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4
THE QUEST FOR THE
PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE
It is generally agreed that there are four
basic elements critical to the perfect cup of
coffee:
Element 1: Water
Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the
quality of the water is as important as the
quality of the coffee. A good rule of thumb is
that if your water doesn’t taste good from
the tap, it won’t taste any better in your
coffee. That’s why Cuisinart has added a
water filter to the Brew Central Thermal
TM
Coffeemaker. The charcoal water filter
removes chlorine, calcium, bad tastes and
odours, for the purest cup of coffee every
time.
Element 2: Coffee
While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the
flavour should be from the coffee. To achieve
the same great quality cup of coffee you
receive at a coffee bar, you need to use the
same quality beans. If you choose to grind
your own beans, buy the beans fresh and
whole, only about a two-week supply at a
time for maximum freshness. Once the
coffee bean is broken, its flavour degrades
very quickly. If it is not practical to buy small
supplies, we recommend you separate larger
amounts of beans into one- to two-week
portions immediately after purchasing, and
freeze them in airtight containers. The best
way to maximize freshness is to minimize
exposure to air, light and moisture. So, once
removed from the freezer, beans should be
maintained in a sealed container at room
temperature, since damaging condensation
occurs every time the beans are removed
from the freezer or refrigerator. Note that
some coffee experts advise against freezing
dark-roast beans because this can cause the
oils to coagulate, while other experts
disagree. We suggest you experiment and
decide for yourself.
Element 3: Grind
The grind is critical for proper flavour
extraction. If the grind is too fine,
overextraction and bitterness will result. Too
fine a grind may also clog your filter. If grind
is too coarse, the water will pass through too
quickly and the desired flavours will not be
extracted. We recommend a medium-fine
grind.
Element 4: Proportion
The cups on the Cuisinart
®
coffeemaker are
5 ounces (148 ml). Add the amount of
ground coffee that corresponds to the
number of cups being brewed. Many coffee
bars and the Specialty Coffee Association of
America recommend adding 2 rounded
tablespoons (30 ml) of coffee per 6 ounces
(170 ml) of water. Some coffee manufac-
turers recommend using 1 tablespoon
(15 ml) per cup. We recommend using
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of ground coffee per
cup, but use more or less to suit your taste.
NOTE: The maximum capacity for ground
coffee is 15 tablespoons (225 ml) for this
12-cup (1.8 L) coffeemaker. Exceeding
this amount may cause overflow if the
coffee is too finely ground.