Grounded Coffee Company

Coffee 101

Coffee is a beverage that can be brewed to suit individual tastes. The many single origin and blended coffees available can be brewed in a wide selection of different coffee makers, or by various special brewing methods, making it possible to provide a brew to suit everyone. However, regardless of brewing method, there are some factors that are absolutely crucial in brewing a great tasting cup of coffee.

The Water
Water is added to roasted, ground coffee to extract the particle contents and make the brew. A common mistake is to use boiling water, this damages the flavor and aroma of the coffee. Instead, the water should be between 198° F and 205° F when it makes contact with the grounds. Most coffee machines are designed to add the water at the ideal temperature.

The first step towards a great cup of coffee is to make the brew with fresh, cold, filtered water. Tap, distilled, and softened water is not recommended. The mineral content of the water used for brewing can significantly affect the final taste of the coffee. For instance, a blend of coffee brewed in the hard water of Los Angeles would have a completely different taste if it were brewed in New York City, where the water is softer. The frequent opinion that coffee is “bitter” can usually be attributed to the type, quantity, and temperature of water being used to brew coffee.

The Coffee
Once coffee is roasted and ground, it should be used as soon as possible or stored in airtight containers in a cool place. Coffee roasters will usually print on the bags or containers the recommended dosage of coffee to water ratio, as well as how to make the coffee. In all cases, it is better to be generous with the quantities of coffee used and to follow the package recommendation. Strong brew can always be watered down with hot water, whereas there’s nothing to be done with weak coffee except starting the process over. Purchase coffee in quantities that will be used before it goes stale or the quality begins to deteriorate. Whole bean coffee is at its peak freshness up to two weeks after it has been roasted. Ground coffee should not be kept for more than ten days after grinding, or if vacuum packed, for more than ten days after opening the package.

Grinding
The fineness of a coffee grind influences the flavor of your coffee beans during brewing. At Grounded Coffee we know to get a rich and flavorful cup of coffee the grind should be matched with your brewing method. For example, using a French press exposes the coffee grounds to heated water longer and work better with a coarse grind. Coffee ground extra fine is much better suited to espresso machines. So, just how coarse is coarse? And how fine is extra fine?

Coarse often has very distinct particles like heavy-grained kosher salt. This grind is best used in the classic pot method, the plunger and drip coffee filter methods also require coarser grinds. Also works for Chemex and pour-over methods as well.
Medium tends to be more gritty like coarse sand and is better suited to drip coffee makers with flat bottom filters.
Fine is smoother to the touch, a little finer than table salt.
Extra Fine are slightly finer than sugar, the grains should be discernible to the touch. Both fine and extra fine grinds are best used for pump or steam espresso machines.

Why is the grind size important when making the perfect cup? Beans ground too finely for the brewing method in which they are used will expose too much surface area to the heated water and produce a bitter, harsh taste. On the other hand, an overly coarse grind will produce weak coffee unless more is used. If you want to make a stronger or weaker brew, it’s much easier to add or reduce the amount of ground coffee than to vary the grind.

The Equipment
Cleanliness is vital! All equipment and utensils should be absolutely clean. Make the coffee in pots that have been thoroughly dried and pre-warmed.

The Brew
If possible, coffee should be freshly ground right before brewing. Coffee will always taste best when it is freshly brewed. Drink it as soon as possible, as peak flavor will be compromised if kept for more than 20 minutes. Never re-heat brewed coffee.

We hope this information helps enhance your coffee experience.

Q Grading

When a coffee moves through a rigorous grading system and becomes verified as a Q Coffee^™, it signifies an independent confirmation of quality that can truly be deemed specialty. There are currently just over 800 Licensed Q Graders worldwide, and only a few in the Midwest.

Cupping

Coffee Tasting
Taste panels operate in a number of food industries. In the coffee industry, the term used for coffee tasting is “cupping”. At Grounded we cup our coffee frequently to ensure that only the best quality coffee reaches our customers. There are eight basic steps to a cupping session:

Roasting
First, roast the green coffee to the desired roast degree. Roasting is a very delicate process that requires the application of perfect temperature and perfect timing. If the temperature is too low the beans will bake, and if it is too high they will burn. Once the beans have reached the desired roast, they are emptied out of the roaster into a receptacle where the beans are quickly cooled.

Grinding
Once the roasted beans have cooled, they are ground. It is important to clean the grinder between every batch to ensure that the coffee doesn’t take on the flavor of the beans that were ground before. In a cupping session where the coffee is closely evaluated for taste and aroma, any residue from a previous ground is likely to throw off the entire session.

Brewing
Place approximately 7 grams of freshly ground coffee in each of 2 to 5 ceramic cups and pour fresh water that is just off the boil over it. Never pour boiling water on coffee as it will scald the grounds and give the brew a bitter taste. The perfect temperature for the water to hit the grounds is between 198° F and 205° F.

Breaking the Surface
When the hot water hits the grounds and the cup is filled, a crust forms on top. Put your nose close to the brew and break the crust with a deep spoon while inhaling the aroma. Stir twice while inhaling. Stop stirring the coffee to allow the grounds to settle at the bottom of the cup.

Cleaning the Surface
Next, scoop up and discard the foam that has formed on the surface with a deep spoon. An easy trick for collecting the foam along the side of the cup, making it easier to scoop up, is to gently blow on it.

Tasting
During a cupping session, it is considered not only good manners but absolutely crucial to slurp loudly. Fill your cupping spoon with coffee and suck it into your mouth with a swift slurp.

Swirling
Keep the coffee in your mouth, swirling it across your taste buds, and look for different characteristics. No coffee is one-dimensional and you are likely to find a whole spectrum of tastes to evaluate. Grounded’s cupper knows what to look for and what tastes should and should not be prevalent in any given coffee.

Spitting
Once you’ve swirled the coffee in your mouth long enough to evaluate the different flavors, gently spit it out. In order to keep your taste buds fresh for the next coffee, the brew is not swallowed during a cupping session. Cleanse your palate with fresh water or a cracker, if needed.

Geography

There are five great growing areas for Arabica coffee between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn:

Eastern Africa
Central America/Mexico
Brazil
Islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Miscellaneous islands

Eastern Africa grows coffees known by the following names: Ethiopia, Harrar, Kenya, Malawi, Sidamo, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Yemen, and South Africa. These countries produce coffees that tend to be fruity, acidic, and medium-bodied, with hints of various berries, dried fruits, and raisins.

From the northernmost corner of Mexico, southward along Central America toward Colombia and Peru, coffees of this region tend toward neutral and medium-bodied, yet acidic. There are distinct taste differences from microclimate to microclimate. Names and tastes you might recognize from this region are: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Peru.

Brazil, defined by its full-bodied, naturally processed coffees, is one of the few truly national styles of coffee, distinctively and immediately recognizable. The Brazil flavor, full, forward, and a tad grainy, is well known to consumers even if they do not know that the light-roasted coffee they drink in donut shops and fast-food outlets usually has a good percentage of Brazilian coffee in the blend.

The Indian and Pacific Oceans islands produce coffee of a variant group with distinctive characteristics. These coffees are uniformly of thunderous body, and range in texture from downright gravelly to a smoothness and fullness bordering on that of heavy cream. Acidity is generally low, and flavor nuances tend toward spiciness, as opposed to the fruitiness of the East African coffees. They include coffees from Java, Sumatra, New Guinea, and to some extent, India.

“Miscellaneous islands” is a catch-all category of exotic coffees, and can sound more romantic than they taste. These include those of Hawaii; in particular, those of the Kona Coast, as well as Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and even the Galapagos Islands. At their best, these coffees tend to be mild, neutral, and very clean, with a hint of acidity.