May 20 2010
Cups of Coffee
Blonde and sweet, blonde, sweet or straight black – no matter how people order their favorite cups of coffee they almost always end their coffee order with a smile. They smile because they know that within a few short minutes they will have their piping hot, cup of morning salvation.
The numbers are staggering, in the United States alone, the average coffee drinker enjoys 3.1 cups of coffee daily. Coffee drinks, like espresso, cappuccino, and lattes are enjoyed by over half the American population. That is a lot of coffee to be made and served which is why the U.S. is the leading consumer of coffee, averaging over 400 million cups per day.
Considering this intense love for coffee, it is no wonder coffee makers and coffee beans have risen in popularity. People are constantly looking for the perfect cup of coffee and any idea that comes along and promises to give them that has a very good chance of gaining a share of the market.
There have been many ideas to hit the coffee market and fail and just as many that survived and gained a piece of the market. However, making the best cup of coffee does not always mean having the highest tech piece of equipment; it is often a matter of following the advice of coffee lovers from years gone by.
Cleanliness is a major factor in making a great pot of coffee. Coffee leaves deposits and build up over time in both the coffee pot that holds the coffee and the basket that holds the filter and coffee grounds. There are commercial products that will remove this build-up quickly and easily and there are homemade cleansers that work just as well, including a mixture of vinegar and water run through the coffee maker followed by several rinse brews of clear water.
In addition to a clean coffee maker, water quality is another important factor in a top-quality cup of coffee. Commercial coffee shops typically have commercial makers that use water filtration systems or they are plumbed in to a filtration system. Home brewers can use bottled water, filtered tap water or purchase a coffee maker with a built-in filtration system. Filtered water keeps the cup of coffee from having any taste alterations due to water contaminants or even local water additives, like too much fluoride.
Lastly, the piece-de-resistance in making a flawless cup of coffee is the ground coffee used to brew the coffee. There are as many theories on choosing the coffee bean, as there are coffee drinkers; however the one thing that is widely agreed upon is freshness.
The freshness of the coffee bean or the ground coffee will ultimately determine the quality of the coffee. People who grind their own beans should grind only what they will use in one pot. This is simply the best way to insure the freshest coffee.
Ground coffee should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. The same is true for coffee beans; however, do not put coffee beans in the freezer for storage. Freezing the coffee beans will cause the natural oils in them to freeze and ultimately crack the beans and cause the flavor to dissipate.
Millions of cups of coffee are consumed every day, some are the perfect blending of sweetness and cream and others are strong and black. Nevertheless, no matter how it is served up, the perfect cup of coffee is as sought after as De Sotos’s gold. The good news is the perfect cup of coffee can be made with some practices and time-honored tips.
-Sharon Chapman