Brewing Tips

* Keep it fresh: coffee is at its peak 3-10 days after it is roasted.

* Only grind beans right before use: Once coffee is ground, it degrades rapidly. We suggest a Burr grinder as opposed to a Blade grinder (the burr grinder crushes the beans with a moving grinding wheel as opposed to chopping them with a blade  you are better able to control the fineness of the grinds and the burr grinder doesn’t heat up the way a blade can and scorch the beans).

* Water: for best results, use filtered water. Don’t use tap water that is over-chlorinated or the taste will pass on to the coffee.

* Cleanliness: Coffee contains oils and these oils that are left behind can grow rancid.

* Temperature and Time/Serve Promptly – Coffee’s ideal brewing temperature is between 199 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Good Measures: A good rule to observe is one tablespoon of coffee, properly ground, per 6 ounces of water.

* Storage: Keep your beans in an airtight container, out of the light in a dark cupboard in a temperature of 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

* To freeze or not to freeze: If you choose to freeze your beans, never do it for longer than one month. It’s actually the process of freezing and thawing, and freezing and thawing that can harm the quality and flavor notes of your beans. In the freezer store your beans in individual Ziploc Baggies, preferably in one-day to a maximum of one-week portions. This way no condensation or unpleasant frostbite will occur. So once you take them out of the icebox, do not put them back in.

Know your roast

* Light: Also known as the American roast, the beans are roasted to a light to medium brown color. This is used with many everyday coffees to produce a richer, even sweeter flavor that many prefer.

* City Roast: Also considered a Medium roast, the finished bean has a medium brown color with a slightly oily texture. This is a widely used roast to retain the original flavor character of the bean.

* Full City Roast: This roast produces a medium dark brown color with an oily texture to the finished bean. Sweetness and acidity wane, the brew becomes heartier in character, more chocolaty.

* Vienna Roast: Considered the first of the dark roasts and sometimes lumped in with French Roasts, the bean finishes with a dark brown, shiny color and oily texture. Often used for espresso coffee, the original flavor character of the bean is now surpassed by the flavor of the roasting process.

* French Roast: The heart of the dark roasts, the bean is very dark brown at finish. The brew has a smoky, burnt flavor, very low in acidity. This is perhaps the most popular roast for espresso makers.

* Italian Roast: Almost black in color, and a brittle texture to the finished bean. Little character of the original bean remains, so this roast, as well as other dark roasts, can mask inferior, low quality beans.

* Spanish Roast: Also known as Dark French or Neapolitan. These extremely dark beans are nearly black in color with a shiny oily appearance and boast a strong, charcoal flavor. Definitely an acquired taste.