To roast fine coffee well, it takes years of experience. Roast too dark and your coffee turns bitter. Roast too light and the full flavor of the beans aren’t unlocked. Sounds like a catch-22, but we found a loophole. We call it smooth roasting. Ask our roasters exactly how they do it and the answer can get pretty complicated, pretty fast. They adjust their technique slightly for each blend, getting the most out of the beans to create coffees that are full-flavored, yet Uncommonly Smooth™ and well balanced. Let’s just call it our secret and agree that enjoying good coffee doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to be good.

It’s now easier than ever to brew our Uncommonly Smooth™ coffee in the comfort of your own home. We’re here to assist you—and impart our knowledge. Below are some of our general recommendations for making a delightfully flavorful cup of coffee. They are simply starting points, so have fun and experiment with them to come up with the combination that best meets your taste preferences.

Storage
To preserve the flavor of your coffee beans, they should be protected from moisture, light and above all, air. That’s why we always package our beans, warm from the roaster, in our special Flavor-Lock™ valve bags.

To ensure you experience all the unique flavors of our coffees, always keep your coffee in an airtight, opaque container and store in a cool, dark place between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coffee will remain fresh in our valve bags for up to 14 months if unopened. If you purchase larger quantities of coffee and have opened the valve bag, store the remaining beans in several small airtight containers to help ensure freshness.

Water
Just as inferior beans can affect the taste of your coffee, so can poor quality water. Always use fresh water. If your tap water tastes fine to drink, it should be fine for making fresh coffee; however, if you notice any traces of chlorine, iron, or other peculiar tastes, use quality bottled or filtered water instead.

Grind
Prior to grinding, make sure your coffee beans are specifically ground for your chosen brewing method. The wrong grind can quickly destroy the flavor of the very best gourmet beans. If the grind is too fine, the coffee will be bitter and over-extracted. If the grind is too coarse, the coffee will taste weak and sour.

Some of our recommendations for achieving a perfect grind using a top-loading blade grinder are listed below:

Coffee press – Coarse grind – 15 seconds
Drip brewing – Medium grind – between 20 and 25 seconds
Espresso – Fine grind – 25 seconds

Proportion
Making great coffee is a balancing act. The wrong proportion of coffee beans to water can have the same negative effect on the taste of coffee as using an improper grind. Use fewer grounds and your coffee will be weaker; add more grounds and it will be stronger.

For our coffee, we’ve found that the best water to coffee ratio is one rounded tablespoon of coffee for every six fluid ounces of water.

Temperature
When it comes to brewing, water temperature is all-important, as it helps determine which coffee flavors end up in your cup. The ideal water temperature for all brewing methods (except espresso) is “water just off the boil” (195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit). Bring water to a boil and let it cool a few seconds. Water cooler than that will not capture the full flavor of the beans. Also, never boil or reheat coffee—it literally boils away flavor. Use a thermal carafe instead; it will keep coffee hot up to two hours without losing any of its flavor.

This section describes some of the different methods for making your coffee at home. Most of the brewing items and supplies described are available for purchase at our retail locations.

If you have any suggestions or comments about how you make your best cup of coffee, we’d love to hear them. Send us a message using our online comment form.

Manual drip brewing

The Melitta manual drip brewing process produces consistently superior coffee. The extraction method is quick and the true coffee flavors are brought to perfection. With this type of brewing, you can use either paper filters (oxygen-bleached are best) or reusable gold filters.

Directions

• Put one rounded tablespoon of coffee in the filter for each six-ounce cup and place it on top of an insulated coffee carafe.
• Moisten the grounds with a little water (just off the boil), making sure they are evenly damp. Wait five seconds and add the rest of hot water, allowing it to fill to the top. (Note: For best flavor, let the grounds completely coat the sides of the filter, not settle into the middle.)
• Remove the filter, stir your coffee and enjoy!

Auto drip

There are two types of auto drip machines available: the cone-shaped filter and the flat-bottom filter design. Both brewing methods are easy, and may include extras such as automatic timer, thermal carafe, etc. The cone-shaped filter calls for a finer grind and delivers slightly stronger flavor and better body than the flat-bottom design.

• If you’re using a cone filter, your grind should be fine (Approximately 18–23 seconds in a blade grinder).
• If you’re using a flat-bottom filter, your grind should be medium. (Approximately 10–15 seconds in a blade grinder until the coffee has the texture of coarse sand.)

Directions

• Fill the coffee maker with cold water.
• Place the filter into the basket; add one rounded tablespoon of coffee for each six-fluid-ounce cup.
• Place coffee and filter into the holder, close the lid, and turn on.

Coffee press

This popular method uses a cylindrical glass carafe and a stainless steel mesh filter to separate the coffee grounds from the water. A coffee press is excellent for highlighting darker roasts and blends. This method brews cooler, so be sure to preheat your plunger pot first with hot water. A coffee press is also a great way to prepare and serve loose tea.

Grind: Coarse. (Approximately 5–10 seconds in a blade grinder.)

Directions

• Preheat pot and plunger with hot water.
• Add one tablespoon coffee for each six-ounce cup into the glass cylinder.
• Pour in water just off the boil and stir the grounds.
• Set the plunger on top of the cylinder (don’t press down on the plunger yet!) and steep four minutes.
• Press the plunger down slowly. (Note: If the plunger does not press down easily, try a slightly coarser grind.)
• Allow sediment to settle for 30 seconds before pouring.

Toddy® Cold Brew

The Toddy® cold-brew process dramatically reduces acidity, producing a smooth, rich concentrate that highlights coffee’s natural sweetness and flavor. Enjoy deliciously different coffee in three easy steps.

Grind: Coarse. (Approximately 5–10 seconds in a blade grinder.)

Directions

• Add one cup of water into the bottom of the Toddy brewing container. Then, add half-pound coarsely ground coffee. When pouring the water over the grounds, the water should be added gently, in a circular motion, to make sure all the grounds get wet and there are no dry pockets.
• Slowly pour four cups of water over the grounds, then add the remaining half pound ground coffee. Slowly pour three additional cups of water over the grounds.
• Wait five minutes and slowly add one cup of water.
• DO NOT STIR. Lightly tap the topmost grounds with the back of a spoon to ensure all grounds get wet. Allow to cold brew for 12 hours, and then drain into the glass decanter.