So, you’ve bought yourself that coffee machine that promised amazing results in the adverts, you’ve selected your favourite coffee based on your tasting preferences. You’re guaranteed a perfect cup of coffee, right? Well, not quite!
About three months ago we invested in a commercial coffee machine in The Deli. We expected that we would plug it in, grind some beans and away we go. How wrong we were! Making a real coffee is an art form – you have to create your own recipe which will change every day depending on temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions. Broadly speaking, Baristas will focus on;
The grind of the coffee beans – this is the most obvious element to focus on in coffee. Getting the grind of the beans wrong will lead to either an over or under extraction of the coffee. Over extraction means that the beans have been exposed to the water for too long and will bring out bitter notes and a harshness to the coffee that will make it unpleasant. Conversely, under extracting can product a sour coffee which lacks sweetness and can even be slightly salty. In both cases, the coffee will be underwhelming.
Linked closely to the size of the grind is the length of time extraction takes. Extraction is, simply put, the amount of time the beans are in contact with the water. This can vary immensely from a home espresso machine where the water will only be in contact with the beans for 20-30 seconds to a cold brew coffee where the beans will sit in the water overnight.
Temperature of the water is another factor that will affect the outcome. Our commercial machine passes the water through the puck at a consistent 118 degrees Celsius. This temperature will be hard to achieve without any kind of pressurised boiler, but consistency can be controlled. If you make the coffee as soon as the kettle has boiled, you can eliminate at least one factor from the art of coffee making!
The last element to consider is water quality. If the water is soft, the coffee can easily under extract, and hard water can over extract. Whilst we wouldn’t advocate buying bottled water to make your coffee, using home filtered water can make your end result so much better. So too will regularly cleaning and descaling any coffee equipment you use. Whatever you do use, be consistent.
The main take away from this article is that using the correct grind size for your application is key to giving you the best cup of coffee. Here, in The Deli, we provide coffee in the following formats;
Whole bean – ideal for those who have their own adjustable coffee grinder at home.
Extra Fine – has the consistency of powdered sugar and is used for Turkish coffee.
Fine – has the consistency of table salt and is ideal for espresso machines.
Medium fine – slightly more coarse than fine and is ideal for pour over coffee and Aeropress.
Medium – has the consistency of sand and is ideal for drip coffee makers.
Coarse – similar to sea salt. this is used for French press and cold brew.
We hope this has been of some use and helps you to improve your coffee game at home. Why not visit the Deli Online and browse our range of curated coffees – ground to the size you need!
