Nectar of Life

>> Monday, July 27, 2009

Many people love coffee and have their own special way they like it! I have found that to make a really good cup of coffee it is important to have FRESH roasted beans. If you live in an area that does not have coffee roasters that roast coffee daily try to find a place online that will ship to you freshly roasted beans. I live in Salem, Oregon and we have many, many coffee roasters in town. I know, I'm very lucky! I have found coffee you buy in a grocery store is less than fresh. If you purchase fresh roasted beans they can be kept for a week or two, but as more time goes by it will affect your cup of coffee.

Purchase whole beans and grind them yourself daily. This really helps to preserve their freshness. The added bonus is the aroma of the beans grinding is amazing. It will fill your kitchen with the best perfume! Don't grind a week worth at one time ... keeping the beans whole it truly will help preserve freshness. If your just getting started purchase a simple inexpensive grinder - one that does one pot at a time is fine. It should be around $20.00 or so. This is a good place to start. As you find out what you really like, you will move up to better equipment eventually.

If you are using a drip coffee maker, grind your beans to a medium grind (not too fine). If you are using a French press like shown above a larger medium grind is best. When I'm using my French press I allow the coffee to steep for 4 minutes before I press the coffee. It is such a wonderful treat to yourself to prepare your own carafe of coffee.

How do I like my beans roasted? Costa Rican beans French roast is my favorite. It has the darkest most rich flavor that I've found. Buy beans that are shiny and have a fragrance that makes you smile and say MMMmmmm that smells so good! French roast beans that are dull are old and stale and should be avoided. How much do I use? For a 10-12 cup pot of coffee I use a full cup beans.

You must drink your coffee while it is fresh in the pot. It can be left in the pot for approx. 1 hour. If you are not going to drink all the coffee before that 1 hour, turn it off and microwave a cup later or use a thermos type container. This is less ideal, but it is still good.

I'll talk more about coffee another time, but this is a great place to start. I would love to answer any of your questions or to hear your comments about your favorite coffee. - Cindy

0 comments:

About

My photo
Salem, Oregon, United States
You might wonder about my business name - I've always wanted to be the Queen, so now I am the Queen of my own domain! I'm a wife, mom with 2 grown children, and one wonderful daughter-in-law. I'm also a small business owner, cook and baker who is always looking to improve her skills. My goal is to bring you the very best in goodies, ideas, how-to, so that you can bring them to your own family. I will be launching a website soon where you will be able to shop for my goodies.
hit counter

  © Blogger templates Inspiration by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP