The Perfect Coffee 

If ever a case can be made for the virtues of simplicity it is in the act of brewing a good cup of coffee. In fact, it takes more effort, time, and, in the case of most home brewing machines, expense to make a bad cup of coffee. Good coffee is made by mixing freshly ground coffee with freshly boiled water which has just cooled to 195 degrees F. for no more than four minutes (o.k., five or maybe six minutes for very coarsely ground coffee); at this point the liquid (now coffee) and the coffee grounds must be separated. Issues of grind setting and the amount of coffee used are important out are chiefly matters of personal taste and the separation method used when brewing is completed. The things that can go wrong with brewing are basic and easy to avoid.

The simplest brewing methods are the best and they all start with boiling a freshly drawn kettle of water immediately before brewing. Then the pitfalls start and the following list covers the big ones:

1.TOO LITTLE COFFEE.
Four ounces of coffee per sixty-four ounces of water was once the food service standard in the U.S. before lower quality, stronger tasting, robust beans came into use (circa 1960). Currently, some office coffee suppliers put as little as 3/4 of one ounce of coffee in the portion packs they claim can be used to brew 64 ounces of coffee. It is perhaps one of the great injustices of life that the better and more expensive a coffee is, the stronger it should be brewed to be fully enjoyed.

2.THE WRONG (USUALLY TOO FINE) GRIND
Grind plays a role in concert with the amount of coffee used, and a simple one at that. Finer grinds extract more quickly than coarser grinds but they almost always increase brewing time by clogging whatever filtering system is in use. In espresso, a grind of perfectly calibrated fineness allows the brewing espresso to escape from the machine at just the right speed. In regular brewing systems, however, a fine grind raises a barrier to expeditious brewing and filtering, and it's usually not a challenge which betters the coffee. Again, rather than accepting the recommendations of anyone, the strength at which coffee is brewed is first and foremost a personal preference.

3.OVEREXTRACTION
Most home drip coffeemakers produce a full pot of coffee in ten or more minutes. It takes them this long because they start with cold water in their reservoirs and the amount of electricity coming out of a standard wall socket can't heat a pot full of water any faster. The problem is that by the time the brewing process is over, the grounds are grossly over-extracted, producing a bitter, woody tasting brew. An inelegant solution to this problem is to turn off your coffee maker after four or five minutes, remove the filter cone, dump the coffee and the filter, rinse the cone of any loose grounds, replace it in the brewer and turn the machine back on, allowing it to finish spurting the water through its heating element. This extra effort will produce noticeably better coffee. (Commercial drip or pour-over coffee makers do this automatically with a bypass or a shunt which directs the water around the grounds after a specified amount of time.)

4.THE "HOLDING" FACTOR.
Once brewed, coffee is a reacting amalgam of mineral salts, organic acids and sugars which are dissolved in the water. In addition, aromatic oils, which do not dissolve in water, are suspended in the hot coffee in microscopic droplets. This whole mixture is unstable and changes quickly, even under the best circumstances. For excellent coffee, the best approach is to brew only what you plan to pour when the brewing is done. Failing that, don't expect a cup poured fifteen minutes later to taste the same, no matter whether an insulated pot, or one with a calibrated thermostat is used (although either of these offers a better alternative than the more unusual standard hotplate).

5.BAD WATER.
If the water you use to make coffee tastes bad, coffee won't cover it up, you'll just get bad tasting coffee. The water you use should be sweet tasting and minerally balanced, not distilled. One of the best ways to brew coffee is with a plunger pot. Plunger pots are sometimes referred to as "french presses," or by one of their various brand names or by the French term for the coffee made in them, "caffe filter." These pots are tall, cylindrically shaped glass pots and come equipped with stainless steel and nylon filters which are the same diameter as the inside of the pot. These filters are attached at the center to a long metal rod which goes through the center of the pot's lid. When the lid is placed on the pot, the rod is pressed and the close-fitting filter is forced to the bottom of the pot. To brew caffe filter, the filter is pulled out and the lid is removed, the desired amount of freshly (and coarsely) ground coffee is added to the pot and boiling water is poured in. It is best to stir the coffee and water so as to disrupt any pockets of dry coffee which may hide in the bottom. After four minutes or so place the thoroughly cleaned lid/plunger on the pot and press the plunger down. The filter will slowly allow itself to be pressed to the bottom of the pot and thereby take all the coffee grounds with it. The resulting brew should be poured immediately so as to avoid letting the grounds overheat, thus making the coffee bitter. Plunger pots make coffee that is dense and murky. This is because their filters allow more dissolved oils and fine particulate matter to pass through. The resulting coffee is heavier in body and more complex in aroma and flavor.

Another good, easy way to make great coffee is with a kettle, a filter cone, matching paper filter and a pot, either plain glass or insulated. Of critical importance here is to use the largest filter cone so you can use a generous amount of coffee, and to pour the water through quickly rather than dribbling it through. If your grind is too fine it will clog the paper filter and extend the brewing time. Also, some plastic filter cones don't allow the coffee to pass through quickly enough. Feel free to enlarge the holes slightly in whatever safe and sensible manner you can devise. (Twelve-inch chef's knives and firearms of any caliber are NOT recommended.)

Some coffee experts claim that paper filters contribute undesirable tastes to the coffee. You might try pouring a little boiling water through the filter and cone first, throwing this rinse water away and then beginning the brewing process. Most people, however, do not notice when this is done, especially when the coffee is made strong enough so that it can be tasted. If you strongly object to paper filters you can seek out a permanent "gold filter." These filters use a fine-plated gold mesh which is made in the same way the foils for electric razors are produced. The metal mesh is mounted in plastic and these filters come in various shapes and sizes, allowing them to be used in most plastic filter cones.
Finally, you could just try "cowboy coffee." Put the desired amount of freshly ground, freshly roasted coffee in a tall pot. Pour freshly boiled water on top and let steep for two to three minutes. Stir the grounds which have formed a crust into the brew and after another minute skim the foam and any grounds from the top with a large spoon. Slowly and gently pour the coffee into cups or a thermos, being careful not to disturb the grounds. The coffee at the bottom, close to the grounds, will contribute to the dreaded over-extracted flavors you want to avoid. There is no filter here and the coffee tastes rich, clean and pure; the brew is just a little murky when compared to paper-filtered coffee, but a small price to pay for a great cup.
Sometimes the simple things are the best.