For many of us, drip coffee is the go-to brewing method. It's simple, it's efficient, and it gets the job done. But did you know that there's more to drip coffee than just throwing a filter full of grounds into a machine and hitting the brew button?
In fact, there are a few key things that you can do to improve your drip coffee game. In this post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about brewing the perfect cup of drip coffee.
Getting the Right Start
The first thing you need to do is start with fresh, quality coffee beans. Stale beans will produce stale coffee, no matter how good your brewing equipment is.
The Prep
Once you have your beans, it's time to grind them. You'll want to use a medium grind for drip coffee - not too fine and not too coarse. If your grind is too fine, the water will have difficulty flowing through the filter and extracting all of the flavor from the beans. If it's too coarse, the water will flow through too quickly, and you'll end up with a weak cup of coffee.
Add the Final Ingredient
Now that you have your beans ground to perfection, it's time to add water. You'll want to use filtered or spring water for the best results. Start by heating the water to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit - any cooler, and you won't extract all of the flavor from the beans; any hotter, and you'll end up with a bitter cup of coffee. Once your water is at the perfect temperature, slowly pour it over the grounds in a circular motion until the filter is full.
Make Sure The Ratios Are Just Right!
To make sure that your coffee turns out great, make sure you’re using the right ratios. The best ratio is 1:17 (Coffee: Water). That’s around 10 grams of coffee for 60 ounces of coffee. If you want the coffee to be a little stronger, you can go for a 1:15 blend too, so in that range would be your perfect cup!
Wait it out!
Now all that's left to do is let gravity do its thing! The brew time for drip coffee typically falls between 3-5 minutes - any shorter and your coffee will be under-extracted and weak; any longer and it will be over-extracted and bitter. Once the brew time is up, remove the filter and enjoy your delicious cup of drip coffee!
The Bottom Line
Brewing a great cup of drip coffee is all about paying attention to the details. From using fresh, quality beans to grinding them to perfection and brewing at just the right temperature, there are a lot of variables that go into making a delicious cup of coffee. But don't let that intimidate you! With a little practice (and our handy guide), anyone can become a drip coffee brewing pro in no time. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start brewing!