One of the latest kitchen appliances in the past few years has been what is known as single serve coffee machines. The angle being that you make one cup of fresh coffee for immediate consumption. .. And how can we disagree? Most everything (especially coffee) tastes much better fresh.  This compared to my parents “coffee” that sits on the coffee maker hotplate burning and turning bitter. Although this is an improvement over the days when they had a percolator which would actually boil the coffee. .. Actually, this is one of my “back in the day how tough we had it stories”. However, it’s still pretty bad since my father will refill my cup because “nothing goes to waste” and I have to scoff it down so as not to insult anyone…

 Anyway here’s some thoughts on brewing a very good cup of coffee:

• No instant, pre-ground or those little “convenience packets” allowed.
• Find the type of coffee you like best. Do some experimenting to determine your favorites. For example, some like an Arabica, others the fuller flavored French Roast.
• Your coffee should be freshly roasted and not sitting in a bag on the store shelf for weeks, months or even years.
• Buy your coffee in small amounts like you buy your food. Just like fish, only buy what you’ll consume during the week. And only purchase whole bean.
• Buy a small grinder so you can grind just what you need right before you need it.
• Experiment with the grind. Just ignore what the grinder says each grind is for and taste test to your favorite. The finer the grind, the more intense the flavor. However, you can go over the top for your taste buds and get to the point where the coffee begins to taste bitter. Or conversely, you undergrind and your cup of coffee tastes weak. For example, my preference is the espresso grind which is like a powder. It gives my regular cup of drip-coffee a strong taste and I don’t pick up any bitterness.. To each his own.
• Experiment with the amount of coffee you use. Start with 1 Tablespoon of whole beans in the grinder and work up from there. Most people fall in the 1-2 Tablespoons category.
• Use Spring Water not tap.
• Only make the coffee that will be consumed right away. My standard coffee maker is this little Mr. Coffee if you can believe it. I put the water to about 2.5 cups which yields one real coffee mug’s worth. I find that the paper filter produces a better cup of coffee when compared to the filter-less French Press. And other people think so too as I constantly get complements on my coffee. You know it’s not necessary to spend a fortune on a fancy single serve machine.

 So right now brewing a cup of coffee is like 1-2-3. Take out the whole beans from a small container in the freezer, measure out 2 Tablespoons of whole beans into the grinder, hit the grinder button (it’s an auto timed thing), .. while this is grinding I put away the coffee, get the spring water out of the frig and fill the maker, plop a paper filter in the machine, open the coffee grinder and pour the grinds into the paper filter (use this flat lab spatula thing to make sure I get everything), smooth out the top and make sure the grinds fill all the indentations of the paper filter, close the top and hit the “on” button. Sounds like a lot but it really gets knocked right out pretty fast. Then warm up your mug right before the brew is finished and enjoy. If you compare this to stopping at Starbucks every morning just calculate the money & time you’ll save. It’s amazing. And you’ll get a cup of coffee customized just for your preference and fresh as can be. Taste after all is what it’s all about.