Have you ever brewed a really great cup of coffee and been surprised by the result? If so, then you’re not alone as most consumers suffer through bad coffee for most of their lives. Sure, there are times when a really great cup sneaks through, but by and large, most coffee out there simply stinks in terms of flavor and quality. Why is this? There are actually several reasons that people and businesses alike struggle to achieve consistency with the quality of their coffee.

The following article will break down the 3 essential components to a great cup of coffee and will also make the argument for grinding your own beans using a quality burr coffee grinder.

Brewing really great coffee on a consistent basis isn’t rocket science; rather, it’s the result of doing a handful of things correctly. In order to achieve what you’ve been looking for in your favorite morning beverage, it’s really all about concentrating on the following components :

1. Quality Grind – in the interest of avoiding unexpectedly bitter or weak coffee, it’s imperative that your coffee is ground correctly. The only true way to achieve a good quality grind is through the use of burr coffee grinder, which utilizes a movable wheel to produce evenly sized particles of coffee. This is in direct contrast to a blade grinder that tends to pulverize the beans into a bunch of small pieces and dust.

2. Freshly Roasted Beans – most people don’t realize that roasted coffee beans are highly perishable. In fact, beans arrive at their peak about 3 days after the roasting process and degrade rapidly thereafter. The degradation process is even more extreme once the beans have been ground. Much of what is lost is the flavor and aromas that emanate from the beans themselves, which are responsible, in part, for determining the quality of the finished cup.

3. Water Temperature – the flavor and aroma from ground coffee is best extracted at a water temperature range between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Water temperatures below this level will tend to under-extract flavors, producing a weak cup of coffee. On the other hand, water temperatures above this range will tend to over-extract, producing a bitter cup.

Now that you know a bit more about how great coffee is made, you can see just how important a good quality grinder is to your success. Fortunately, there are a variety of high quality grinders that are priced appropriately for the consumer market. You can purchase an adjustable manual burr coffee grinder for about $80.00 that will change the way you think about brewing coffee at home. Plus, many of the manual coffee grinders look great sitting on the counter top.

For more information on coffee makers, visit Cuppabean.