How to Make Coffee That You Will Love

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Do you want to learn to make a great cup of coffee? Follow these simple steps and you're sure to find a pleasing result!

Invest in a quality coffee maker. You don't have to spend a fortune, but coffee makers are no different than any other expenditure...you get what you pay for.

Use only fresh ground coffee. This can be accomplished by grinding your coffee as you make it. Or, you can purchase some great, freshly roasted and ground coffee that will taste pretty darn good! This is an important step in how to brew coffee.

The water you use can affect the taste of your coffee. Do not use distilled water; instead use filtered water, spring water, or Artesian well water. Minerals are important for coffee flavor so reverse osmosis water, while filtered, will not give the best results.

Don't use fully boiling water. The ideal brewing temperature to extract coffee's best flavor is a few degrees below the boiling point.

When brewing coffee with a simple drip filter or French press coffee plunger pot, remove the boiling water from the heat and let it rest for a few seconds, until the turbulence dies down, before pouring.

Good automatic coffee machines include thermostats that regulate the water temperature.

Drink your lovely, freshly brewed perfect cup of coffee in a ceramic coffee cup or mug... you know, a REAL drinking vessel! I enjoy my coffee from a china cup and saucer on occasion. It does make a difference in the taste.

Experiment with different types of coffee including the lighter and darker roasts. There are some amazing flavors, scents and lingering tastes on the palette from the vast selection coffee beans and roasts.

One more piece of advice regarding your coffee maker, and that is to keep it clean. Having said that, though, I have a slightly different opinion than most in that regard. I don't scrub my carafe every day, and I don't clean my coffeepot every week.

Why? Well, I like the fact that it is well used and retains some of the 'scent' of previous pots of brewed coffee. So I choose to clean my coffee equipment regularly but not daily. To me, it tastes better that way.

You decide what works for you, but know that if you neglect the cleaning process completely, your coffee will begin to reflect that in it's taste.

Congratulations...you now know how to make coffee and are on the road to creating that Perfect Cup of Coffee!