Coffee Zone

Taisir's Coffee Tips: Storing your coffee

The key to maintaining the quality of your coffee is proper storage. Try to find a cool, dry place, with no direct sunlight. Once the bag has been opened, transfer the unused coffee to an airtight container.

When roasted, coffee develops a delicious, natural oil that contains much of the flavor. If you freeze your coffee, you'll alter that flavor. We don't recommend freezing.

Roasted coffee is very porous and the airtight container will reduce chances of picking up flavors from nearby food.

Freshly ground coffee makes a difference

Taisir recommends that your coffee be freshly ground prior to brewing. If you are looking for grinder, consider purchasing a burr grinder. Blade grinders can create inconsistent grinds and should be avoided.

Blade Grinders
Most inexpensive grinders use a metal blade to chop up the beans. The blade cuts up the beans, and you control the fineness by how long you let the grinder run. Unfortunately, the resulting coffee grounds can be uneven in size, leading to inconsistant brew quality.

Burr Grinders
Burr grinders crush the beans between a moving grinding wheel and a non-moving surface. The positioning on the burr is what regulates the ground size, which allows for a more consistant grind. In the burr category, there are two different types.

More on grinders at About.com.

Taisir's coffee brewing tips

• Make sure that your coffee brewer is properly cleaned ,and functioning correctly .
• Ideally ,coffee is brewed at 195 f or 90 c.
• Use fresh water (preferably filtered)
• I recommend 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup of coffee. For stronger coffee, use 1 more tablespoon of ground coffee... for lighter coffee, use less.

For an exciting alternative, consider using a French Press coffee maker .