製作一杯好咖啡需要什麼? What Makes a Good Cup of Coffee? 5 Tips.

Coffee is an essential part for many people’s lives. For some, a cup of coffee from 7-11 or McDonalds will do. But since the early 2000s, “Third wave coffee," or specialty coffee, has taken over a huge portion of the of the coffee consumer market. 

Today’s generation want more than a cup of generic coffee. They want to taste coffee with various flavors, nuances and profiles. People care about how their coffee looks, hence the latte art that fills our social media feeds. People care about where their beans are from– how they were harvested, and whether or not those processes are ethical and sustainable. People are also interested in the coffee making process, with so many ways to make a cup: french press, chemex, espresso machines, aero press, siphon, moka, pour overs, the list goes on...

So What Makes a Good Cup?

While every person has their own preferences of what meets their coffee needs, here are some five general tips on how to make quality cup of coffee.

1. Buy Fresh. Regardless of what flavor profile beans you are choosing, generally speaking, the closer to the roast date that you drink it, the better the cup will be. You’ll be able to taste the perks, the life, the complexities of the coffee more. Try to pick beans that were roasted recently.

2. Buy whole beans and grind them yourself. Grinding your own beans vs buying pre-ground also makes a significant difference. We’re not going to go so picky as to say what kind of grinder you need. Whether it’s using a burr grinder, or your conventional blade grinder, both are better than buying pre-ground. Why? Think of freshly ground pepper vs pepper powder. There is a noticeable difference in beans that are freshly broken open: the oils, the aromas, the perks of the beans. That being said, freshly ground coffee can stand for a couple hours and there won’t be a noticeable difference. Try it out! Blade grinders are relatively inexpensive, takes about 30 seconds to grind them, and makes such a noticeable difference.

3. Store your beans in a cool dry place. Any type of airtight container in a cool dry place will prolong the life of your beans. No need to put them in the freezer. Just a cool, dry place. You could use an airtight ziplock bag, a plastic container, or buy a coffee container. Just don’t leave them exposed to air, and hot temperatures. 

4. Use filtered cold water and boil. If you think about it, a cup of coffee is essentially water treated with beans. The better quality the water, the better your coffee will taste. If you are doing a pour over, start pouring the water just a little bit off the boil. Optimal temperature for water is just below boiling, approximately 96-98 degrees Celsius, or 206-210 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Have fun refining your craft. Whether you are pulling shots using an espresso machine, doing a pour over, or even using a generic coffee machine, it will take some practice to make a good cup. Don’t be discouraged and keep at it. Enjoy the process of refining your craft and skills. That’s the fun part of it! 

And if some days you just need instant coffee, we won't tell anyone. Let's be real, sometimes we do need McDonald's coffee.

Natural Joy is committed to providing high quality coffee. Take a look at our Cumbre Negra beans, sourced from Guatemala. Beyond a quality cup for your business or personal needs, we think the story behind the behinds and the process of how the beans are made will interest you too. You can read more on our coffee tab.

Happy Coffee Making!

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今天的咖啡 咖啡是許多人必不可少的部分。對於某些人來說，可以喝7-11或McDonalds的咖啡。但是自2000年代初以來，“第三波咖啡”（即特種咖啡）已經佔領了咖啡消費市場的很大一部分。 如今，人們想要的不僅僅是一杯普通咖啡。他們想要不同口味和風格的咖啡。人們在乎咖啡的外觀。在社交媒體上，我們看到了很多拿鐵藝術的圖片。人們在乎自己的豆子來自哪裡。他們對咖啡的收穫方式很感興趣。他們對咖啡製作過程是否合乎道德和可持續性感興趣。人們也對咖啡製作過程感興趣。製作杯子的方法有很多：法國媒體，Chemex，濃縮咖啡機，航空壓力機，虹吸管，摩卡咖啡，倒水，等等... 什麼使一杯好咖啡？ 雖然每個人都有自己的偏好，但是這裡有五個有關如何製作優質咖啡的一般提示。

1.購買新鮮的咖啡豆。不管您選擇哪種風格的咖啡豆，通常來說，越接近您所喝的烘焙日期，杯子就越好。您將可以品嚐到更多咖啡的不同屬性。如果可以，請選擇最近烤過的豆子。

2.購買全豆並自己研磨。研磨自己的豆類會產生很大的不同。不必擔心要購買哪種咖啡研磨機。無論您選擇購買什麼，總比購買已經磨過的咖啡更好。為什麼？它類似於現磨的胡椒粉。剛打開的咖啡豆有明顯的不同：油，咖啡豆的香氣。需要注意的是，新鮮磨碎的咖啡可以保留幾個小時，並且口味不會明顯變化。使用任何類型的機器都可以用不到一分鐘的時間來研磨咖啡豆，並且產生了很大的不同。

3.將豆類存放在陰涼乾燥處。您可以在陰涼乾燥的地方使用任何類型的密封容器。它將延長豆子的壽命。無需將它們放入冰箱。只需將它們放在陰涼乾燥的地方。您可以使用密封的自封袋，塑料容器或購買咖啡容器。避免讓咖啡豆暴露於空氣和高溫下。

4.用過濾的冷水煮沸。水的質量越好，咖啡的味道就越好。咖啡主要是水。

5.完善您的工藝。無論您是使用濃縮咖啡機進行沖泡，倒酒，還是使用通用咖啡機，都需要進行一些練習才能製作出優質的杯子。不要灰心，堅持下去。享受完善工藝和技能的過程。那是其中的樂趣！

Natural Joy致力於提供高品質的咖啡。看看我們來自危地馬拉的Cumbre Negra豆。除了滿足您的業務或個人需要的優質杯子之外，我們認為背後的故事以及如何製作咖啡豆的過程也會引起您的興趣。您可以在我們的咖啡標籤上閱讀更多內容。 玩得開心！