Ragged Cover Home Page
Articles Home

Full Article List


Extracting the Coffee Flavor


The beverage called coffee is the result of mixing dry coffee with water. The combination can be done by one of many methods - ranging from the very simple, with the minimum of equipment - to the use of complex coffee machines which can cost thousands of dollars. Understanding a few facts about coffee brewing can help answer some of the questions which arise when wondering which brewing method to use.

A single coffee bean is an extremely complex entity, being composed of literally hundreds of substances, many of which are water-soluble. Nearly one-third of these water-soluble compounds can be removed in normal extraction processes. The goal of brewing coffee, however, is not to extract the greatest number of elements from ground coffee, because not all of them are desirable.

Expert tasters generally agree that the overall coffee flavor, which consists of color, aroma, taste and body, is best when about 18-22 percent of the flavor components have left the solid coffee and infused into the water. When more then 22 percent of the extractable materials permeated into the water, over-extraction occurs and harsh flavors are added to the brew, as the last substances to leave the grounds are unpleasant and bitter.

A second technical consideration is that, even if only the best flavored components have been extracted from the coffee, the cup flavor can be too concentrated or too diluted, depending on how much water is used. Again, most expert tasters generally agree that a cup of coffee tastes best when the liquid consists of between 98.4 - 98.7 percent water and 1.3 - 1.6 percent "soluble solids", the latter being what would be left if a cup of liquid coffee was reduced back to dry ingredients by an evaporation process. This ideal coffee strength is easily achieved by controlling the proportion of ground coffee to water, which for European tastes ranges between 50-75g per 1 liter of water. Many would consider normal strength coffee as one brewed at about 55g per liter of water. Much of North America drinks a weaker cup.

The most beautiful and expensive coffee machines do not always produce the most satisfying cup of coffee, and when choosing coffee-brewing equipment, consideration must be given to whether the design allows for a correct balance of brewing factors, as well as taking into account various safety aspects.

Cindy is the host of http://www.making-coffee.com, a free website resource about making, brewing and preparing a perfect cup of coffee.

Besides, she is also the host for http://www.vietnamese-recipes.com and http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Bleacher Report

Report: Alabma's Coffee to skip senior season
USA Today - 3 hours ago
(AP) — Alabama running back Glen Coffee is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. The All-Southeastern Conference performer told the Mobile ...
Coffee leaves Alabama after 10 TD season ESPN
Glen Coffee opts for NFL Draft Tuscaloosa News (subscription)
Glen Coffee: Why Running To NFL a Smart Move Bleacher Report
WTVC - CBS42
all 37 news articles


Brazil coffee crop to fall up to 20 pct. in '09
The Associated Press - Jan 8, 2009
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Coffee output in Brazil is expected to drop by as much as 20 percent this year because of adverse weather and weak investment amid a ...


Washington Post

Morning Coffee Frames The Offseason
Burnt Orange Nation, TX - 12 hours ago
by PB @ BON on Jan 9, 2009 6:10 AM CST in Football Time for Bob Stoops backlash? It only took Ohio State two BCS flops to earn a sour reputation, ...
Alabama ends at No. 6, highest finish in 14 years al.com
Senators sing a song - for victory in BCS game Tampa Bay's 10
Sooner or Gator ... you'll complain about it. SportingNews.com
Randolph Leader - Fort Mills Times
all 5,244 news articles


Stuff.tv

CES 2009: Microsoft demos Internet-enabled coffee maker, plans ...
TG Daily - 9 hours ago
The first prototype is an Internet-enabled coffee maker. According to Fugoo's founder, John Hui, "Many vendors are trying to come up with a multipurpose ...
CES 2009: Fugoo Live shows off $99 cloud computing devices Stuff.tv
Microsoft highlights flexible household objects at CES Xinhua
CES 2009 TRENDS – Cloud computing Stuff.tv
all 8 news articles


Shop serves coffee and community
Lexington Dispatch, NC - 5 hours ago
Confluence Coffee Shop manager Brian Leimone (front) and shift supervisor Wes Sellers stand in the spacious business as some customers work on a personal ...


News 10 Now

A pound of coffee for a pint of blood
News 10 Now, NY - 2 hours ago
Throughout January across Upstate New York, Dunkin' Donuts is giving a coupon for a free pound of coffee to all blood donors. Officials say the campaign is ...
Dunkin' Donuts Bows $100MM "You Kin' Do It!" Campaign Marketing Vox News
all 3 news articles


Tide's Coffee to skip senior season
International Herald Tribune, France - 27 minutes ago
Alabama running back Glen Coffee will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft after a breakout season with the Crimson Tide. ...


Brazil Coffee Crop to Drop Up to 20% on Cycle, Costs
Bloomberg - Jan 8, 2009
8 (Bloomberg) -- Coffee output in Brazil, the world’s biggest producer, will drop as much as 20 percent this year as most trees enter the slower half of a ...


DJ Central America Coffee Premiums Sharply Up On Supply Squeeze
MarketWatch (press release) - 1 hour ago
Traders attributed problems in Colombia, the world's largest producer of top quality mild washed arabica coffee, as the main reason why Central American ...
DJ UPDATE: Cash Prices In US For Mexico Arabica Coffee - Jan 9 MarketWatch (press release)
DJ Cash Prices For Central America Arabica Coffee - Jan 9 MarketWatch (press release)
DJ Asian Coffee Prices Up, Along With Futures Gains; Trade Quiet MarketWatch (press release)
all 5 news articles


Food News Round-Up: Topless Coffee Shops to Bruised Hooters Girls
Epicurious - 5 hours ago
... is at war with itself because an entrepreneur proposes turning a motel into a topless coffee shop (the waitresses would be topless, not the building). ...

Coffee - Google News

       
   
Google
 
     
 
Action adventure books by Keith Hoare
   
 
Article Home | Ragged Cover | Copy Writing | Book Marketing | Writing Articles
 
Pendle Writers .com © 2006