Coffee maker Jay Ruskey says it is best to aim for an extraction temperature somewhere between 90 and 96 degrees Celcius:
[imagesource:here]
What is coffee spelt backwards?
That’s right, eeffoc.
As in, I don’t give eeffoc about anything before I have my morning cuppa.
But it has to be good, or else a little caffeine-less tantrum might ensue, as I stare into the distance forlornly and neglect important things.
If you feel the same, there is some required reading about the coffee dos and don’ts that can really help you unleash your coffee’s full potential, courtesy of The Journal Times.
Just like a person with a sufficient amount of coffee in their system would say, let’s get started!
Do buy fresh coffee beans
Because fresher is better, coffee connoisseurs suggest buying whole coffee beans and grinding them immediately before brewing.
It is also recommended that you knock back enough to use all the beans within three to four weeks as the flavour will start to fade after that.
Not only is it a matter of taste, but fresh coffee beans are said to support brain health.
For that, you don’t really need to look any further than Terbodore’s coffee, where you can pick a flavour, be it single-origin or a blend, and make your grind option “beans”.
Don’t use boiling water
Coffee is sensitive, so you have to exercise temperature control.
Coffee maker Jay Ruskey says it is best to aim for an extraction temperature somewhere between 90 and 96 degrees Celcius:
“Invest in a good brewing machine with temperature control or a kettle with a thermostat,” he urges. “If your water’s too hot, it leaches out the coffee’s tannins [which makes the coffee taste bitter].
Too cool, and you’ll miss out on some of the delicious roasted sugars.”
If you find yourself needing to reheat your cuppa, you can, but it is not ideal.
Don’t store coffee in the freezer
Coffee has a few nemeses: oxygen, light, moisture, and heat.
But that doesn’t make a freezer the ideal storage place.
That’s because coffee beans are porous, so they can easily absorb moisture and smells from other foods.
Have you ever had banana flavoured coffee? Ja, no, it’s not good.
To preserve the shelf life of your coffee and ensure the freshest-tasting cup, it is recommended that you store beans in a sealed canister, jar, or container in a cabinet away from direct sunlight.
Luckily, Terbodore’s coffee bags have a built-in ziplock to keep the coffee fresh for longer, so all you need to do is close the bag up nicely and put it into your dark cupboard.
Do add a pinch of salt
When coffee tastes bitter, our go-to is sugar to balance it out.
But the experts say that adding a pinch of salt will do a much better job of neutralising the bitter chemical compounds:
Especially effective with dark roasts or Robusta coffee, simply add a pinch of salt to the grounds before brewing, or even to the cup itself, and see what a difference it can make.
Although, there is also the argument that if you are drinking carefully harvested coffee that aims to target the flavour profiles worth experiencing, then salt is a bit of a letdown.
This argument is definitely applicable when it comes to the extreme care that Terbodore’s farmers and the post-harvest team put into making every bag of beans a perfect symphony.
For example, their Burundi Rugembe Hill blend beans are specially sourced from Rugembe Hill, located about three kilometres from the Migoti washing station in Mutambu Commune, Burundi.
Since 2016, Migoti has worked with the surrounding community to restore the coffee production after years of neglect due to war and insecurity, planting tens of thousands of new trees in the past four years.
Coffee trees are owned by the local farmers, who maintain micro-plantations on their family land on the hills surrounding Migoti.
Migoti sources coffee cherries directly from over 700 coffee farmers, some of whom own as few as 25 trees or as many as 1 500 trees.
You can find blends from Burundi, Uganda, and other renowned coffee producing regions via their online shop.
Now just pay attention to some of the advice above and you’re well on your way to enjoying your coffee to the fullest.
[source:thejournaltimes]
[imagesource: Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn] A woman in Thailand, dubbed 'Am Cyanide' by Thai...
[imagesource:renemagritte.org] A René Magritte painting portraying an eerily lighted s...
[imagesource: Alison Botha] Gqeberha rape survivor Alison Botha, a beacon of resilience...
[imagesource:mcqp/facebook] Clutch your pearls for South Africa’s favourite LGBTQIA+ ce...
[imagesource:capetown.gov] The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee has approved the...