Well, just to set the records straight, this 3 steps did not come from me, I "lifted" it from a free coffee course which I read about recently, and this is what I feels would contribute to a good coffee.

The coffee maker

By machine, we meant the coffee maker, espresso maker or french press, whichever is the preferred mode of brewing the coffee. The very first thing that contribute to a good coffee, is the condition of the machine.

The coffee maker has to be in operational and clean condition. This is because if you habe sediments inside, there would be smell and odors that would be absorbed. This would becomes coffee oil that would turn rancid and definitely ruin all your coming coffee brew.

What I read about cleaning coffee is to use baking soda mixed with some warm water. This paste solution is supposed to clean even the most stubborn stains on coffee makers, carafes, cups and fine china.

The coffee beans

Of course, the coffee beans affect the coffee brewed! In fact, this is one of the most simple thing in the whole coffee brewing process. Other than the blend of coffee beans which you can choose, the next important thing is the grind of the coffee beans.

This is because every genre of coffee makers are different, a drip filter coffee maker would require something different from a french press which in turn would a coarse grind rather than a fine grind which an espresso maker requires.

The wrong size would lead to a either over extraction or under extraction. If you over extract, which means that machine requires coarse grind but you are using fine grind, then the brew would be very thick. You would end up with very bitter and pungent coffee.

If it is the other way, you need fine grind but you are using coarse grind, then you would get under extraction, which would give you weak and what they call lifeless coffee. Now, you can see how important it is to have the correct grin for the different brewing method.

The variables

Amongst all the other variables, the most important would be the temperature of the water that is used to brew the coffee. One rule that always stand is not to use boiling water on your coffee ground, doing this woudl burn and ruin your coffee entirely!

The thing is you need to have boiling water, and the water needs to be boiling to a temperature of 212F at sea level. But, after that, you need to allow it to cool down for a while.

Wait for about 3-4 minutes before pouring it onto your coffee ground. This would give you a temperature of a 195F, and this would be the perfect temperature of water to pour onto your coffee ground.

After pouring the hot water and seeping the coffee ground for a while, the coffee would be best drank at 185F which is about 3 minutes after you have finished brewing your coffee.

There you have it, 3 simple steps to brewing better coffee. No, you would not become a baristas over night, but you would inch towards better coffee brewing...