the precious beans

Next consider storing the container in a place that will limit exposure to heat and moisture.  So, try to keep it away from heat sources and direct sunlit windows.  The refrigerator is not a good option as it can cause moisture and add unwanted flavors to your coffee.  Freezing has many of the same dangers as the frig, including freezer burn. If you want to store beans in the freezer the container must be airtight, and it is a good idea to store the beans in smaller portions to avoid condensation forming on unused beans. 
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To wrap thing up, remember to store your coffee in a container designed for coffee storage, put the chosen container in an environmentally stable place.  To help buy only the amount you can drink in a couple weeks. This will insure you always have the freshest coffee.

The method you plan to use to brew your coffee should determine how fine or coarse to grind your beans.

If you're making espresso, you want an extremely fine grind. On the other hand, if you're using a French press, you'll want something fairly course. The common drip coffee makers do best with something in between.

There is no exact size you should use with any particular brewing method, but you'd be surprised by how much the grind size can influence the taste of your coffee.

For the best results, start with the size of grind that is typically recommended, then experiment until you find what tastes best to you. Most coffee grinders fall under two categories: Burr grinders and Blade grinders.

• Most burr grinders have numerical size indicators that you can select, with one or two indicating the smallest grind.
  
• To change the size with a blade grinder, choose how long to run the motor.

Read the manual that came with your grinder to get an idea of where to start. Then play with the adjustments till to get a cup that tastes how you like it. 

 Ultimately,   it's  all about   what   tastes   the   best   to   you!

Choosing the right coffee to roast and sell is a complicated task.
​The flavor of coffee beans is affected by numerous environmental variables: everything from temperature, rainfall, shade, age of the coffee plants, soil, disease, and chemicals in the soil can have huge impacts. Other factors that affect the flavor of the beans are how they are processed after picking, and length of storage before they are roasted.

As a roaster, it’s extremely important to know how and when the coffee is produced. This helps ensure that customers get the freshest, best-tasting coffee possible.

Morning Fox sources our beans from a smaller importer, where we can ensure that minimal time passes between when the beans are processed and when they reach our door. As a craft roaster, we also purchase smaller quantities of beans per order, so that we can deliver the freshest roast possible. This also gives us the flexibility to experiment with different beans and find the ones we like the most, and that we feel will provide our patrons with a superior coffee drinking experience.

Ever wondered why the coffee you get from one company tastes so different from the coffee you get from another company? It’s more than just the beans; it’s also the roast profile.

A roast profile is how a coffee roaster treats the green coffee beans to create a desired flavor in a roasted coffee. It means what happens during the roasting process, including things like timing and temperature adjustments, that affect the outcome of the roasted beans. The roast profile creates the flavor profile, which is how the coffee tastes, its mouthfeel, acidity, balance, and so forth. When a coffee roaster has created a roast profile that he or she  likes, it allows them to consistently achieve the same flavor in beans roasted at different times.

When I work on a new roast profile for a green coffee, I start by looking at where the green beans come from (their origin), how they were processed, and how I want to brew them. All these things influence the roast profile.

• The origin of a coffee is simply where the coffee beans come from. Coffee producing countries have different climates, soil types, altitudes, and more. These environmental factors affect the characteristics of the green beans.
• Different coffee growers also use different methods to process the beans before they send them to their customers. For example, some growers use a wet process that can depend on some fermentation, while others use a dry process that does not.
• How you intend to brew the coffee is also a factor in selecting a coffee roast. For example, beans that taste great when brewed in a drip coffee maker may not taste nearly as good when brewed in a French press. Other factors that affect the taste of your coffee are the water temperature, brew time, and how small you grind the beans.

All of these things ultimately lead to entirely different flavors and the beans need to be roasted differently to compliment those flavors.

​When I receive a new green bean, I spend a lot of time developing a roast profile that complements the beans. I experiment a lot and see what tastes best. I often run through quite a few batches before I find a profile that works for the bean.