How to make the perfect cup of coffee

There is no luck involved in making the perfect cup of coffee. Armed with the information on this page, you will be able to make great coffee every time.

Buy only fresh, top quality beans
Avoid the supermarket coffee and head straight to your specialty coffee shop. It's impossible to tell how long those beans at the supermarket have been sitting there growing stale from exposure to air, and at the specialty coffee shops, where they sell more coffee and have a greater turnover of stock, you can be more confident that the coffee will be fresher.

Don't buy too much coffee at one time
Coffee loses its flavour if not stored properly. If you drink only one cup a day, it's pointless to buy large amounts of it as it's just going to go stale.

Ensure your equipment is clean
Sediment and oils left in your equipment after use grow stale as they are exposed to air. This can produce an unpleasant, bitter taste in your coffee, make sure you clean your equipment after every use.

Use high quality water
When you consider that coffee is mostly water, it becomes perfectly obvious that the taste of the water will effect the taste of the coffee. If you're using tap water, then make sure it's of high quality, otherwise you might want to consider a filtration device. Make sure the water you use is cold.

Grind beans just before brewing
This will ensure maximum freshness

Choose the proper grind
Coarse: Used for percolators. This is the least popular grind used today.
Medium: Used for drip brewing methods.
Fine: Used for vacuum and Neapolitan flip methods.
Extra fine: Used by espresso machines.

Store your coffee in an airtight container on a shelf
Condensation in your refrigerator and exposure to air compromises the taste of your coffee. If you're storing coffee in your freezer, try to use it two to three months.

Measure!
Read the directions or ask your coffee specialist exactly how much coffee to use in relation to the amount of water.

Stir your coffee
This will ensure a more consistent taste as it disperses the coffee particles evenly around the cup.

Store any freshly made coffee in a thermos flask
This preserves the quality of your coffee.