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1. Buy fresh coffee beans
It is clear that coffee is much better if it is used within a few days after roasting. The most reliable way of achieving this is to buy coffee from the nearest coffee shop (unless you can grind it yourselves). Avoid buying it in bulk from the supermarket. Oxygen and bright light have the worst possible effect on roasted coffee beans. So if the seller does not seek to protect coffee in order to sell it fresh, storehouses get covered with oil from the coffee, which later turns into oxidized fat. Of course, you can also buy packaged coffee from recognized companies which roast it - such coffee is sold in opaque packaging.
2. Keep the beans fresh
Coffee which is open should always be kept in an airtight container. Glass jars or pottery with elastic closures are a good solution. Do not put it in the fridge (roasted beans are porous and absorb all the moisture and odours from the foodstuffs). Experts are against freezing coffee. The best solution is to buy coffee beans for 5-7 days and store them at room temperature.
3. Choose only good quality coffee
The snobbish spirit among connoisseurs of coffee is close to that of wine connoisseurs. The truth is that there is a huge variety of flavours and types. Special coffee types from distant and little-known sources around the world can offer you different taste experiences for life. One way or another, you should look for 100% fresh Arabica beans, and the cheaper alternatives are Robusta varieties with higher caffeine content, but with a heavier taste.
4. Grind the coffee yourselves
Coffee quality starts worsening immediately after grinding. The best and most aromatic cups of coffee are those prepared immediately after grinding. Coffee connoisseurs prefer grinding with expensive mills, but electric ones also do a good job.
5. Be careful with water
Nothing can ruin a cup of coffee as much as a glass of tap water with chlorine or other admixtures. Serious coffee lovers use bottled water or put tap filters for the salts and carbon. Warning: bad coffee is made with distilled water - metal residues are necessary for good water.
6. Avoid cheap filters
Paper filters at low prices spoil the coffee. You should look for oxygenated paper filters or "dioxin free" ones. Alternatively, you can invest in a plastic reusable filter. It is believed that such filters maximize the flavour, but if coffee is finely ground, some of it may infiltrate through them.
7. Do not economize on coffee
The standard dose for the preparation of a cup of strong coffee is 2 tablespoons for a medium cup and 2 3/4 spoons for a large cup. Tricks like less coffee or more hot water to make more cups with less coffee do not lead to good results.
8. Be careful with water temperature
Too hot water extracts certain elements from the coffee and this makes it bitter rather than pleasant. The perfect temperature is about 93 degrees Celsius or 45 minutes after removing the boiled water from the heat. Do not expect that the coffee will keep its qualities for a long time after preparation. Your coffee will become very bitter if you re-heat it or if you boil it twice. Storage in a heat-retaining container also leads to this result.
9. Keep your utensils clean
Clean both containers and coffee grinders regularly to remove any residual coffee oils and remains. Once a month use a vinegar solution or a special product to remove metal salts. Rinse thoroughly before use.