How would we brew a perfect cup of coffee?*
Everyone's tastes are different and with this as a starting point, you can fine tune your home brewing to match what is perfect for you. Starting with the most superb quality coffee through the best storing and brewing methods, equipment and water are key to a delightful experience in your cup. Coffee storing and brewing is not elaborate, and the pleasure from a truly fabulous cup of coffee is a simply luxury you can enjoy every day! And you do deserve it!
Start with the
best quality coffee
Annick’s and ERI specialty-grade coffee is the first step toward
brewing a perfect cup. To brew great coffee, start with great coffee beans. Our
100% Arabica specialty grade beans (our direct purchased raw beans are top 1% of
all the world's crop) are hand-harvested and sorted, water-processed and
sun-dried to ensure the best flavor from plantation. roasting is done in
the tradition of slow roasting, smoking and air cooling for developing the
absolute best in roasted characteristics of any bean!
Storage
DON'T store your coffee in the freezer. Condensation will build up
and the coffee may pick up odors. DO store coffee at room temperature, out of
direct sunlight, and sealed in the smallest practical container**.
Grind
beans at home if you can
Coffee begins to lose fragrance almost immediately after grinding.
For the best coffee experience, grind whole beans just before brewing. Use
the correct grind. There is no single grind that works for all
coffeemakers. For a drip pot, grind 15 to 20 seconds. This will result in a
medium to fine grind. (A note on pre-ground coffee: Our coffee is
ground and packed in patented valve bags that allow gasses from the coffee out,
but no air in. So if you do purchase our beans pre-ground, you get a
better flavor ground, than other brands ground.)
Use
the best water
Your brewed coffee is 98.5 percent water so it's obvious that the
water you use will have a big impact on the final product. Though tap water is
good in many regions, it can vary widely in taste and quality so we recommend
fresh, cold bottled or filtered water for your best enjoyment.
Measure carefully then adjust to your taste if necessary
You may note that
a "cup" in coffee parlance is 6 ounces, not 8 oz. This
is "coffee shop" standards. Most people for home brewing find that
starting with 1/2 cup of grounds (or about 1.5 oz weight) for 8 cups of
coffee suits most tastes to start with, and most people only need to make minor
adjustments from there.
Brew
only what you plan to drink
Immediately after brewing, either pour coffee into an airtight,
insulated container or drink it. It takes only 20 minutes on a burner for coffee
to turn bitter and unpleasant.
OK, so I have the standard coffee brewer on my counter top. But I'm not sure that is the best method for "perfect" coffee. So what method does Annick use at home? A: A French Press.
*Using a French press coffee maker, the water temperature and exposure to coffee grounds is manually controlled, resulting in a perfect, rich cup of coffee.
The best way to make coffee is with a coffee-maker known as a French press. This is also the most "elaborate" method and most people will have to tinker and trial-and-error before getting this one down to "perfect" for them but be assured it is worth the time and effort. You will have never had coffee like this.
Many other coffee makers over extract coffee, under extract coffee, or utilize water which is not at an optimal temperature. Paper filters prevent coffee’s flavorful oils from reaching your mouth and can add off-flavors from the filter itself. French presses are wonderful machines because you manually control the water temperature and exposure time, resulting in a rich, perfect cup of coffee.
First, you need to buy a French press coffee maker, which is widely available at coffee stores, department stores, by mail order and on the web. Choose a style and size which fits your needs and tastes. You won’t go wrong with a brand name like "Bodum", but other manufacturers make high quality units.
Start water boiling in a teapot, kettle or microwave. Remove the plunger part of the unit. Coarsely grind fresh Annick's coffee beans. Whole coffee beans should be high quality and freshly roasted (less than two weeks old) for best results. As the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. (Use high quality bean or grind when making coffee of any method).
For the most flavorful coffee, use two tablespoons of grounds for six ounces of coffee. For four six-ounce cups of coffee, you will need eight level tablespoons of coffee. This may seem like a lot of coffee because most people don’t use enough grounds when making coffee. NOTE: Many people are afraid - when starting this method - of coffee being so strong it will make your "hair curl". The key is using exceptional grade and carefully craft roasted beans such as Annick's. See, our beans are slow roasted to result, then smoked and air cooled for the finest in "finish and smoothness" in the cup. You can actually have very strong coffee that is so tantalizingly flavorful, yet smooth; very smooth like "silk", not bitter. It's unbelievable; a whole new world of coffee. The flavor oils in coffee are experienced at their maximum when you perfect the French Press brewing method and are only experienced at their peak with perfect Annick's/European Roast coffee beans.
Add the coarse grounds to French press receptacle. By now, the water should be close to boiling. Remove the boiling water from the heat source. Wait a few seconds so that the water is just "off boil" in temperature. Coffee should be brewed at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pour the hot water over the coarse grounds. Stir the grounds into the hot water to make sure that the coffee is wetted. A chopstick or plastic spoon makes an excellent stirring device. Add a little bit more water, if desired, so that you have the amount of coffee desired.
Be sure not to fill the press with too much water; otherwise, plunging will cause the coffee to overflow the French press, resulting in a mess. Place the plunger on the top of the unit so that the temperature of the brewing coffee remains more constant.
Wait four minutes. Contemplate the wonderful coffee which will soon be ready for consumption.
Waiting less than four minutes will result in under extraction. Waiting more than four minutes will result in over extraction. Consistent grinding of the beans is necessary for the same results each time.
After four minutes, firmly and slowly push the plunger down through the brewed coffee, leaving the spent grounds below the plunger and the fresh-brewed coffee above the plunger. Don’t force the plunger, if it seems to be sticking. At the minimum, you may end up with a mess. At the maximum, you may burn yourself, break the unit, and end up with a mess. If the plunger seems to be stuck, stir the coffee again, and try to plunge again.
After plunging, pour the coffee into serving cups or mugs. If desired, pour the coffee into an insulated carafe. Leaving the coffee in the plunger with the grounds will result in over extraction.
The coffee is best consumed when warm to hot and within fifteen minutes. Drink with pleasure!
** Some years ago we recommended freezer storage for some people and we no longer recommend that. Some however still feel better about long term freezer storage (such as at a cabin) and if you still store this way, then scoop the coffee you're going to brew direct from the freezer, leaving the remainder in there. In other words, every bean should remain frozen (without any temperature changes) until it's ready to be immediately brewed. Condensation can occur immediately in frozen beans when they warm up even slightly and that can degrade them significantly, in a matter of minutes. In any case, beans stored in the freezer are always subject to condensation, which when this occurs, seriously affects the quality of the coffee. When storing in an airtight container at room temperature (preferred) be aware of proximity to heat sources or wide temperature changes. One example is a good coffee container that is placed next to the stove. The heating and cooling from cooking can affect the coffee even in the container if it's too close to the stove.
** (8 ounces being a standard "cup" in liquid measure). A "cup of coffee" is 6 ounces of water: an 8-cup brewer is 8 x 6 oz, (not 8 x 8 oz); a 10 cup brewer being 10 x 6 oz (not 10 x 8 oz), etc.