Often we are asked what is the "best way" to brew coffee. Our answer is always the same, "The way you like it best." There is no right or wrong way to brew coffee only guidelines. Don’t let the coffee snobs tell you otherwise. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Coffee should be stored in an airtight container. Protect your precious beans from their #1 enemy, air.

2. If long-term storage is required put coffee in the freezer. You should still use airtight containers. The refrigerator has too much humidity. Let the coffee thaw out before grinding and brewing. Frozen beans are brittle and won’t grind up as evenly as when they are thawed. Also, frozen coffee grounds lower the brewing temperature.

3. Keep your equipment clean. The build up of coffee oils and mineral deposits will ruin the taste of your coffee, as well as damage your equipment.

4. Use quality beans that are fresh. Once roasted, coffee stales very quickly. Way too much coffee sold at premium prices is stale. You may ask, "How do I know if the beans that I’m buying are fresh?" Here’s our suggestion, ask your supplier when were these coffees roasted? If he/she can’t tell you when they were roasted, how can he/she know they’re fresh?

5. Use fresh, cold water. Coffee lovers should keep in mind that brewed coffee is about 98% water. Filtered or bottled drinking water is great because odors and chlorine are removed. Do NOT use distilled or softened water.

6. Grind your beans just before brewing. Coffee stales much faster when it is pre-ground.

7. Match the grind to the brewing method. In general, the longer water will be in contact with ground coffee during the brewing process, the coarser the grind should be. Getting the right grind takes a little experimentation but is well worth the effort. If your coffee is coming out flat and boring, then try using a finer grind. If your coffee is coming out sharp and bitter, then try using a coarser grind.

8. Grind evenly. Cheap grinders are notorious for uneven grinding. Uneven grinding causes some ground coffee particles to be too large and others too small. When this happens, the end result is a brew that is both over extracted and underdeveloped at the same time. Yuck! Treat yourself to a good grinder. If you can’t find one locally, give us a call.

9. Use about two level tablespoons of ground coffee per six ounces of water. This may seem like a lot, but if prepared properly most people will find this "brewing formula" will make an enjoyable full flavored cup without being overpowering.

10. Consider "oxygen bleached" filters. Oxygen bleached filters do not pose the environmental problems that chlorine bleached filters do and offer better cup quality than unbleached filters.

11. Keep the temperature of the brew water between 194 - 204 degrees F. This may be impossible to achieve with some automatic drip machines. If you boil your water, let it sit for half a minute or so, boiling water is too hot.

12. Never re-boil water.

13. Never re-heat coffee.

14. Store brewed coffee in a thermal carafe. Your coffee will remain fresh and tasty for 45 – 60 minutes. Coffee left exposed to air and left on burners deteriorates rapidly. To keep your coffee warmer, "prime" the carafe by warming its insides with hot water ahead of time. You can also use this method to warm up cold ceramic mugs.

15. Stir coffee before serving. This will even out the extraction for uniform flavor.

16. Take the time to enjoy! Good coffee is really about treating ourselves. Allow yourself the time too appreciate your carefully prepared coffee. YOU DESERVE IT!