The Water
Start with fresh, cold water. Filtered water is preferred, as this will remove the taste and odor of the chlorine and fluoride that are used in municipal water systems.

If your tap water does not have good flavor, we suggest bottled spring water. Since brewed coffee is 98% water, any off flavors in the water will ruin the flavor of your coffee. Make sure the temperature of your brewing water is at least 195 F (to 205 F) for a full, flavorful extraction.

The Coffee
Use the freshest coffee. Once roasted, coffee is a perishable food product which begins to stale from contact with oxygen and moisture in the air. This causes its complex flavors and aromas to break down, and become flat and stale tasting.

To maintain the freshness of your coffee: Store coffee in an air-tight container and place it in a dark, dry, cool location. We do not recommend the use of your refrigerator or freezer for coffee storage.

Once your package of roaster fresh coffee has been opened, we recommend that you enjoy it within 14 days for optimal flavor and freshness.

The Grind Size
The proper grind size for your brewing method:

• A slightly sandy texture with flat-bottomed or cone-shaped filters.
• A coarse grind with a French press or percolator.
• If your grind is too fine, it will produce a bitter brew; if it is too coarse it will produce a weak, watery brew.
• We strongly recommend that you use a burr type grinder or order your coffee ground.

This will produce much better results than a blade type coffee "grinder" because the burr grinder produces a more consistent particle size. This allows for a more even flavor extraction during the brewing of the coffee.

Properly pre-ground coffee (used within 14 days) will produce a better cup of coffee than coffee ground with a blade grinder just before brewing every time... we know this from our own experience with both kinds of grinders! We have never been able to achieve the same cup quality with a blade grinder at home as we can get with burr ground coffee.

All coffee is best bought as whole roasted beans. The minute the beans have been ground their flavor diminishes. Whole beans can be frozen for several months, but ground beans will last in an airtight container no longer than a few weeks.

The Quantity of Coffee
Use one-standard coffee measure (two level tablespoons) for every six ounce cup of coffee you are brewing. This will produce a cup that has the delectable flavors inherent in the coffee beans. Remember that using too little ground coffee will produce bitterness that only detracts from these flavors.