Simple tips to make better coffee
You don't have to be a coffee snob to want to enjoy a bloody good coffee... but there's little point in ordering high-quality, specialty-grade go-go juice if you brew it in a way that makes it taste like brown water.
Fortunately, making a better coffee doesn't require getting nerdy with the details... you just need to be a bit deliberate in some parts of the brewing process.
Here are a couple of simple tips for making your brew even better:
1. Water temperature matters
The best way to manage water temperature when brewing coffee in the field is to get the water to a boil, leave it for 30 - 60 seconds and then begin brewing.
As a rule of thumb; the darker the roast, the cooler you want the water temperature. Water that's too hot / straight off the boil will extract too many bitter compounds from the coffee. Water that is too cool though, will result in a sour, under-extracted coffee.
2. Avoid steeping
If you’re using our Pre-Loaded Drip Filters, we generally don't encourage leaving the filter in the water to steep. The longer the drip filter is submersed in water, the more it will extract the coffee, which WILL give you a stronger-tasting brew but you’ll extract mostly bitter compounds.
3. Fresh is best
It’s not recommended to hoard the good stuff for too long. Using coffee beans that have been freshly roasted (between 2 - 6 weeks after roast) will give you the best tasting coffee possible.
If you have the means to do so, we recommend grinding your own coffee just prior to brewing for that premium coffee experience.
Our single-serve Pre-Loaded Drip Filters are generally good for up to 12 months from when we pack them. (With that said, we do have some customers still holding on to drip filters from 3 years ago - they'll still be tasty but a fresher coffee will be better!).
4. Experiment to find the best coffee for you
It's important to remember that not everybody will like a particular coffee and we all have different tastes.
Try different roasts to find out what you really enjoy. Experiment with different brewing recipes and methods - you’d be surprised how the same coffee can taste completely different by just changing the grind size, water temperature or a different brewing method.
Have questions about how to brew your coffee?
We're here to help!
We want you to have the best coffee possible on your adventures (or while stuck in the urban jungle), so feel free to contact us and we'll get you sorted.