The Perfect Cup of....

     I haven't always been a coffee drinker. As a kid I didn't even really like soda. I was more of a Kool-aid kid. I liked the tropical punch flavored Kool-aid or Country Time lemonade. I have never been able to tolerate a lot of caffeine. Even today as a grown woman, I do not drink anything with caffeine in it except the occasional Diet Dr. Pepper and my daily cup, or two or three, of coffee. I only drink coffee in the mornings. It helps me to get awake and moving. If I drink it past midday, I am up all night. My room mate in college got me to try cappuccino. This was back in the 80's before all of the fancy flavors.  I liked it, but being on a college student budget couldn't always afford it. Then, I discovered the Frappuccino at Dairy Queen. Lots of sugar, but I enjoyed the coffee flavor and caffeine buzz. Once I moved from an elementary library position to the library media specialist at my current high school, I was introduced to flavored coffee by a colleague and I have been hooked ever since. I have a small coffee station in my library in a back office. If anyone runs out of coffee they know they can rely on me to have a K-cup, ground coffee or creamer. I very rarely run out. I guess I consider it "essential" as part of my work. I gradually got on the Starbucks bandwagon and enjoyed a "fancy" coffee whenever I was near one of the establishments.  Caramel macchiato is one of my favorites. I enjoy trying the seasonal flavors, but the caramel macchiato is probably my go-to coffee flavor at Starbucks.

     Whenever I go to meetings, professional developments, or gatherings I am finding that fewer and fewer young people know how to make a pot of coffee. I blame this on the K-cup people. Don't get me wrong, I love K-cups. They are quick, easy, and you always get a decent cup of coffee in a matter of 2 minutes or so. However, it doesn't involve knowing the coffee to water ratio. Just pop in a cup, fill the reservoir with water and push the button. How do you translate this into making a pot of coffee in a coffee maker? You don't. There is much that is lost in the conversion. In this time of quarantining many have had to either do without coffee, use k-cups if you have them at your house, or just stare at a coffee maker wondering how to make that perfect cup of coffee. Going through a drive through is another alternative, and I do support local businesses. I love small, independent coffee shops. However, it is more economical to make your own coffee at home and save the coffee shops for special occasions.
     Since my husband and I have been married, almost 13 years now, we have gone through about 3 coffee makers. We love coffee and enjoy sharing a pot on the weekends. Each coffee system is a little different, but I finally found a system to making the perfect cup of coffee.

     We have a Ninja coffee pot that gives you the option to brew one cup, a travel mug, 1/2 pot or a full pot of coffee. It has a 43 oz. water reservoir. I like that it just gives you ounces, instead of cups. The cup of coffee has changed over the years. According to coffeechemistry.com, in the 1950's a cup of coffee was about 4-6 ounces. Today, most people consider a cup of coffee to be between 8-14 ounces. For die hard "venti" lovers it is 20-24 ounces of the creamy java.

Most mainstream grocery coffee says to use 1 tablespoon of ground coffee to 6 oz. of water. That makes a pretty stout cup of coffee. I like strong coffee, but this makes it too bitter for me.
I have found that if I use 4 tablespoons of ground coffee to the 43 ounces of water, I get the perfect cup of coffee. I know that is all a matter of taste. But, if you have no clue where to start to make a pot of coffee, then it is a good starting point. I found my perfect measures by trial and error.
     What is great to snuggle up with a warm cup of coffee? A feel good book about friendship and sharing a cup of coffee. The Supremes at Earl's All-Up-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore is one of those books where you will catch yourself laughing out loud as you read. I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I often caught myself chuckling and shaking my head agreeing with the narrator. Three girls in the 1960's, each of whom is very different from the other, become friends and meet regularly at Earl's. They even have their own table. They continue their friendship on into adulthood and they meet at Earl's on Sundays after church, with their spouses or significant others for the all-you-can eat. Their stories will make you laugh and cry. They have ups and downs but manage to remain friends. It is a feel good book that goes great with the perfect cup of coffee.

The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Always make sure your coffee maker is clean. I clean my machine with vinegar about once every two weeks. Run a pot of white vinegar through your machine then run two more pots of just clean water through to make sure all of the vinegar is gone. 

Use cold water. Some people keep a pitcher of cold water in their refrigerators to use for their coffee. I just get my water from our filtered water tap at our sink. Cold water makes the best coffee. 

Use 4 tablespoons to 40-45 ounces of water. This will depend on how strong you like your coffee. If you do the math, it is about one tablespoon to one 10 ounce cup of water. 

How you then doctor up your coffee is up to you. I will talk about some economical ways to have flavored coffees at home at another time. 

 

I would love for you to share your favorite coffee with me. Thanks for reading.