My Guide to Making a Perfect Cup of Coffee

This guide will show you how to make one perfect cup of coffee. There are other ways, but this one will get you one great cup of real coffee in just a little more time than you’d spend making instant “coffee” and it has the added benefit of being relatively inexpensive. That’s good, because you may find yourself addicted to great coffee. It can happen. Starbucks has proven that you can even get people addicted to awful coffee.

Good coffee isn’t bitter. You may be conditioned to equate bitter with strong. If you make it right, you'll start noticing the cascade of subtle flavors that you've never noticed before. That’s why I made this guide.

It is important to understand why little details count. Bear with me for a short lesson in the basics of how coffee beans become a cup of coffee.

The Beans

Coffee beans grow in many parts of the world, but two basic types of beans exist - Arabica and Robusta. Forget Robusta unless you just want caffeine and don't own tastebuds. Arabica is the good stuff. Still, not all Arabica is equal. Like many things, if you want the best, you get the original. That means you get Arabica beans from Ethiopia or Kenya. That’s where coffee began. Other truly great, perhaps even better, beans are out there, but start with Kenya and you’ll know why the world got hooked on coffee from the beginning. There is no substitute for good, fresh Arabica beans. They say it well at http://www.coffeefool.com/:

99% of coffee out there is stale. The good news is that stale coffee is drinkable if you have never truly had fresh coffee. The bad news is that once you have tasted truly fresh coffee, you'll be forever hooked. It will make you giddy every time you go to make a pot. Tingle right down to your toes. Reverberate around your head like a funky aura. That's because coffee, just a few days out of the roaster, is nature's most flavorful drink - more complex than even wine - containing well over 900 flavor compounds to dance on your taste buds. But after a mere ten days, you would be lucky to see half that number. Go out one month and you are skating around 10% of coffees original high.

Some of my favorite beans are: Kenya AA (as I mentioned before), Hawaiian Kona (expensive, but fabulous), Costa Rican Terrazu, and Nicaraguan Antiqua. I’m not really a connoisseur; I just know what I like. I prefer an American or Vienna roast.

The Water

Coffee is made by extraction. Hot water is used to extract the flavor-bearing components from the ground coffee beans. Of course, along with the flavor comes the real vitamin C – caffeine, but that’s just proof that there really is a God.

Back to the science. There are two important things about the water, both are easy:

First, it has to be the right temperature – approximately 200°F. Too hot, and it will extract more bitter flavor components. Too cool and it won’t extract enough flavor components. Don’t worry; my method makes the temperature part easy. The reason why too hot is bad? As the water at the right temperature picks up more flavor components, it approaches saturation and is less able to pick up more of them. Hot water can absorb more (and different) flavor components because the saturation limit of water increases with temperature. Think about how hard it is to get sugar to dissolve in iced tea vs. hot tea. (If you're not from the South, I'm sure you have no idea why someone would put sugar in their tea).

The second important thing about the water is the amount. It’s counter-intuitive, but too much water and you’ll make bitter coffee. Why? Because, remember, brewing is extraction, if you use too much water, you over-extract the bean, similar to using water that was too hot. If you like a weaker cup of coffee, save a little of the water you heat up for the brewing and add it to the finished brew. Too little water? Within a reasonable range, that’s just a waste of beans. The flavor is not really affected, just the yield. That may not make sense if you’re used to Folger’s coffee or such. That’s because you’re used to diluting the brew enough to make the bitterness less noticeable.

A couple more notes about water: Bottled or filtered water is best, but only makes a real difference if your tap water is really hard, soft, or just tastes bad. Avoid distilled water. Why? It’s all about the extraction. Distilled water is hungry water. It has much less dissolved minerals than non-distilled water. Great for your clothes iron, but the lack of dissolved minerals makes the water a stronger solvent. That means it will extract more flavor components from the beans. Just like with over-heated water or too much water, over-extraction means bitter coffee. There is one other important water factor, the time it remains in contact with your coffee beans. More time = more extraction = you guessed it, bitterness. To control the time, the tools are critical.

The Tools – What you need and why

First, you need a grinder. Blade grinders are cheap and easy to find and they will work fine. Some people prefer burr grinders. Blade grinders tend to create grounds of many different sizes - some big chunks, some dust. The problem is, the small, dusty particles will get extracted more than the bigger ones. By now you know what over-extraction causes. Burr grinders create a more consistent particle size. There’s still some variation, but not as much. That helps flavor. You can set the grinder to create smaller or larger particles. Generally, for our purposes, you want grounds that are larger grains than corn meal. Really fine particles, almost like flour, are used for espresso (the extraction time is much shorter for espresso). It’s hard to describe the particle size you need. You’ll have to experiment a little to find the grounds size that works for you. (A tip: If you must use a blade grinder, I’ve found that shaking it while it’s grinding helps create better consistency).

Second, you need a coffee maker. For my method, that’s the easy and cheap part. Drip coffee makers, percolators, etc. make coffee for armies. We’re just making one cup. Those other coffee makers also tend to get the temperature of the water wrong. Percolators tend to get it too hot. Drip coffee makers are all over the map. You’ll be using a one-cup filter holder, the matching #2 filter, and a microwave oven. The microwave can be replaced by a kettle on your stove top, but it takes longer. I recommend the Melitta single cup coffee cone and Melitta natural brown filters. These filters have small holes punched in them. The holes are too small to let grounds through, but they let the water through more quickly than other paper filters. Remember about the importance of the time the water spends with the coffee beans? These filters make smoother, more flavorful, less bitter coffee. Permanent gold filters work great too, but increase your cleanup time.

Other minor tools are needed. See the list at the end of the guide.

Now the steps:

Step 1: Get good beans. I recommend http://www.coffeefool.com/ - fast, freshly roasted, great selection, reasonable prices. If you have a local roaster, that’s a great option. (The next step in my addiction is my own roaster).

Step 2: Put 12 ounces of cold water in a microwave safe cup and bring to a boil.

Step 3: While the water’s heating up, grind the beans to match your taste. You will want 4 tablespoons of unground beans for 12 ounces of water. For the best flavor, grind just what you need just before using it.

Step 4: Put the filter and cone on your coffee cup and dump the ground coffee into it. (Remember, it’s better to have too many grounds than too few).

Step 5: When the water is boiling, take it out. Use a small instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Because of water’s low specific heat, it’ll cool down fairly quickly. If you’re impatient, like me, you can add a small amount of cold water to speed things up a bit. When the temperature is between 190˚F - 200˚F, pour 12 oz. of water onto the grounds in the cone. If your coffee is fresh, you’ll see a beautiful, light brown foam known as bloom. That’s good. Old coffee doesn’t bloom. At this point, the smell is divine.

Step 6: Wait until the coffee drains out into your coffee cup. Drink up. It’ll be sweet. Don’t add anything.

Step 7: Thank God for such a creation.

Helpful tips:

• You’ll laugh, but this is really important. To really taste the subtleties in coffee, you need to slurp it a little – get some air mixed up in there. Why’s that? We’ll your tongue really can’t taste much beyond basic bitter, sweet, salty, and spicy. It’s really your nose that tastes the complex flavors. Try it and you’ll see what I mean. So, as you’re enjoying your next cup of great coffee consider the primitive DNA connection we have with the lowly snake that smells with its tongue. Great coffee inspires great thoughts. Of course, you should also consider that extravagant slurping is annoying to everyone around you, so keep it subtle. If you don’t care about looking silly, you should become a wine snob.
• Don’t freeze your beans. That’s an old wives tale. Freezing affects the porosity of the beans and, as a result, the extraction process is affected. If you want fresh coffee beans, you just have to buy them more frequently. Every addiction has a downside, sorry.
• Avoid “flavored” coffees. If you like them, it’s probably because you haven’t had really good coffee yet. Those added flavors, many synthetic, overwhelm the subtle natural flavors of the coffee beans. They may mask bitter coffee, but you won’t be making bitter coffee anymore. Interestingly, most of those synthetic flavors are actually just odors. You’re tongue can’t perceive them at all.
• Here’s a fine detail: If it’s convenient, keep a small spray bottle of water handy. Just before you pour the hot water on the grounds, soak them with the water in the spray bottle. This will keep large clumps of dry grounds from floating to the top as you add the hot water. That means they’ll be where they should be for extraction to occur. If you don’t have the spray bottle, you just have to chase them around a little with the hot water.

Tool list:

1. Burr grinder - $60 up to whatever you’re willing to spend. Blade grinders are about $15.
2. 2 tablespoon scoop (1/8 cup)
3. Melitta Single Cup Coffee Cone - http://www.melitta.com/ (Click on the manual coffee maker link. See CM-0/2 BLACK, PLASTIC FILTER CONE FOR ONE CUP)
4. Melitta natural brown #2 filters – http://www.melitta.com/ or your local retailer (These filters are important)
5. A microwave safe cup, like a Pyrex measuring cup or a ceramic creamer. It needs to be big enough to contain water that’s boiling.
6. A cheap, instant-read thermometer like you use to stick into a roast to check the temperature. These are less than $5 at Walmart. They look like a 6 inch long metal spear with a little dial gauge on the end of it. Mine is made by Baker’s Secret.

Total tool cost: Less than $80 or a month’s supply of Starbucks coffee.

Consider that, including the cost of premium beans and the Melitta filters, it’ll cost you about 25 cents per cup for your superb coffee. At that price you can afford to get your friends addicted. Enjoy.

My 2004 Suzuki SV650 - An Addictive Little Project

I'm posting this just to get some stuff up on my blog:

I'll skip the details on how this bike became mine, but suffice to say, since it's not a hard-core sportbike, it's not one I would have usually purchased. It's a bright, pearl yellow, naked version. I would've never thought it would happen, but I fell in love with this fun little bike. However, it wasn't close to my standards in stock form, so I set about modifying. That's been fun. Not as much as riding it, but like a cherry on your ice cream. Anyhow, here's some of what I've done so far:

7/26/08 Update: Recent changes: First, replaced the first GSXR1000 rear shock with another $60 one from ebay because I wore the first one out (the bike has almost 30,000 miles on it now). I will keep this shock until this winter when I will get the Penske unit. Second, I bought a conversion kit to change the front/rear sprocket to a 14/47 combo with a 520 chain. I only bought it to use at Deal's Gap. Acceleration is better due to the shorter gearing, but revs are too high for my typical highway speeds so I replace the stock ratios for normal riding (Vortex front and rear 15/45 with a 525 chain). Third, I had the Power Commander tuned by Ken Wheeler. He's a master and an SV owner himself. He yanked the snorkel off, adjusted the TPS properly (if you own a 2003+ SV, you probably need this done) and did the full range tune. What a difference! More power, especially in the mid-range, and a really beautiful intake honk now. Love it!

I've significantly improved this bike over stock. It's more powerful, better handling, better looking, and more comfortable that a new one. It will outrun your local sheriff. Don't ask me how I know. (And, no, it won’t outrun his radio - again, don't ask me how I know). Seriously, for 23 years, I've owned and ridden (many miles and almost daily) many sport bikes from 350cc to 1000cc. This bike is as much fun (no, not as fast) as any of them and way more practical. It'll do everything but dirt.

Here's some of the icing I've added to Suzuki's original cake:
• Motrax bar end mirrors - look just like the CRG mirrors, but cost 1/5th the price. Not shown in photo, but I'll update it soon. Huge functional and cosmetic improvement. Filled handlebar with BB's to make up for losing the bar end weights.
• Suburban Machinery Intermediate Handlebar - positions grip lower and farther forward than stock, but not nearly as extreme as a full sport bike crouch. Love it.
• Race Tech / Traxxion Dynamics Cartridge Emulator Kit in front forks - makes the old stock forks seem like pogo sticks. The stock suspension is the weakest part of the SV. It's a shame Suzuki doesn't do just a little more to really make the suspension worthy of the rest of the bike. Replace the 64lb valve springs with 48lb to get more compliance for high-speed compression. 3 turns of spring preload on emulators.
• Race Tech 0.85 kg fork springs - proper springs for an aggressive 200 lb. rider instead of the 160 lb. moped rider the OEM springs were built for.
• 2002 Suzuki GSXR-1000 fully adjustable rear shock. Words can’t describe how much better this shock is than the pathetic OEM shock. This took some modification of the battery and tool kit tray. I'm seriously tempted to buy a Penske or Ohlins shock for the rear, but I only paid $60 for the GSXR shock on ebay, so the premium $$ for the rich stuff is hard to justify. Of course, lack of justification is a weak barrier.
• Dynojet Power Commander III USB Programmable fuel injection control unit. More power, but more importantly, smoother power at low revs than the snatchy stock bike.
• K&N filter - just because the Suzuki paper unit was almost as expensive.
• Scorpion Oval Slip-on Exhaust - cheap and sufficient.
• Color-matched genuine Suzuki Solo Seat Cowl - I never ride passengers and this combined with the integrated taillight really clean up the rear end. Had to modify it & the bike a little to get the fit I wanted. Stock, it sat up higher than the surrounding bodywork. Ground off the raised lip around where the seat latch assembly screws to the subframe. Carved off 2 mm of the rubber bumpers on the cowl. Used adhesive backed foam under the cowl hook plate to get it to feel solid.
• Genuine Suzuki Gel Seat - Not in the photos here. Way better than the stock seat without giving up distance between the seat and pegs the way the Corbin and Sargent dished-out seats do. Gets and stays hot as a skillet in summer though. I have to cover it in the sun or scrambled huevos for sure.
• Integrated LED Turn signal-Taillight and front LED turn signals - I added resistors to slow the LED turn signals to stock blinker rate. Looks like the stock bike should have looked, but didn't. I got the integrated taillight replacement new on ebay and it's excellent. The front ones were from Lockhart Phillips. Cheap and easy. The resistors for the taillight came with it. I got the resistors for the front from a Powerbronze dealer at the AMA superbike races at Barber motorsports park. I'm sure they're available elsewhere.
• Heated grips - these are pure genius. From a kit I bought on Aerostich's excellent web site.
• Titanium muffler bracket - Lockhart Phillips I think.
• New EK X-ring gold chain - after I trashed the original one on a 2000 mile trip where every minute was like a monsoon.
• Valentine 1 radar detector - Actually this one moves between my vehicles, but I have a H.A.R.D. system from radarbusters.com so I get a heads-up warning in my Arai helmet. I Don't leave home without it. I carry a couple of ziploc bags for the detector heads up unit in case of rain.
There's some other stuff I'm forgetting, I'm sure. The mods happened over the last two years, but they've slowed down some.

Now the pictures. I apologize for the quality. I took them with my Treo. It sucks as a phone and a camera.