a couple things for brewing a better cup of coffee.
The most commonly asked questions I get are how to make a better cup of coffee at home, and before you give up try these little diddies out.
Use fresh, quality coffee. This may sound simple but you’d be surprised. Things to look for:
Roast Date: Find the sweet spot for your brew method. I’ve made coffees that have been pretty decent 24 hours after I roasted them and it tastes great as a pour-over but was way too gassy for espresso. I have had coffees 1 month after roasting that taste fairly flat in a Chemex but has a very big and round flavor profile as a cold brew. The roast-date-sweet-spot for brewing can change the more that a coffee gasses out, so keep that in mind as your bag gets low and come get your FIX.
Wholebean or Ground: I will always suggest wholebean and grind just before brewing. As soon as coffee is done roasting it starts to release gas(degassing) and as soon as you grind you coffee the gasses release at a greater level. so much so that you will lose about 50-60% of your aromatics in the first few minutes. If you have no choice but to get it ground then just keep in mind and add it to a list of things that contribute to a flatter cup of coffee.
The right grind size for your brew method. Think of coffee grounds as rocks and sand. if you were to pour water on top of sand and rocks which will allow water to move through faster? rocks for sure. The more time that the water has with the coffee grounds the bigger the flavor(too much time results in undesirable and an over-extracted taste in the cup).
Full immersion methods(french press, cold brew, vacuum pot): get a coarse ground and a good soak.
Pour-over methods(batch, V60, Kalita wave, etc…): Medium grind
Espresso and Turkish coffee: fine