Coffee Lovers Guide

There are many factors that contribute to making a great cup of coffee. Here are a few reasons you may want to consider before brewing your next pot of coffee beans.

You may not realize this but the quality of water can affect your brew. The fresher and hotter it is, the better. The temperature of water should reach 203° F / 95° C, which is near boiling point. If water is allowed to stand for too long, it tastes stale. Mildew could form as well. If the utensil used to store water is not clean, it could have a bearing on your cup of coffee. So could water that has been insufficiently filtered.

Arabica coffee beans are the best choice for a good cup of java. The plantations are 3000 ft. above sea level and even higher. It doesn't matter if the beans are from Brazil, Bogota or the many other areas where green coffee beans are grown. What is important is your coffee beans should be freshly roasted. Whether you do it yourself or get it a few days after roasting, the aroma should have a satisfying freshness. Roasting the beans for too long can cause a burnt flavor!

Robusta coffee beans do not have as good of a flavor as Arabica does. These coffee beans have much more caffeine and are good for a quick energy boost in the morning. This type of coffee plant flourishes and is less apt to be ravaged by diseases. The beverage is fine for a quick energy booster, but it is not used in the making of espresso coffee. The latter is a coffee to be enjoyed at leisure, sip by tasty sip.

Roasting plays an important part in the satisfaction you'll get from a cup of coffee. The beans are roasted to a dark French or Italian color and ground not with blades but burrs. Blades tend to chop the beans. Burr grinders, on the other hand, with pyramidal teeth fixed on two plates, work efficiently. Closer plates yield finer particles. Sand-like granules are preferred over powder or small gravel-like granules. Once the beans have been fully ground place it into an airtight container.

Is My Favorite Coffee Bad For Me?

Is coffee by itself really bad for the heart? There still seems to be no consensus in the medical community about that. Moderation would be the key, out of consideration for your heart. How do you know the difference between a moderate amount of coffee and over doing it? Four to five cups of instant, percolated or drip coffee per day is a safe limit, any more would be pushing it. This is particularly the case if you have issues with high cholesterol or hypertension.

When cutting back on your caffeine intake, do it slowly. Try reducing your daily intake by one cup for a two or three weeks so your body won't react negatively to the drop in caffeine. Then reduce by another cup. Decreasing slowly will help you steer clear of any likely withdrawal effects. Another option would be to try switching to decaf coffee instead of regular slowly over time.