Upping Your Coffee Game to Level Awesome

I lie there motionless, still slightly in a fog I slowly open my eyes. So badly I want to rollover and go back to sleep, but there is something there that urges me foreword. Like a siren drawing the unsuspecting sailor from the safety of his ship, it calls to me. I know I'll be warmer here in bed. I know that once I'm up thats it. I can't come back to this place for at least another 16 hours, but the siren sings louder. That siren is the smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. Like a shark smells blood in the water, I'm telling you I could smell that aroma from a mile off.

That may seem a bit intense to you. Like perhaps its a bit of an exaggeration. But I assure you my friends the struggle is real!!

I feel like as far as coffee is concerned there are coffee drinkers, coffee people, and coffee snobs. Coffee drinkers are those who like a cup to to get going in the morning, its part of routine for them. Not very picky, some of them even tolerate instant. She says as she shudders at the thought. Coffee people usually have some preference as to brand or roast. They are acquainted with the ordering process at Starschmucks...I mean Starbucks. And are most likely drinking more than one cup a day. Then there are coffee snobs. You may recognize us by our upturned noses. We support and prefer local coffee shops. We not only have a specific brand we prefer, but we prefer a certain brewing process and particular growing region. We silently judge you when we hear you try and be serious about Maxwell House. It isn't right, but its the facts.

I confess to you that I am a coffee snob, of the highest order. So much so in fact that I made it my job. I own a coffee and dessert catering company, Pour and Kneady Espresso Catering. I can't bear the thought of you going another day drinking subpar coffee, so I have a few simple tips here to improve your coffee game. As an connoisseur, an addict, a professional I beseech and implore thee, stop brewing blah coffee!

BEANS
As my girl, Julie Andrews, would say; Lets start at the very beginning. (crap, now that's going to be stuck in my head all day) Start with the freshest beans you can get! The bean comes from a cherry and so just like any other fruit the fresher the better! Now that you have fresh beans, you are going to want to take great care in how you store them. Keep them in an air tight container in a cool, dark, dry place. If you do not have a grinder and will be getting your coffee ground ahead of time, this part is imperative. DO NOT STORE YOUR GROUND COFFEE IN THE FREEZER!! Coffee breaks down quickly when exposed to light, extreme temperatures and oxygen. 
WATER
Unless you have a filtration system, stop using your tap water to do the brew. Iron, sulfur and other things in your water can greatly affect the taste of your coffee. Use cold, purified, bottled water. 
MEASURING
The proper amount of grinds per 6oz. of water is 2 tablespoons. Use measuring cups and spoons to make sure you are getting a precise measurement. Too few grinds can leave you with a bitter cup of joe. And only brew what you'll be able to drink now. Every time you heat up coffee, or just leave it out for that matter, it will affect the very volatile flavors and aromas of your brew. 

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. Iceberg...ice...iced coffee, we'll get to that another time. But if you begin to implement these things in your home brewing process, I assure you your coffee snob friends will thank you, your taste buds will thank you. And remember KEEP CALM and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COFFEE SHOP! (shout out to our friends and roasters at Pike Creek Coffee) 

This is my Mara Mug. It fits 16oz of coffee, is hand made in Mexico and no two are alike. If you are going to make a quality brew, I highly recommend drinking it out of a quality mug.