BREWING
There are many ways
of brewing your coffee. To brew a good cup of coffee with Country
Samurai, have on hand the following ingredients:
a. Country Samurai
coffee
b. filtered water
c. standard measuring tablespoon
Roasting
Samurai carries roasted beans or grounds, but you coffee connoisseurs
know that grinding fresh roasted beans just before brewing makes the
freshest tasting coffee. In fact, if you roast your own with a regular
West Bend popcorn popper just before brewing, it makes an even fresher
tasting brew not to mention the fun you will have roasting the beans
with friends and neighbors at your "coffee party." That
aroma is definitely intoxicating. We carry green beans in limited
supply.
Water
Filtered or spring water should be used with all methods of brewing.
Filtered water simply enhances your coffee taste being free of chlorine
and other substances in the water. Try your own taste-test with filtered
verses unfiltered water and you'll taste the difference.
Strength
Ratio of coffee grounds to water is critical for consistent strength
of brew. If you have a gram calibrated scale you could produce a consistent
brew once you have determined the right ratio of coffee grounds to
water, brew after brew. Of course many of you don't have a gram scale,
so the next best thing is a standard measuring spoon. You need to
determine the ratio of spoons of coffee grounds to water ratio. A
spoon with a level top is best where using a butter knife to scrape
off the heaping portion becomes your "standard" spoon. Determine
how much water goes with one "standard" spoon to make the
best coffee for you. Once you have determined that ratio, stick to
it all the time.
Comparisons
Generally, Country Samurai suggests that you use about half the grounds
of Samurai coffee than what you would normally use with your regular
home coffee. Americans typically may get about 80, 6 ounce cups of
coffee from a pound of Samurai coffee, whereas you may get about 40
cups with Folgers or Hills Bros. coffee when using one tablespoon
of grounds per cup of water.
French Press
French press, the modern version of "cowboy" coffee, makes
one of the best coffees since the grounds are totally immersed in
the water bringing the fullest flavor. You could even use less grounds
per cup compared to the drip method. Yet your grounds should be a
little coarser than if you were to drip your coffee.
Perked vs. Dripped
We like perked coffee rather than dripped coffee. Pull out that old
percolator stashed away and make your comparisons with other methods.
It may be a little more work with perking but it's worth it. If you're
going to drip your coffee, try using the gold filters. The treated
or untreated filters will change the taste of your coffee.
Maintaining Freshness
Whatever method you use, if you're making many cups to last a while,
transfer your brewed coffee into a good quality pump-pot immediately
after brewing is complete. The percolator or drip coffee maker will
burn your coffee in a short time after your brew is completed.
Expresso
For expresso lovers, Country Samurai coffee is not roasted to the
French or Italian roast but it will make the most flavorful and smooth
expresso and not bitter or burnt tasting. We've been trained that
expresso has to be made with dark roasted coffee; try the Country
Samurai roast, for expresso or cappuccino. As you know, expresso is
a method of brewing, not a level of roast.
STORING
ROASTED
COFFEE
Vacuum Sealing
Roasted coffee will deteriorate much faster than unroasted green beans.
If you're not roasting your own, you could minimize deterioration
of the roasted beans or grounds. Although a little troublesome, vacuum
sealing your coffee best preserves your coffee. Some of you are doing
it for wine with the little pump attachable to the bottle.
Freezing and Refrigeration
Freezing your beans or grounds is the next best method but only if
you use sealed containers. Using two sealed zip-lock bags will work
very well but be sure to squeeze as much air out before sealing and
freezing. Oxygen is the culprit oxidizing the coffee oils. Coffee
in sealed containers stored in the refrigerator is the next best method
to freezing.
After
all of this, please remember to
enjoy your perfect cup of coffee.
