If you know who my former employer is, then you know that I probably had a lot of coffee in my time with them. And I did. A lot. There were always coffee tastings taking place and you become very familiar with different brewing methods, coffee regions (Latin America, Africa, etc), and you take your tastings very seriously. It’s like wine tasting. You try to pick out different aromas and flavors because not all coffee is created equal believe it or not.
The one thing I found interesting was learning all the different ways to brew coffee. For most people it’s either a drip coffee pot or a Keurig. But there are french presses, coffee cones, espresso machines and more. I also learned that many people make some very common mistakes when brewing coffee. And most of the time people don’t even realize it until it’s too late and they’ve opened the bag and poured the beans into their brewer of choice.
Here are the most common mistakes I’ve found when it comes to brewing coffee.
Buying pre-ground beans // Did you know coffee beans start to lose their freshness immediately after you grind them? Do yourself a favor, spend the $15 on a coffee grinder and buy the whole beans, then grind the beans as close to brew time as possible for optimal freshness.
Boiling the water // Boiling water extracts the bitterness from the beans, making your coffee waaaayyyy too bitter. Your water should be between 195 and 205 degrees F for the perfect cup.
Storing beans in the freezer // This doesn’t keep the coffee fresher any longer than if you just left the bag on the counter. And actually because roasted coffee beans are porous, they can absorb the smells from the food in the fridge and freezer. Gross. No one wants their coffee having hints of other foods.
Using too much or too little water // This one is hard, especially if you aren’t measuring out your coffee and just “eye balling” it. The rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds to 6 oz of water.
Keeping an open package too long // Once you open your package of coffee beans, they only last about 1-2 weeks. Once you grind them, they last about 1 week.
Using the wrong grind for the brewing method // Did you know there are different grinds depending on they type of brewing method you’re using? Yep! For a traditional coffee pot you want a medium grind. For a french press you want a more coarse grind and for an espresso machine you want a fine grind. The grind makes a huge difference in how your coffee turns out so pay close attention to how much you grind your coffee.
[Tweet “Are you making any of these common mistakes when brewing your coffee?”]
A good cup of coffee is like a fine wine; to me the extra cost is worth it for the superior taste.
Have you made any of these common mistakes? I, for one, used to put my coffee in the freezer, thinking that it kept it fresh longer.
Have a great weekend love bugs!
Great advice – we are so bad and “brew” coffee either through the Keurig or Nespresso so I dont even know how to make real coffee lol! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
I’m guilty of keeping a bag opened for too long because I just don’t make it often. Boo acid reflux. This really makes me want a cup though!
Ok, but who’s bag of coffee lasts them more than a week? I think we go through at least one bag a week! Haha. But we’re big coffee drinkers and like it strong, too. (Not too strong – but none of that weak stuff!) I didn’t know about the beans being porous! Interesting. My mom freezes coffee, but like I said, we don’t keep ours around long enough to do it, so ours is always fresh. Thanks for all these tips lady! I’m totally guilty of buying pre-ground beans now that we have babies in the house. That grinder is LOUD. I know it taste better, but fresh ground doesn’t taste as good as sleeping children feel! Haha!
Oh my goodness, I used to put my coffee in the freezer until my husband (a coffee connoisseur) told me not to…
Thanks for the rest of these common mistakes for brewing coffee!
I’ve made every one of these mistakes except the one about boiling the water. I think I’ll have to settle for less-than-fresh coffee because I don’t go through it quickly enough! 🙂
Great tips there Tiffany. Before I knew much about coffee, I used to buy readily ground coffee thinking that I was saving myself time and the hassles of making the cup in the morning. You can imagine the quality that people get if that ground coffee has been in the shelf for 3 months or so, low quality.
Thanks for sharing such great info.
Cindy
I totally agree Cindy. My parents are like that; they wouldn’t know a good cup of coffee, haha!