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How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Coffee

I don't want to be controversial - This is about my experience

Step Summary

  1. Buy Fresh Green Coffee Beans And Home Roast
  2. Buy Freshly Roasted Coffee
  3. Grind At Home - Ideally Burr Grinder
  4. Use French Press/Cafetiere For Fuller Flavour
  5. Brew For About 10 Minutes
  6. Press and Pour
  7. Enjoy

Jump To Detailed Coffee Brewing Information

I Never Had The Best Start In Life

Remember, I'm talking about coffee. Caffeine3 as a stimulant wasn't "a thing" when I was growing up so I'd just like to say that I was never exposed to "good" coffee so I managed to avoid childhood insomnia. Even from an early age I would prefer a sweet milky coffee to a glass of water, pop or juice. Thinking back, I didn't need it to be sweet; it's just the stuff we called coffee was rather dark and bitter.

Blended "Coffee"

I don't know if it was post-war rationing or a complete lack of taste on my mam's part (mother or mum if you're not from the North East) but what we had was a coffee and chicory1 blend. I remember adding a pinch of salt too as it helped improve the "flavour" and that's what I got used to until I left school and started work.

Coffee - My University Education

My very first paid, full-time job was in the eighties at Durham University as a trainee technician. It wasn't permanent - just a sort of apprenticeship. I took it seriously and worked hard within the zoology department. The working environment was a complete education compared to school and one of the perks I slowly got used to was "filter coffee"; a block of Rombouts, I think.

Cup Of Joe2

It took a while, for me to drink coffee without sugar. Actually, we'd run out. I needed to buy some next time I ran an errand - one of the drawbacks of being the most junior. I had to make do with black sugarless coffee. It wasn't great but the bitterness was different to how I'd remembered coffee. After that, I found my regular "cuppa" too sweet and I eventually removed the sugar altogether. It was several years before the milk went too. So now I enjoy a nice cup of Joe to use an American expression.

MAKING THINGS THAT WORK PROPERLY

Finding Out How Things Function

Coffee can be grown all over the world but just like grapes and wine there are certain places and certain processes that come together to make the best drink.

Body, Coffee And Sleep

I used to drink coffee "fully leaded" while my wife has always preferred instant "decaff" coffee. We love the Lake District and would stay over there with the kids quite often. I always found myself exhausted for the first few nights, often falling asleep in the early evening. It was years before I realised she only ever brought decaff for convenience. My body had adjusted to the regular caffeine I consumed daily.

Two Weeks of Headaches

I stopped drinking coffee and suffered headaches for about a fortnight off-and-on until I had adjusted to being caffeine free.

Can't Live Without My Guilty Pleasure

I stopped drinking proper coffee for a good few months. It has always been one of my guilty pleasures so I finally reintroduced the good stuff back into my daily routine and that's when I discovered the perfect cup!

Just One Perfect Cup - Ongoing Research

I now limit myself to just one cup of perfect coffee per day. And that has been the start of an ongoing love affair with the variety of coffees and roast profiles. I try to bring out the maximum flavour in the cup. I'm not a sommelier of coffee and don't pretend to be a barista so my experience may not match yours. Half of the pleasure of coffee is the aroma and the other, the rich flavour profile consumed at the perfect temperature (about 70 to 80℃ for me).

Perfection - Some Contributing Factors

Brewing With Science & Chemistry

Freshness - Coffee beans age with time4, oxidise and change flavour. I like to start with green coffee beans and home roast maybe once a week. They're ok to keep in a freezer and just take out what you need then let it thaw before roasting. You can use a popcorn popper, heat gun, or even a mesh bag in the oven with enough care. Roasting produces an awful lot of chaff and smoke so it's best done outdoors.

If I buy a commercial roast then I look for a whole bean coffee and check for a "Roasted On" rather than "Sell By" date. I'll probably go through 25g per day so I'll look for a coffee that's been roasted within the last 7 days and buy just enough to consume within about a fortnight to enjoy it at its best.

Freshly Ground Coffee - I used to buy filter coffee from the supermarkets and I'll be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. I now grind my coffee at home, immediately before use, and that has given the single most dramatic improvement to my enjoyment of this delectable brew.

Grind Size and Aroma - I use a manual burr grinder rather than an electric blade grinder.It takes longer to grind and a bit of effort but I enjoy the morning ritual. A burr grinder is like a really tough pepper mill. You can set the opening to produce a consistent grind that can be dialled-in from very fine to coarse. For most of my coffee I use a medium-coarse grind.The coffee passes through the grinder as it's crushed so size of grounds tend to be more uniform. That way the coffee is not over extracted and ash-tasting nor do I get too many fines in the cup. If using a V60 or paper filter then I'll grind a bit finer. I have a blade grinder but they don't stop grinding until you stop the machine so results are more variable.

Extraction Method & Brewing Time - For me, there are 2 coffee extraction processes I use:

  1. Cafetiere or French Press

    The ground coffee is immersed in near boiling water for about 10 minutes before inserting the mesh screen and tipping into a cup. I find this better for lighter roasted coffees as it helps release more of the acidic notes and oils of the coffee

  2. V60 Pour Over Paper Filter

    Ground coffee is placed into a pre-washed paper filter a near boiling water is poured over from a gooseneck kettle to release the flavour. I feel some of the flavour is lost so I tend to use it for the very dark roasts to help reduce bitterness. Extraction time varies with particle size of the coffee and fineness of the filter paper. I aim for about 5 minutes or so total extraction