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The Four Fundamentals
Four Fundamentals
The starting point for making great coffee at home is to think of it as a form of cooking. To be
successful, you need to follow a proven recipe and use the best ingredients you can find.
No matter what kind of coffee you are making, to make the best possible cup of coffee, you'll need
what we call The Four Fundamentals:
• Fresh coffee beans
• Proper grind
• Good water quality
• Correct proportion of coffee to water
Fresh coffee beans
Start with freshly roasted beans. Keep the beans whole and grind them as needed to help preserve
freshness. To keep coffee fresh, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Coffee's
enemies are oxygen and moisture, so proper storage will keep coffee fresh.
Proper grind
It is important to use the proper grind because that impacts the amount of time the coffee and
water spend together which affects flavor. Too finely ground coffee slows the water down too much,
allowing it to take with it unpleasant flavor elements. Too coarsely ground coffee allows water to
rush through the grinds, leaving the coffee weak and under-extracted.
Water quality
Always start with fresh, cold water. A cup of coffee is 98% water. The water used to make coffee
should taste clean, fresh and free of impurities. Avoid water from a water softener, city water that
tastes like chlorine, or well water that tastes or smells like iron or sulfur. If you local tap water tastes
good then it is likely to make a good cup of coffee. The Starbucks Barista Aroma Solo
Coffee Maker will heat water to just off a boil (195
a boil is perfect for extracting coffee's full range of flavors.
2-2
Starbucks Barista Aroma Solo
O
O
O
O
F/90
C to 205
F/96
TM
Thermal Coffee Maker
TM
Thermal
C). Water heated to just off
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