The Coffee Place:Caring for Coffee

Storing	Freezers and refrigerators are full of odors which will be absorbed into your coffee you could end up with chicken-flavored coffee. Refrigeration also causes condensation on the coffee which will cause the flavor to deteriorate rapidly. You should buy only enough coffee so that it lasts you one month or less and keep it in an airtight, opaque container on the counter or in a cupboard. From the Coffee FAQ... One should always store coffee beans in a glass, air tight container. Air is coffee's principle enemy. Glass is best because it doesn't retain the odors of the beans or the oils, which could contaminate future beans stored in the same container. However, if you use glass, make sure the container is not exposed to light, as sunlight is believed to reduce freshness. For consumption within: 1 week - room temperature is fine 2 weeks to a month - refrigerate or freeze them This prevents the chemical reactions that produce stale beans and lifeless coffee.
Old Coffee	Once coffee has cooled, its chemistry has changed, allowing the bitter oils and flavors to dominate the taste. Reheating the coffee will further break down the few aromatics left, giving you bad-tasting coffee. Keep coffee in a thermos to keep it warm or simply brew a fresh pot.
Filters	Most chemically bleached filters tend to impart a disagreeable "bleachy" flavor to your coffee, and natural, brown filters actually contribute a woody, "papery" flavor. We recommend either gold or oxygen-bleached filters. Gold filters are reusable and allow some of the important oils of the coffee to reach your cup, which adds to the flavor. Oxygen-bleached paper filters will not taint the flavor of the coffee.
Best Temperature	From the Coffee FAQ... According to chemical studies, the optimal water temperature for drip coffee is 95-98C. Colder water doesn't extract enough caffeine/essential oils from the beans, and above such temperature the acidity increases wildly.
Quality	From the Coffee FAQ... The quality of a brew depend on the following factors (in no particular order): 1. Time since grinding the beans. 2. Time since roasting. 3. Cleanliness with brewing equipment. 4. Bean quality (what crop etc). 5. Water quality. Unless you are buying some major debris, bean quality is not very important, as compared to 1-3 and 5. A coffee can in the supermarket often contains major debris, so be careful when you choose. (See note below). Once you have freshly roasted and ground coffee, filtered water and equipment free of oil residues from the last brew, quality of beans makes a huge difference. NOTE: A coffee can in the supermarket often contains a blend of Arabica and robusta beans while most coffee houses sell only arabica beans. Arabica beans are usually flavour rich, while robusta beans have more caffeine, less flavour and are cheaper to produce. When you buy coffee, whether in a coffee house or in a supermarket, you want to get 100% arabica, except for espresso blends, which are a combination of both. For freshness, in a coffee house it is better to buy popular blends that move fast, while in a supermarket vacuum packaged containers with expiry date are your best bet.
Care of the Coffee Maker	From the Coffee FAQ... It is very important that you wash your coffee maker pot and filter container thoroughly at least once a week. Bitter oils stick to the glass container and plastic filter holder. Note: To the naked eye rinsed and soap washed pots look the same (clean that is). Some drip coffee makers require periodic cleansing with a solution of water and vinegar. If you have a coffee/teapot, the inside of which is stained with oily brown residues - also plastic/metal coffee filters, tea strainers, and stainless steel sinks in caffeine-o-phile houses - they can be restored to a shining, brand-spanking-new state by washing in hot washing powder (detergent). Get a large plastic jug, add 2..3 heaped tablespoons of Daz Automatic or Bold or whatever, and about a pint of hot water - just off the boil is the best. Swill the jug around until the detergent is dissolved, and then pour into tea/coffeepot, and let it stand for 5 minutes, swilling the pot around occasionally, just to keep the detergent moving. Put the lid on and shake it a few times (care: slippery + hot) Repeat as necessary. Keep it hot with a little boiling water if needed. If you have a cafetiere, dissemble it, and soak the parts in the mixture for a few minutes, agitating occasionally. In both cases, the residue just falls off with almost no scrubbing. It does great things with over-used filter machine filters, too. Important: Rinse off all detergent afterwards, use lots of fresh water.

Caring for your coffee