How to Make the Best Coffee: Key Factors That Influence Coffee Flavor

Coffee has become an indispensable lifestyle for most people, from instant coffee and espresso to the various popular brewing methods like pour-over coffee and more. Specialty coffee, in particular, has become the favored choice among modern coffee beverages.

However, regardless of how these coffees are presented, the quality of the coffee cannot be overlooked. To have a high-quality cup of coffee, the following key elements cannot be ignored. FrontStreet Coffee will now elaborate on these aspects in detail.

Cleanliness of Equipment

The simplest way to improve coffee quality is to clean your brewing equipment. Natural coffee oils and fine coffee particles that accumulate on equipment can cause burnt, bitter, and sour flavors to transfer from dirty equipment to fresh coffee. Don't cook food in a dirty pot—don't brew coffee in a dirty coffee maker!

Freshness of Coffee Beans

Roasted coffee is extremely perishable and must be handled carefully and stored properly. Whole bean coffee can maintain optimal freshness for up to 2 weeks, while ground coffee can maintain optimal freshness for less than 1 hour in the surrounding environment.

The increased surface area of ground coffee accelerates the rate of deterioration. Store coffee in a cool, dry place away from light, heat, moisture, and strong odors to maintain quality. Grind immediately in a burr grinder before brewing to preserve flavor and aroma; stale coffee loses aroma, sweetness, and tastes malty, papery, and mild.

Coffee Grinding

Grinding coffee reduces particle size, increases surface area, and plays a major role in developing aroma and flavor during the brewing process.

The grind size must match the brewing method and depends on the length of the brewing cycle. Short brewing times, such as espresso and pour-over methods, require extra-fine ground coffee for immediate extraction, while French press and immersion brewers have longer brewing times and require coarser ground coffee due to the longer steeping extraction time. Burr grinders produce more uniform particle sizes than rotary blade grinders, which will produce richer, more complex coffee.

Time of Consumption

Brewed coffee is extremely perishable; coffee experts recommend serving coffee immediately after preparation. Brewed coffee kept in a glass pot should only be maintained for 30 minutes or 60 minutes in a thermal sealed carafe. Extended holding times allow aroma to dissipate, reducing the coffee's sweetness and acidity. Additionally, dissolved substances in the coffee will continue to precipitate in the liquid, causing the coffee flavor to become flat, with a heavy texture and increased sourness and bitterness.

Water Quality is Crucial

Water accounts for 98%~99% of coffee, so the water used for brewing coffee must be neutral, tasteless, at an appropriate temperature, and precisely measured.

Water suitable for brewing coffee must be free of any off-flavors. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) recommends that the total dissolved solids in brewing water should be between 50ppm~100ppm, free of iron, colorless, tasteless, without sediment, and with a pH between 6.5~7.5.

Water temperature is particularly important in specialty coffee brewing. Only hot water at 92°C~96°C can fully extract the enticing texture and flavor from coffee.

Water that is too cold cannot fully extract the flavors, while water that is too hot will scorch the surface of the coffee grounds, making the coffee taste flat and bitter.

The amount of water directly determines the ratio of water to coffee grounds. For drip coffee, the ratio should be 64 ounces of water to 3.25~4.25 ounces of freshly ground coffee, which is the "golden ratio" for drip coffee.

This ratio, combined with appropriate water temperature and purity, can extract 18%~22% of soluble substances from the coffee, thereby keeping the total dissolved solids in the coffee between 1150TDS~1350TDS.

Important Notice :

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