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  • How you should be making coffee

    I borrowed an employee manual today at the local Starbucks and copied the below about brewing coffee.

    Section Nine
    Brewing and Selling Coffee

    Good coffee starts with great ingredients and the right recipe. Coffee and water are the only ingredients, and to learn what to do with them, you need only the Four Fundamentals : proportion, grind, water and freshness. Understand and follow the guidelines for each of them and you're on your way to brewing a great cup of coffee.

    Proportion

    Use the Right Proportion of Coffee to Water

    This is the most important step in making great coffee. The recipe for great coffee is two tablespoons of ground coffee (10 grams) for each six fluid ounces (180 milliliters) of water. Starbucks did not invent this brewing recipe ; the standard is based on consumer research done in the 1940's by an organization called the Coffee Brewing Center. The standard coffee measure was introduced in 1945, twenty six years before Starbucks opened its first store in 1971.

    Coffee is made when hot water extracts, or pulls out, the flavor components in the ground coffee and mixes them with water. The proper proportion allows the extraction of the coffee's full flavors and yields a rich, aromatic cup. Keep these proportions constant, regardless of the quantity you make. The best way to make a "weaker" cup of coffee is to add hot water to properly brewed coffee.

    Using Too Little Coffee Makes a Bitter Cup

    For a variety of reasons, any people attempt to make a weaker or milder cup of coffee by altering the proportion of coffee to water, most often by using significantly less coffee. Though this approach may be intuitive, the result is usually thin, very bitter tasting coffee - the very thing most coffee drinkers wish to avoid.

    The improper dose of coffee means that more water passes through the grounds, continuing the extraction process long after the desirable flavor components have been pulled out. This is why we recommend diluting full-strength coffee if a milder cup is the target.

    A pound of coffee makes about 45 six-ounce cups of well-brewed, full-strength coffee. This equates to about 22 tall or 17 grande cups of coffee.

    Grind

    Different Brewing Methods Require Different Grinds

    All commonly used methods of brewing coffee basically work the same way : hot water passes through ground coffee. Among the many variables, the grind of the coffee (the size of the individual particles) is enormously important. The fineness of the grind determines how much time the water and coffee are in contact, which in turn determines exactly what is extracted from the ground coffee.

    Simply put, if coffee is ground "too fine," then the water stays in contact with the coffee for too long, resulting in over-extraction. If the grind is "too coarse," the opposite happens and the coffee is watery (under-extracted). The correct grind is an function of the brewing method. Three basic brewing methods are dominant :

    - Drip coffee, which uses paper or mesh filters, either flat-bottomed or cone-shaped. The cone-shaped filter uses a finer grind.

    - Espresso : Starbucks sells only pump-driven machines, but other types exist and are addressed in the grind chart in this section.

    - Coffee press : Starbucks recommended brewing method, the coffee press requires a coarse grind.

    Grinding Finer Doesn't Save Coffee

    Among the most common errors people make in brewing coffee at home is grinding coffee too fine. This practices is rooted in the belief that a finer grind will mean more cups per pound. The result of this practice is indeed more cups per pound, but all the cups are bitter and over-extracted. As noted earlier, an overly fine grind allows the water and coffee to stay in contact for too long.

    Grinding Coffee

    [ ]

    Coarse

    This is the recommended grind for coffee press, cold-water brewers (such as Toddy), open pot and percolators.

    Water

    Heat Water to Just off the Boil

    Water heated to just off a boil (195 to 205 degrees F ; or 90 to 96 degrees C) is perfect for extracting the coffee's full range of flavors. Any cooler, and the water can't adequately do the job. Automatic coffee makers heat the water for you. Make sure the one you use gets the water hot enough. If you use a kettle to heat water, bring the water to a boil, remove the kettle from the heat for a few seconds, and then pour the water onto the coffee. When brewing coffee in a coffee press in your store, use water from the hot water dispensing spigot on your store's brewer.

    [ ]

    Brewing in a Coffee Press

    All stores should have several coffee presses on hand and ready to use. The procedure for brewing in a coffee press is :

    1. Add into the coffee press the correct amount of coarsely ground coffee :
    - 8-cup press : .12 lb. (54 g) or 5 scoops
    - 12-cup press : .18 lb. (82 g) or 8 scoops
    - One scoop equals = 2 tablespoons
    2. Add water from your coffee brewer's hot water source, and stir to make sure all the grounds are wet.
    3. Place the plunger assembly loosely on top to hold in the heat.
    4. Using a timer, steep four minutes.
    5. Pointing the pouring spout away from you and holding the pot by the handle, slowly press the plunger down with your other hand to push the grounds to the bottom of the pot.
    6. Serve immediately, as the coffee maintains its superior taste for only 20 minutes. Set a time for 20 minutes if all of the coffee will not be consumed immediately.

    Coffee Freshness : At Home

    Encourage your customers to think of coffee as they do fresh produce or a fresh loaf of bread. Both can be fantastic if fresh and terribly disappointing if not. As with produce and bread, there are some simple things to keep in mind that will help maintain the quality and value of fresh coffee.

    The enemies of coffee are oxygen, light, heat and moisture. Once a FlavorLock bag has been opened, which exposes the coffee to air, it should be stored in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature for the best way to keep it fresh and great-tasting.

    Use Freshly Ground Coffee

    For the best results, coffee should be ground fresh just before brewing. Whole bean coffee stays fresh longer because there is less surface area exposed to oxygen. By grinding beans each time you brew, the freshness is preserved.

    Drink Coffee when Freshly Brewed

    Once brewed, the flavors in coffee are very fragile. Brewed coffee is best held in a thermal carafe. Coffee left on the burner of a home machine will begin to taste bad after 20 minutes. Coffee should never be reheated.
    Based upon the above from the employee manual, my suggestion as that you commence boiling your water. While the water is heating, grind your beans. I'd pulverize them as much as the socket to a bayonet will allow. If you still see beans, you need to grind it more. By the time you're tired of pounding that rio, the water should be nearly ready. Add the grind to the boiled water and stir. It should froth to the top rather quickly. Use of a boiler with bailing wire is recommended. Remove from the fire, stir once, cover, and let sit as long as it takes the grounds to settle. Strain it into a second vessel by slow pour and the assistence of the blade of a pocket knife. Drink it.
    Silas Tackitt,
    one of the moderators.

    Click here for a link to forum rules - or don't at your own peril.

    Comment


    • Re: And speaking of coffee

      Hopefully you're using a poke sack for this and not just smashing beans up in a cup.

      Congrats Silas, you're now able to work at a coffee house. Still have my manuals which says .13 but I guess it really doesn't matter. Coffee is like anything else in life, different strokes for different folks.
      Patrick Landrum
      Independent Rifles

      Comment


      • Re: And speaking of coffee

        No bag. Just bayonet and cup. At Corinth, I was crunching beans when I noticed that Old Cremonia was plucking some tune on his banjo. I listened for the beat, then stepped right in. He noticed and we played a right fine tune together. I banged out two songs before the beans were too fine to continue making music.

        The beans weren't pulverized into a powder, but into an even, coarse grind. Made good coffee that day.
        Silas Tackitt,
        one of the moderators.

        Click here for a link to forum rules - or don't at your own peril.

        Comment


        • Re: And speaking of coffee

          Originally posted by coastaltrash View Post
          If you have a problem with waiting on coffee, I suggest mastering the craft of Essence of Coffee. Get the water a little warm and BAM, you are in business. Being from Gulf Coast Mississippi, I can tell you, there isn't a bean at Starbucks or Joe Muggs or PJs or any of the other ones that is better than good old Community Coffee WHEN MADE RIGHT.

          I have tried the Essence of Coffee for the first time this Februrary when we had drill. It is fast and easy and not bad.
          Jeff L. Underwood
          Company C Chesapeake Volunteer Guard

          Comment


          • Re: How you should be making coffee

            Originally posted by Silas View Post
            ...six-ounce cups....
            Six ounces?

            I see the Anaconda Plan has once again strangled the importation of coffee into the Seattle metro area. Do you need care packages? How about blockade runners sailing through the Straits of Juan de Fuca? Maybe Holly_Mule pressed into service by Juan Valdez trippin' over the Cascades to bring some beans out that way?

            Yes, this is The Sinks.
            [B]Charles Heath[/B]
            [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]heath9999@aol.com[/EMAIL]

            [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spanglers_Spring_Living_History/"]12 - 14 Jun 09 Hoosiers at Gettysburg[/URL]

            [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]17-19 Jul 09 Mumford/GCV Carpe Eventum [/EMAIL]

            [EMAIL="beatlefans1@verizon.net"]31 Jul - 2 Aug 09 Texans at Gettysburg [/EMAIL]

            [EMAIL="JDO@npmhu.org"] 11-13 Sep 09 Fortress Monroe [/EMAIL]

            [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Elmira_Death_March/?yguid=25647636"]2-4 Oct 09 Death March XI - Corduroy[/URL]

            [EMAIL="oldsoldier51@yahoo.com"] G'burg Memorial March [/EMAIL]

            Comment


            • Re: And speaking of coffee

              Six ounce cups are those fragile objects from your grandmother's china cabinet which get used on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The remainder of the year they take up valuable cubbard space - unless they're hanging by hooks then they take up less space.

              I typed what I read from the Starbucks manual and passed it on. Multiply by two - or have your mule tap out the math for you - and you've got a more reasonable 12 ounce vessel. Add six more hoof taps to the twelve and you've got my preferred size.
              Silas Tackitt,
              one of the moderators.

              Click here for a link to forum rules - or don't at your own peril.

              Comment


              • Re: And speaking of coffee

                I like Coummunity dark roast. It is strong. I like it strong. Good coffee should have the look of used motor oil and have a bite to it. When playing soldier, I fill a poke sack with beans and then bash them up with a rock or something hard, add a couple of hands full into a boiler filled with water and boiling in right good 'until it is kind of murky looking. A little Jack Daniels will smooth it out a bit. Starbucks? Not for me. There is also Nakatosh coffee which is a knock off of the original Nakatosh coffee which was mostly chicory, but the new version is sort of weak and not fit for a Louisiana fellow to drink.
                Tom Yearby
                Texas Ground Hornets

                "I'd rather shoot a man than a snake." Robert Stumbling Bear

                Comment


                • Re: And speaking of coffee

                  To add to the issue: what about roasting/parching green coffee beans?
                  I have made a lot of coffee in the field, but just last month acquired some green
                  beans I plan to use this season. It is a first for me - suggestions? Pitfalls?
                  I have heard this can be tricky, with many of the beans burned or uncooked.
                  How did the men in the field overcome this process?
                  Your most obedient servant and comrade,
                  James C. Schumann
                  Mess #3
                  Old Northwest Volunteers

                  Comment


                  • Re: And speaking of coffee

                    Nothing really tricky to it. Just watch what you'r doing and don't try doing it over a roaring fire.

                    BTW, I NEVER grind up the beans. Boil them whole. Less mess.
                    Rick Bailey
                    Melodian Banjoist from Allendale and Founder of Waffle Schnapps.

                    Comment


                    • Re: And speaking of coffee

                      Originally posted by BenjaminLDavis View Post
                      It is a first for me - suggestions? Pitfalls?
                      I have heard this can be tricky, with many of the beans burned or uncooked.
                      How did the men in the field overcome this process?
                      Madison Avenue's term "slow roasted" has real meaning in this instance. Use dull cherry red coals, and your choice of mess kettle, skillet, canteen half and s-l-o-w-l-y roast those green beans to a nice brown. As they turn from grean to brown you will note the oil moving, the wonderful scent (not unlike roasting peanuts at home), and how the beans change from a rubbery texture to a more crunchy appearance. Preparing enough for a cup of coffee doesn't take much time at all; however, being detailed to roast fifty pounds takes a little longer.

                      Yes, you can do this at night, provided you develop an ear for the bean.
                      [B]Charles Heath[/B]
                      [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]heath9999@aol.com[/EMAIL]

                      [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spanglers_Spring_Living_History/"]12 - 14 Jun 09 Hoosiers at Gettysburg[/URL]

                      [EMAIL="heath9999@aol.com"]17-19 Jul 09 Mumford/GCV Carpe Eventum [/EMAIL]

                      [EMAIL="beatlefans1@verizon.net"]31 Jul - 2 Aug 09 Texans at Gettysburg [/EMAIL]

                      [EMAIL="JDO@npmhu.org"] 11-13 Sep 09 Fortress Monroe [/EMAIL]

                      [URL="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Elmira_Death_March/?yguid=25647636"]2-4 Oct 09 Death March XI - Corduroy[/URL]

                      [EMAIL="oldsoldier51@yahoo.com"] G'burg Memorial March [/EMAIL]

                      Comment


                      • Re: And speaking of coffee

                        A pound of coffee makes about 45 six-ounce cups of well-brewed, full-strength coffee. This equates to about 22 tall or 17 grande cups of coffee.
                        Not being a coffee drinker, I am not that familiar with Starbuck prices but it seems I have heard that one can pay about $3 for a cup of coffee there. 22 cups from a pound: $66 per pound of coffee. Now there's a profit margin!
                        Michael Comer
                        one of the moderator guys

                        Comment


                        • Re: Commissary

                          Mr. Myzie and Mr. Heath,

                          Thank you both for your lengthy and though provoking posts. I am beginning to discuss these ideas with my pards. I particularly like the ideas involved in feeding the troops minimallly.

                          Bill Kane
                          Bill Kane
                          Tar Heel Mess
                          [url]http://www.tarheelmess.org[/url]

                          Comment


                          • Re: And speaking of coffee

                            In an effort to keep the discussion about brewing coffee in the field and not about the good or bad of modern companies which brew it, I've sent a comment offline to Mr. Comer.

                            I'm always interested in good coffee and ways of making better coffee.
                            Silas Tackitt,
                            one of the moderators.

                            Click here for a link to forum rules - or don't at your own peril.

                            Comment


                            • Re: And speaking of coffee

                              At many of the events in which we participate, the emphasis is on the active campaign: marching, fighting, etc. From the descriptions I've read, I get the impression that roasting beans was something that was done before the actions we portray began. Is it possible that we're beginning to over-represent the coffee preparation thing?
                              Rob Weaver
                              Co I, 7th Wisconsin, the "Pine River Boys"
                              "We're... Christians, what read the Bible and foller what it says about lovin' your enemies and carin' for them what despitefully use you -- that is, after you've downed 'em good and hard."
                              [I]Si Klegg[/I]

                              Comment


                              • Re: And speaking of coffee

                                Good advice from Mr. Heath (above post) and make sure you CONTINUALLY stir the beans around so they don't scorch or burn. You'll almost be doing the same process as popping corn in those old foil containers that grew in size as the kernals popped: back and forth motions and side to side...only take it slow. The key is be patient and keep the beans moving. Use a spoon or stick to stir those beans around.
                                James Ross

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