Secrets to the Perfect Cup of Coffee

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

A few simple steps will make your coffee taste great every cup. Want to know how to make the perfect cup of coffee?

And buy only the amount of coffee that can be used within a couple of weeks. Water or ice attaches itself to the porous coffee and ruins the taste. Storing it in the refrigerator or freezer will also lead to deteriorating flavor. Keep your coffee at room temperature. Ceramic is best because plastic and metal containers can impart a taste to your coffee or coffee beans. Before you even start, when you bring your coffee home, store it in an airtight container that blocks the light.

Experts advocate using two heaping tablespoons of whole beans to the grinder for every six ounces of water you use. Coffee grinders improve the taste of coffee because they release the oils and aromas of the coffee beans immediately before you brew your coffee. Coffee drinkers who want the perfect flavor use whole coffee beans and grind their coffee just before brewing. Enthusiasts agree.

And if you have control of the temperature of your water, keep it between 195 degrees and 205 degrees to ensure getting the best flavor extraction from your ground coffee. You want the taste of the coffee, not the taste of the water used for brewing. Since coffee is 99% water, use water that is free from chlorine and other minerals.

And what about that coffee maker? Drip coffee makers are easy and can produce terrific coffee. The key to making perfect coffee with a drip coffee maker is making sure to use a gold, nylon, or other type of permanent filter. Permanent coffee filters insure that the flavor molecules from the coffee grinds pass into the water without adding additional flavors. Those disposable paper filters have an aftertaste that they impart to the coffee on the one hand and on the other, they absorb those special aromatic oils from the grinds that are essential for excellent taste. If you must use paper filters, use the unbleached kind and rinse them with hot water before you use them.

When was the last time you cleaned your coffee pot and mugs and cups? Clean equipment can make a tremendous difference in how your coffee tastes. Every so often clean out your mugs and cups with baking soda and water, and rinse them out thoroughly. Every month pour a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water into your drip coffee maker and turn it on. Let the mixture run all the way through, turn off you coffee maker and let it cool for a half hour. Pour out the vinegar mixture and run one or two reservoirs full of clear water to rinse it out, letting the pot cool for 15 to 20 minutes between each rinse.

And one last step. Be sure to drink it while its fresh - more that 20 minutes after brewing is done, your coffee will begin to taste bitter. Now its time to make your coffee.

And now--ENJOY.

green mountain coffee environmental responsibility

The company considers itself a steward, responsible for helping to preserve the Earth's natural resources for future generations and their history of socially responsible business and corporate decisions reflect their commitment to making the world a better place for us all. It is a key concept that has been part of the company's core commitment and values from the time when it was housed in a tiny storefront café. For Green Mountain, social and environmental responsibility is not a trendy marketing move. In a time and age when 'environmentally responsible' has become the latest buzzword in marketing for many corporations, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters of Vermont is refreshingly different and sincere.For 25 years, we have been on a deliberate journey to create and sustain a values-driven company that views profit as a means to achieve a higher purpose.In 1986, Green Mountain introduced its first Organic coffee, and in 1989, the company's Environmental Committee developed Earth-Friendly coffee filters that are dioxin free. In 1984, the employees - less than ten at the time - began informally taking on environmental projects, including a recycling program. In an open letter written in 2006, Green Mountain president Bob Stiller talked about the evolution of that commitment, starting as early as 1983, when the little café in Rutland, Vermont decided that composting was a socially conscious decision - and the right thing to do. Green Mountain has taken that commitment seriously, starting small and growing their responsibility to the planet as the company has grown. That higher purpose is, simply stated, to leave the world a better place for having been here. Thus begins Green Mountain Coffee Roaster's statement of corporate responsibility. Fair Trade and Sustainable Coffee Fair Trade and Sustainable Coffee The company's production plant has been certified organic since 1997, and they remain committed to offering high quality, completely organically grown coffee as a major part of their offerings. for two years running. Each step on the path may have seemed small at the time, but each step has built on the ones that came before to make Green Mountain Coffee Roasters one of the Top 100 Most Socially Conscious Corporations by Business, Inc. Over the years, Green Mountain and their corporate officers have made decisions in keeping with the company's overall mission. Responsible Energy Use, and More Responsible Energy Use, and More



The accomplishment has been recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, who awarded the 2007 Sustainability Award to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Green Mountain estimates that their new cups have kept over half a million pounds of petrochemicals out of landfills so far. Unlike most coffee cups, which use petroleum products for water-proofing, the Green Mountain cups are made entirely of natural and renewable materials. In a similar manner, Green Mountain's recognition that disposable coffee cups lead to increased solid waste led to the company's development of an eco-friendly disposable paper coffee cup.