First off, let’s talk about coffee. It’s a wonderful thing that can taste amazing!

Search out coffee you like. We discussed how where the coffee is from/processed/roasted affects the flavour so find your favourite and buy as fresh as you can get. Remember, no roast date means you cannot guarantee its freshness

I recommend whole bean coffee and grind it fresh to get the very best out of it

For best results grind your coffee fresh, immediately before brewing. On average, pre-ground coffee is 70% less fresh than coffee that has just been ground (these numbers are pretty arbitrary, but you need them for the exam!)

Roughly 60% aroma is lost 15 minutes after grinding for filter

Roughly 50% aroma is lost 15 minutes after grinding for espresso

Grind size impacts how quickly the coffee goes stale. The finer the grind, the faster it deteriorates.

Grind size – the right grind size for the brew type

–  Espresso – fine (home grinders tend not to grind fine enough for this unless you want to spend in excess of £1k)

–  Gravity Drip – medium

–  Immersion – coarse

The Smaller the grind the less time its takes to extract the flavour, Remember, if you grind too small it can result in the coffee being over extracted, too big can result in under extraction. It’s about finding that sweet spot where you extract the right flavours for a well-balanced tasty cup. On average with espresso it will take 25-35 seconds, a one cup Gravity Drip will take 1 – 3 minutes and immersion 4 – 6 minutes. This will change depending on exact method and to taste

Freshness of the coffee is important ideally 1-3 months from roast date. Remember if there’s no roast date don’t spend your hard earned money on it

Storing your coffee – you need to store it in an airtight container, so oxygen doesn’t get to it and also prevent moisture and other aromas affecting the coffee. Ideally at a cool temperature. As I mentioned on the course, if you can store it in the bag it came in and it is airtight this is very good for the coffee.

Water

Water quality is very important. Low quality water will always yield a lesser brew quality than high quality water. What does this mean? Water, which is too hard, will struggle to bring out the acidity and sweetness in your coffee. You need some Salts (calcium, magnesium) in your water to help enhance the sweetness and acidity

Water is your biggest ingredient in coffee, about 32 grams of your typical espresso is water and 98% of filter coffee

So, in conclusion, filtered water is the best. If you don’t have filtered water Tesco Ashbeck water is as good as it gets for the price. Generally, the more expensive the bottled water the worse it is for brewing coffee, go figure!

The Three T’s

When making a coffee follow this general guide.

1. Brew Ratio (55g-70g per litre for filter 17-19g for espresso)
2. Time (espresso 25-35 seconds, Filter see recipe’s below)
3. Temperature 92-96C
4. Turbulence (Stir, pour, pressure)
5. Grind Size