A great cup of coffee is the product of a very complex “Nature and Nurture” process. Nature’s role includes such determinants as species (arabica, robusta), botanical variety (Mocha, Typica, Bourbon, and Caturra – to name several), origin and growing conditions (altitude, soil conditions, weather).

Nurture’s role, on the other hand, includes such important variables as processing (wet-processed/washed or dry-processed/natural and variations of both main methods), roasting and brewing.

By the time you have purchased your coffee, a staggering array of variables has come into play to bring you a quality cup of coffee! No pressure. ..but the final result is ultimately going to be up to you. To assist you with this final stage (Brewing) – we’ve included a few tips on preparing great coffee at home.

Buy It Fresh In Whole Bean Form

Roasted, whole-bean coffee is good for about one week, while ground coffee begins to stale in as little as two hours after it’s ground. Whenever possible, do not buy pre-ground coffee. If you must, use it up as quickly as possible.

Storage

Store your beans in an air-tight container at room temperature. A dark cupboard (away from sunlight) is best! Please do not refrigerate (the coffee picks up odors from the fridge) and try not to freeze – beans contain moisture and freezing dehydrates them.

Grind Size

The rule of thumb is: The faster the brew cycle, the finer the grind. Use a fine grind (20-25 seconds in a blade grinder) for vacuum pots and one-cup cones, a drip grind (15 seconds) for most drip brewers and a course grind (10 seconds) for plunger pots.

Water Quality

Great Coffee deserves great water. Water is 98% of every cup. Use fresh water free from any “off” tastes and odors for brewing. If your water tastes peculiar (often well-water is highly mineralized) use a good water filter or buy bottled water. Avoid using distilled or softened water as it won’t properly extract flavor from the grounds.

Use the Right Amount of Coffee

Use a minimum of one standard coffee measure of grounds (2 tablespoons) for each six ounces of water poured through them. Keep the ratio the same regardless of how much coffee you’re brewing. Using too few grounds can actually make coffee tastes bitter due to over extraction. if you prefer your coffee a little weaker, add hot water to your cup after you’ve brewed it properly.

Brewing

Water used in brewing should be VERY HOT. The ideal temperature should be a minimum of 195 degrees. Water at this temperature extracts the oils and the aromatic flavors from the bean. The water should saturate the grounds thoroughly and the saturation process should take from 4 to 6 minutes. Saturation greater than 8 minutes will result in over-extraction and bitterness.

For great coffee at home, we suggest trying brewing methods such as a plunger or press pot (bodum) or boiling water in a kettle and brewing drip coffee using a filter cone set on top of a cup.

Fresh Brewed coffee should be served fresh. Enjoy your Bueno Bean Roasterie coffee within twenty minutes of brewing for optimum flavor.