Don’t know how to get the most out of your coffee? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! These Tips & Tricks will give the best cup of coffee possible:
Only buy premium quality coffees, freshly roasted and ground
Northern-Coffee.ca offers you only the best beans from around the world, roasted and ground to your liking. We only buy the best quality arabica beans and roast our coffees in small roasters to maximize aroma and freshness.
Loss of flavour starts as soon as the coffee is roasted and is accentuated when it is ground. This is why we ship your order quickly after roasting. Ideally, beans should be consumed fresh, or up to 14 days after roasting, and make sure you store them properly.
Types of roasting
Many roasts are available, but the most common are light, medium and dark.
Light Roast: coffee will retain more of its earthy aromas and will normally be more acidic and fruity.
Medium Roast: offers a well-balanced coffee, between acidity, full bodied taste, and bitterness.
Dark Roast: distinguishes itself by its bitterness and the texture of the beans, which will be oilier. Often with smoky, or even burnt notes.
Preserving your coffees
Coffee does not like cold, humidity, or variations in temperature. Store your coffee in an air tight and opaque container at room temperature and away from light.
It is NOT recommended to store coffee in the freezer or refrigerator as humidity will crystallize within the beans when exposed to extreme temperature and the coffee oils will be affected.
Water quality makes a big difference
You should use fresh, purified, filtered or natural spring water and avoid tap water. The oils in coffee are adversely affected by chlorinated water and the water’s taste can affect your coffee’s taste. Furthermore, strongly mineralized or hard water can leave deposits in your coffee maker. If you notice an accumulation of hard water deposits, wash your coffee maker with a solution of water and vinegar and rinse thoroughly.
Water temperature is also important
Water should only be simmering at the moment of infusion. The temperature at which coffee starts to be affected by temperature is 96°C.
Choose the correct grind setting for your coffee maker
First of all, for best results, we suggest that you always grind our coffees right before infusion to minimize loss of flavour and aroma. That said, depending on what style of coffee maker you have, if you choose too fine a grind, your coffee may be overly bitter and too coarse a grind, it may be too weak. Do select the correct grind setting for the coffee maker you are using.
Consult your coffee maker’s documentation or follow this reference:
- Turkish (very fine, powder)
- Espresso fine
- Espresso regular
- Espresso breville
- Paper filter
- Permanent filter
- Chemex
- Bodum®
- Percolator
- Whole beans
You can also visit our FAQ or ask for our advice at info@northern-coffee.ca. If you choose to order your coffee as whole beans (highly recommended), it is best to use a stone coffee grinder (electric or manual) for a better grind. A blade grinder is not recommended. And if possible, grind only the amount you need, when you need it.
For a great coffee, use the right quantity
For drip brew coffee, a quantity of 7 grams (approx. 1 heaping tablespoon of ground coffee) should be used for every 210 ml cup.
For espresso, a ratio of 1:2 is optimal, more precisely, we recommend you use 20 g of ground coffee for 40 ml of extracted liquid in the cup.
Experiment!
Whether it’s the infusion ratio or the grind of your coffee, do not hesitate to experiment to find what best suits your taste, according to the types of coffees you choose and your personal preferences.
Wash your coffee maker regularly
Coffee oils stick and build up on the metal surfaces of your coffee maker or thermal container and affect the taste of freshly roasted coffees. Refer to your owner’s manual for the care and cleaning of your coffee maker. For Neapolitan metal percolators that are not used very often, it is important to wash them before use. We recommend cleaning your machine more or less every 90 coffees.