How to make a great cup of joe

I love me some coffee and I've been around the block when it comes to making it. I make coffee nearly every day and probably consume too much of it. But I want to help you guys make the perfect cup too. I am willing to divulge my secrets for you. Anything to help you enjoy the joe.

Most coffee makers say 2 rounded tablespoons of coffee per six fluid ounces. How much is six fluid ounces?! First off six ounces is exactly 3/4 of a cup. Most of you will have a 3/4 measuring cup. If you don' then just eyeball it. Also, a rounded tablespoon should equate approximately to one of those little coffee spoons that comes with most coffee makers.

When making coffee for the first time you should set aside some time to find out how strong you like your coffee. Try out different ratios of water to coffee. Make six ounces for each ratio so you have just enough to taste. When you find the ratio you like make sure you write it down and keep it near your coffee maker the first few times you make coffee. This way you can remember what you did last time.

Coffee
Shade grown, organic, arabica beans are the best coffee to go for. Coffee was meant to grow in the shade on hillsides at fairly high elevation. However, coffee farms have been tearing down natural rainforest to grow coffee. Shade grown coffee helps keep the natural habitat and allows coffee to grow in its natural environment. This will produce a better, higher quality product that is easier on the ecosystem. Organic coffee uses no pesticides. Coffee has the highest amount of pesticides used on it. Can you imagine drinking that? So, buy organic. It's better for you and the environment. Arabica beans are highest quality bean. I don't know much about them except that it's the primo bean you're supposed to use.

As well you should use your coffee within two weeks of opening it, optimally. If you know of a place that roasts their coffee onsite like some coffee shops and Costco then you should get your coffee there. Green, unroasted coffee can stay fresh for up to a year whereas roasted coffee goes stale in two weeks.

Most coffee that people consume is stale. Buying in small amounts from a place thats roasts their coffee onsite and labels with the roasting date will help you buy the best. Also, if you can get it ground onsite then you can choose the right grind for your particular coffee brewing method. If you can grind them at home that's even better because you can  grind the beans as you want to use them. Grinding creates more surface area which makes them go stale faster. Grinding at home is a better way to go.

The summary: Buy shade grown, organic, arabica beans that have been roasted and ground onsite or at home. Use your coffee within two weeks of roasting. Grind at home if you can.

Brewing Methods
There are many ways to brew coffee. I have used a coffee maker and a french press. I like the french press much more than coffee maker coffee. I've become quite spoiled because of it. I'm going to go over the different types of coffee brewing methods so you can choose what's best for you.

Coffee Maker
These are easily obtained and often quite cheap. However there is some waste due to paper coffee filters. You should use finely ground coffee for this method.
The good:

• Cheap
• Easy to use
• Fast- 5 min
• Easy to clean
• Programmable
• Make large quantities

The bad:

• Hotplate can burn coffee
• Doesn't make quality coffee
• Produces waste from coffee filters

I would say that someone who doesn't have much time or lives in a dorm or similar arrangement would benefit from this type of brewing method. The only problem is that it just doesn't produce the highest quality coffee and it has paper waste.

If you are going to use this method make sure you buy unbleached coffee filter. The bleaching chemicals used are harmful to the environment. Another option is buying a permanent coffee filter. You just wash it out and put it back in. Some coffee makers do not come with one of these or are not compatible.

Percolater
I wanted to present this option just for the curious. I don't have personal experience with this but I hear it makes a wicked strong cup of coffee. However it is not a good way to make coffee everyday. This method is great for camping because you put the thing straight on the fire. But coffee normally should not be made using boiling water because it scalds the coffee. You should use the coarse ground coffee.

This makes coffee in a very interesting way. It looks like a giant kettle. At the top there is a basket which you fill with grounds. The water sits at the bottom and when it boils it flows through a tube. The tube goes all the way to the top and pours out over the grounds. The coffee-water then falls back to the bottom where it boils again, goes up to the top, falls back down. This is why it makes such a strong cup of coffee. They say this coffee is black as tar and fixes leaks just as well.
The good:

• Easy
• Fast- 5 min
• Good for camping
• No paper waste
• Make large quantities

The bad:

• Tastes like crap, seriously

So basically you should use it for camping and that's it. I'll give you an alternative to this for camping in the next section.

The French Press
Don't get turned off because it sounds snooty. It takes a little more love and time but I think it is the best tasting coffee I've ever made. You will need to use coarse ground coffee. The french press is basically a cylindrical beaker. You put the coffee grounds at the bottom and pour in water that is just off the boil, but not boiling. You let it steep for 5-10 minutes and then you put the lid on. The lid has a plunger that moves all the coffee grounds to the bottom so you can pour out the coffee.
The good:

• Tastes amazing
• No paper waste
• Very portable

The bad:

• Requires more time- 5 min for water to boil, 5 min to steep
• A little harder to clean
• Most make 2-3 cups

This is really the best tasting coffee ever. If you put in the love, you get it all back. I like this method and use it because I am more active in the process. It really is worth it. All of the pieces of a french press are dishwasher safe and they screw apart for cleaning.

Summary: Coffeemakers are good for saving time. Percolators are good for camping. French presses are good for making an amazing cup of coffee.