How to make a good cup of coffee

Every now and then you get a cup of coffee that is superb. The temperature is right,the flavor is right, and you say "that is so good!" There are a lot of things that go into a good cup of coffee including good coffee. But even with grocery store bought brands like Folgers and Maxwell House, it is possible to get that "so good" coffee taste.

The first thing is to make sure you coffee maker is clean. A dirty coffee maker will effect the flavor and make it taste like mud.

The second thing is to use filtered water. Filtered water has fewer minerals and you get better infusion.  Also water retains odors and tastes that are removed by filtering the water.

The third thing is to use chilled water. There is something about starting out with cold water that has an effect on how the coffee ends up tasting. Nobody is sure why this is so.

Get the right coffee to water ratio. The typical recommendation is one table spoons to 6 ounces of coffee. I use a little less. When I make 6 cups I put in about 5 table spoons and maybe just a pinch more.

Then turn on your coffee maker and brew the coffee.

Let the coffee maker finish dripping all the coffee.  The last bit of water in the filter basket tends to brew a little longer than the rest of it and it has a noticeable effect on the flavor of the coffee.

Now there is one more important factor about getting a good cup of coffee and that is how soon you drink it. Coffee looses its best flavor 30 seconds after brewing so get that first cup poured quick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee

http://www.coffeereview.com

http://www.coffeeforums.com