Tuesday, June 11, 2013

HOW TO MESS UP YOUR COFFEE

For many of us, the promise of a good cup of coffee gets us out of bed in the morning.  Breana Lai, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine says that somehow, prying off the warm covers isn't so hard when she knows there is a warm cup of coffee waiting. We at the Kona Cowboy Coffee Copmay agree.  But coffee is very personal. Everyone has a choice coffee-brewing vessel, coffee style and coffee mug.
 Whether you choose to brew your coffee in a single-cup brewer, an automatic coffee maker or a French press, keep in mind there are variables that can affect the quality of the coffee you make. There is a reason the coffee from your local coffee shop tastes better. The coffee is freshly brewed, the beans were just ground, the milk was just steamed and the machine costs as much as a small car. 
While we can't all have the fancy machine (and barista to make the coffee), we can take some lessons from coffee shops to brew a perfect cup of coffee at home.  Here are 7 of the most common and easily remedied coffee-brewing mistakes that stand between you and a great cup of coffee:
1. Dirty Equipment: 
Make sure all parts of the machine have been rinsed thoroughly and no coffee or soap residue remains.
2. Old Beans: 
If you can't remember when you bought your coffee, it's time to buy some new beans! Only buy as much as you will consume in 1 to 2 weeks.  Now you know why the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company packages their coffee in half-pound bags.
3. Pre-Ground Coffee: 
Coffee that has already been ground is more susceptible to oxidation. Grinding your beans as close to brewing as possible ensures freshness.  Our Paniola brand Kona Cowboy Coffee comes in both regular roast and espresso roast in whole beans.
4. Wrong Size of Grounds: 
Each brewing method requires a different size of grind. Coffee that has been ground too fine is often bitter, but if ground too coarse it may be weak. Check your coffee grinder’s manual to find out which size is ideal.
5. Wrong Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 
 For every 6 ounces of coffee, you'll need 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds. Using more, your coffee may be too strong and taste bitter; use less and you'll end up with watery, weak coffee.  We recommend starting with ONE tablespoon of our full bodied gourmet coffees.  ‘Tis better to go up the next time than to pour what you just made down the drain.
6. Improper Water Temperature: 
If the water is too hot, you can scald your coffee, and if it's too low, the flavors will be mellow. The water should be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or just before boiling (water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit).
7. Impure Water: 
Tap water often contains minerals that can alter the flavor of your coffee. Use bottled spring water or filtered drinking water.  We use bottled water at every trade show where we sell our coffees.

Some folks say that you can’t mess up the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s four brands of gourmet coffees.  But you can!   You’ll get a great cup of joe with PANIOLA 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee, grown on Hawaiian volcanoes and roasted in the Rocky Mountains … the one with no bitter aftertaste and no acidity.  CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico is the Southwest’s favorite with pinion nuts and a perfect way to improve your coffee experience during the day.  And our MOKA-JAVA is a medium dark roasted blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian coffees that just might be high octane!   We also make COWBOY ACTION COFFEE, the Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society! 

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.


You know you’re a coffee fiend when you chew on other people's fingernails!  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!