Sunday 6 October 2013

Crimes Against Coffee

Its not easy to get a great tasting coffee
So whether you are at home or visiting a cafe, here are a selection of the top crimes that will ruin a great cup

1. Stale Coffee
Coffee tastes best within the first three months of its roast date.  Choose coffee that has been roasted within the last three months to taste the freshest and best flavours

2. Pre Ground Coffee
Buying pre-ground coffee, or buying coffee in a cafe where the coffee is not ground on site to order will also reduce the chance of getting to experience the best flavours

3. Not enough practise
There is no excuse for not practising on how you brew your favourite cup.
At home, you can call this experimenting.  Whether it's a piece of brewing kit or on an espresso machine.  Keep experimenting till you get the flavours you want in the cup.
In a cafe, you could call this training and defining their taste.  This comes from months of practise to get it correct so it is consistent.

4. Over extraction
Trying to get too much from the coffee often causes the coffee to taste flat, have a lack of body and or to be bitter.  This is caused by leaving the coffee in contact with the water for too long.  Its like leaving a cup of tea stewing too long.  It will go tar-y and bitter. 

5. Burnt Milk 
Considering over 70% of coffee's are served with milk (flat whites, cappuccino, latte) milk is one of the most important ingredients to get right.   Overheating milk (above 65 degrees celsius) will cause the natural sugars to loose their flavours and will significantly change the sensory experience.

For more tips and tricks on how to brew coffee at home visit our website http://www.coffeeculture.ie or tweet to @coffeeculture

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