The perfect cup of coffee? It sounds like the stuff of mythology. Like Sasquatch or the Chupacabra.
Few have experienced it, and the rest of us are doubtful.
But one writer went on a Search For the Elusive Perfect Cup of Joe, and learned some surprising things about the ritual of preparing coffee.
“It was so good that I felt tingly nerve impulses relax my jaw muscles to let the hot nectar reach more of my mouth,” he writes.
But how to duplicate that recipe at home? It’s about patience and an attentiveness to detail that few of us bother with in the rush to prepare our morning java.
Related: 6 Ways You Completely Ruin Everything Good About Coffee
“Once I’d mastered the technique, it really didn’t demand much of my time,” he writes. “If you can cook a burger, you can make a great cup of coffee.”
Here are 8 steps that will help you make better coffee than you ever imagined.
1. Get Fresh Coffee Beans
Choose coffee beans with roast dates (not “best by” dates) within the past two weeks.
(For amazing beans with naturally bold flavors, check out The Better Man Roast Organic Coffee Beans from the Men’s Health store.)
2. Use a Burr Grinder
Buy a manual Hario Min Mill Slim coffee grinder or go electric with the Baratza Encore grinder.
Why? Burr grinders crush the beans evenly, resulting in consistent grinds for a more flavorful brew.
Related: 4 Ways to Make Your Coffee Even Better
3. Count Your Coffee Beans
On a digital kitchen scale, weigh 25 grams whole beans and 350 grams water per mug. Grind them.
No scale? Get one online for $20 or less.
Related: Why Coffee Makes You Poop
4. Take Its Temperature
Your brewing water temp should be 195° to 205°F.
Water boils at 212°F, so boil a kettle, take it off the heat, and let it sit for 30 seconds.
Related: Why You Feel Like Absolute Crap After Skipping Your Morning Coffee
5. Start the Bath
Set a cup with a pour-over cone on the scale. Add a filter; rinse it with hot water.
Dump the water, zero the scale, and add the grounds.
6. Watch It Bloom
Pour in a slow, circular motion until you add 25 to 50 grams of water.
If the coffee’s fresh, the bed of grounds will “puff” as if it’s inhaling.
Related: Why Caffeine Won’t Do a Damn Thing After One Too Many Late Nights
7. Fill Your Cup
Once the grounds settle back down, resaturate them until you’ve poured in all the water.
The whole process takes 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
Related: 7 Ways to Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
8. Fine-Tune Your Brew
Now sip your coffee. If it tastes bitter, try grinding your beans a bit coarser next time.
Bland? Go with a finer setting on your grinder.
