Preparation

BREWING (this process produces a concentrate which gets diluted with water upon serving)

• Always use the freshest coffee possible. As coffee ages, depth diminishes. To get the most from your brew, use coffee that’s been roasted within one week. • Grind coffee on a Medium setting (not fine, yet not course).

This method produces stronger, heavier bodied (often syrupy) cup compared to most other methods aside from espresso.

Items Required

• grinder
• timer
• measuring spoon
• boiling water
• press pot
• decanter (if brew is not entirely emptied from press pot when finished)

Grind Setting

This is the most common way Americans brew coffee at home on daily basis due to ease and convenience.  The brew generally is lighter in body and complexity than French Press, however cleaner (no sediment).

Items Required

• grinder
• measuring spoon
• auto-drip brewer
• correct size paper filter (a "gold" filter can be used if it fits into brewers filter basket properly)

Grind Setting

Water accounts for 98% of a cup of coffee.  It's critically important to use only fresh, filtered or spring water for brewing.  Distilled water is not a good choice due to the lack of beneficial elements.

This is perhaps the fastest and most efficient method of brewing coffee, producing a cup somewhere between French press and Auto-drip.  If you use a "gold" filter, the brew will have a presence similar to the French Press and if you use a paper filter, it will resemble auto-drip coffee. This method is also known as Melitta.
  
Items required

When you make coffee, you should drink it as soon as possible.  Leaving coffee in a French press or sitting on an auto drip warmer will quickly degrade the quality and should always be avoided.  If you must store coffee for a brief period before drinking it (like you're having a dinner party) you can store or "decant" the coffee to maintain its temperature. 

Grinding is perhaps the most important step in the brewing process.  The only way to enjoy a coffee brewed to it's fullest potential is to ensure that the grinder produces consistent particle sizes.  Grinding should be completed seconds before brewing.  Coffee begins to stale very fast from the moment it is ground.  If you grind coffee at the market, using the bulk unit, brew it as soon as possible.  If you grind coffee and brew it 24 hours later, expect approximately HALF of the flavor fresh ground coffee produces.

Thanks to the availability of high quality coffees from origins around the world and terrific roasters, we are able to pick and choose coffees that satisfy the most picky of palates.  Consider how and when you drink coffee to select one that meets your needs by origin, acidity, flavor, and degree of roast.

If you buy fresh coffee from a reputable roaster (less than 7 days from roast date) which is packaged in something other than a sealed can, store the beans in an air tight container in a cool, dry place and brew within 10 days from roast date for best flavor.  If the coffee is a dark roast, 10 days may be too long to capture the best flavors.  If the coffee is sealed in a can within 20 minutes after roasting, the beans will maintain integrity for several months if not exposed to heat.  Our can coffee is sealed within minutes out of the roaster.

The preparation of brewed coffee is equally as important as growing, harvesting, processing, and roasting.