Coffee Brewing

Coffee brewing, though overlooked by many, is key to a superior cup of coffee; for even the finest quality specialty coffee can be deleteriously altered at this stage if not brewed correctly. Subsequently Electric City Roasting has put together this outline of some of the basics procedural steps you should be aware of.

Steps to Brewing a Premium Cup of Specialty Coffee

1. Amount of Water to Use

   - A typical coffee preparation requires a ratio of ratio 1.0 - 1.5% coffee to 98.5 - 99% water.

2. Grinding the Coffee for Brewing

   - Coffee ought to be ground only before brewing for maximum freshness and flavor, and should be ground for the appropriate amount of time to prevent under- or over-extracting the flavor from the beans. Typically speaking, longer brewing times should be paired with larger particles and shorter brewing times with smaller particles.

3. Choosing a Brewing Method

   - There are numerous brewing methods at-home coffee drinkers may make use of. A few of the most common are the: French press, Percolation, and Drip Filtration. With each, the particle size from above needs to be considered, as does temperature.

4. Filter Selection

   (Other than French Press) - A well made filter ought to be used, though it should be stated that a non-filtered system such as a French Press will produce a coffee with the most defining characteristics the roaster intended it to have.

5. Time

   - Time is critical. The coffee ought not to be brewed too long or for too short an amount of time. This again depends on the methods chosen above (grind size and brew method), however some typical guidelines include: 3-4 min for French Press etc.

If you have a question about brewing specialty coffee, please contact our SCAA certified cupper, Mary Tellie, at the Electric City Roasting blog.