Easy Gourmet Coffee

For many people, making coffee is one of the easiest things to do in the world. However, there is a world of difference between an average, everyday cup of Joe and something that can be truly called a gourmet coffee. Instead of spending up to $10.00 for a cup of gourmet coffee at places like Starbucks, learn how to do it yourself at home. It's not as hard as many would believe, and once you know what to do it will be the easiest thing in the world to turn out a cup of coffee that is the envy of your friends.

• Coffee. There is an old saying among computer programmers that says "garbage in, garbage out." Remarkably, coffee making is one of those areas that illustrate that the best. If you don't use quality beans as the basis for your coffee, then you will have a less than satisfactory experience. You don't need to go out and purchase the most expensive brand of blue mountain coffee that you can find, but spending an extra dollar to get Folgers instead of the local store brand is going to make a world of difference. After opening the coffee, to ensure the best possible results, store the beans in an airtight container in your fridge.
• Machines. To get the best possible coffee, you need to have a minimum of two machines: a grinder and a filter drip machine. These machines don't need to be expensive, but they do need to be good quality. To determine quality, keep in mind that the grinder should have variable settings (for flavor strength and brewing type); while the brewing machine should come with an intrinsic reusable filter. The filters on such machines should be made of nylon or gold mesh, for longevity and easy of cleaning.
• Water. Next to the beans, the water used in making your coffee is going to play the most important role. For the best tasting coffee, use cold filtered spring water instead of tap water. The spring water is typically filtered from any contaminants that can affect the taste and scent of the end result.
• Flavor. The more grinds that you use the stronger the coffee is going to be. A good rule of thumb to start with is four tablespoons of ground coffee for five cups of coffee. To increase the flavor, or strength, of the coffee add some more grinds. Since each type and brand of coffee used will provide different results, try a little experimentation to find the best flavor for you.
• Cleanliness. Periodic, regular cleaning is absolutely vital to produce outstanding coffee. The best thing to do is clean each machine that you use after each use. This prevents cross contamination between different types of coffee, and having old stale coffee grinds come into your newly brewed coffee.