It turns out a lot!
I know a whole about coffee, but there’s some people that know a whole lot more than me. I decided to email some of them and ask them for the best tips about coffee that they would be willing to share. What they responded with is thought provoking and in a couple of cases something that I would’ve never thought about. Enjoy:
Next time you go to put cream and sugar in your coffee stop for 30 seconds. Smell it, slurp it and describe it. You will be amazed at what these 30 seconds do to revolutionize your coffee drinking experience. This will help you in selecting coffee that you are actually enjoying based on the quality and flavor of the coffee itself. There is an amazing world of flavor that you are depriving yourself of by adding to something that has no need of addition. Unless of course you are adding it because it is a bad coffee but then again if that’s the case you have to ask yourself, do I want to drink good coffee or brown sugar water?
— Jason from Coffee Cup News
Say ‘No’ to stale coffee! Always use fresh roasted, whole bean coffee. The coffee bean is its own container, protecting the delicate flavor packed oils safely inside. Once the bean is ground, these oils are exposed to Oxygen, which immediately begins to work to stale the coffee and make the oils rancid. Using whole bean coffee and grinding just prior to brewing will ensure a more enjoyable coffee experience.
— Nate from Coffee Nate
I encourage all coffee fans to investigate how easy it is to home roast coffee. Not only will your coffee be extremely fresh, but you’ll learn to bring out the attributes of coffee you really enjoy by varying roast levels and blending. And if that isn’t enough, you’ll also save money. In addition to INeedCoffee, there are many other online resources to help you get started home roasting. Even though I’ve been roasting for 12 years now, my only regret is I didn’t start sooner.
— MAS from I Need Coffee
Most people don’t really think about how drastically the flavor of a coffee changes as it cools off. The truth is though, a cool coffee will have a flavor profile where you will be much more able to detect the very slight nuances of the coffee. To really experience coffee and have your own mini-tasting, make a french press of one or two coffees from different growing regions, and don’t make a final decision about how you like the coffee until you’ve slurped it a couple of times at a cool temperature. Try the coffee at a hotter profile (though not too hot) and compare again at nearly room temperature! Grind, Brew, Share and Enjoy!
— Melody from Starbucks Melody
Coffee is more than merely a stimulant and should be treated as such to truly experience all it has to offer. You’ll get much greater enjoyment from your cup if you handle what’s in it as you would a fine wine or cheese with an expiration date. Coffee should inspire you, not just caffeinate you.
— Brian from Dear Coffee, I Love You.
Now I want to hear from you, what other coffees tips would you add?
Thanks to all the bloggers for taking time out of their busy days to share some of their knowledge with me.
Photo by victor_nuno.
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{ 25 comments }
Fresh roasted coffee canbe too fresh. Always allow to rest for a minimum of 48 hours before grinding and extracting, then try and consume with 4 to 8 weeks after roasting.
Good point, I agree with the 48 hours rest period, but 4-8 weeks is a bit long. I advise to use the coffee within 3 weeks, with up to 18 days as being optimal. It also depends on the particular coffee being used.
.-= Nate´s last blog ..BUNN Trifecta Coffee Brewer Video Demo =-.
I agree with Nate, 2-3 weeks is the max life for fresh roasted coffee, after that it gets stale really quick.
Also, letting fresh roasted beans off-gas for 48 hours is a little longer than necessary. 18-24 hours after roasting is when coffee is considered to be at its peak aroma and flavor, so don’t wait too long and miss out on the sweet spot!
–
And definitely thanks for getting in touch Mike. Soon enough we’ll have to have our own “Coffee Blogger Conference”
.-= BWJ´s last blog ..Multiplied Moka =-.
I think 2 to 3 weeks is probably right especially if you are talking espresso blends which tend to get great at about the 2 week mark. If you study the barista championships checkout how old the beans are. It usually is in the 2 week range. Regarding the off-gassing, the length of time, in my experience, depends on several variables the most important of which is roast level. The darker the roast the less time you need for off-gassing. The lighter the roast needs substantially more time. It also varies greatly bean to bean.
I’ve seen recent interviews with semi-finalist baristas at the USBC and the general consensus was between 3-8 days is the sweet spot. Of course there are many variables which you have mentioned, we all argue about what the ideal amount of age is, but what really matters is the taste in the cup. It’s fun to experiment and see how the flavor of the bean evolves as the days go by. I read an interview with Lem Butler, Counter Culture Coffee, where he said that longer roasts (darker) build up more gas within the bean and need greater degassing time (8 days-ish). He also said that gas from the beans when brewed espresso style will cause bubbles to form in the crema, and that’s no good.
.-= Nate´s last blog ..BUNN Trifecta Coffee Brewer Video Demo =-.
I like the idea for a Coffee Blogging Conference!
I like the idea of a coffee bloggers conference also… Or a roadtrip!
.-= Paul Ballardin´s last blog ..Cyclists, Cafes, Coffee and Conflict =-.
Thank you for calling on me to share a tip with your readers! All of the tips were excellent. I have learned so much about coffee over the last year, but I have SOOO much more to learn! I never knew how deep the wormhole went until I jumped inside, and I’m still falling
I used to enjoy bad coffee, now I have a passion for a quality coffee experience. Keep up the good work Mike!
.-= Nate´s last blog ..BUNN Trifecta Coffee Brewer Video Demo =-.
Thanks for answering the call! You guys really made this a great post!
That’s a very good point Paul – I too have heard that extremely freshly roasted coffee can’t be consumed right away. However, if you get a bag of coffee that was just roasted within the past two weeks, it’ll be amazing.
.-= Melody´s last blog ..Once again exploring the snack aisle: Lucy’s Cinnamon Thin cookies (@Lucys_Tweets) =-.
Mike – Thank you too! I saw Nate’s comment and felt like a slacker!!!! Yes I appreciate what you do with this blog, and I’m flattered you got in touch with me for this blog post.
.-= Melody´s last blog ..Once again exploring the snack aisle: Lucy’s Cinnamon Thin cookies (@Lucys_Tweets) =-.
LOL, the real thanks go out to you guys!
I think I’ve got into the habit of just making the coffee and throwing the milk in it, I’ll have to take the time from now on to taste the coffee without diluting it with milk or cream to get the full taste of the bean
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Shock Of Vandalism And The Police Involved! =-.
Taste some good coffee without cream and you’ll never go back!
Good coffee shouldnt need cream and sugar. whats with the cream thing anyway? If you asked for cream with your coffee here in aus, the barista would just give you a funny look.
.-= Paul Ballardin´s last blog ..World Exclusive – Saeco Rebranded Now Philips Saeco =-.
Here too many of the places will look at your funny if you don’t want cream and sugar. Luckily, there’s more and more places that do understand.
As always, great information! Thanks for sharing.
.-= Dottie´s last blog ..Chai, Chai, Chai! =-.
And thank you for stopping by.
I keep learning! Thanks!
Your welcome, hopefully I’ve helped some.
This was a very good post and I liked reading the comments too. This past weekend we learned about letting some coffee sit and cool and then tasting it to pick out flavors. We also learned about how good a fresh roasted coffee can taste. We’ll keep brewing and drinking coffee and learning from people who know a lot more about coffee than we do.
As far as the coffee bloggers convention, can somebody say “road trip?!”
Thanks Mike for bringing these people together to share their insights with us.
Road trip sounds great me!
I just heard recently that adding cream to your coffee actually makes it much harder for your stomach to process. Pure black coffee is actually easier to deal with and less likely to give you ‘coffee rot’. Anyone else read about this?
Mike you rock! Keep up the good work bro.
Thanks for sharing the tip and for stopping this afternoon!
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