Home Brew

Americans love their coffee; with these tips from brewers, they can enjoy the perfect cup of joe at home

By Joan Obra
jobra@fresnobee.com

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The recession hasn't been kind to coffee lovers.

Faced with thinner wallets, fewer of you are heading to coffee shops for a daily fix. As a result, you're buying coffee from supermarkets and roasters, then trying to duplicate the experience at home.

"Sales at supermarkets are way up," said Ryan Beckley, a co-owner of Mavericks Coffee House and Roasting Co. in Visalia.

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Tazzaria Coffee & Tea in Visalia also sees the trend. "Our bulk bean sales are way up," co-owner James Jessen says. "People are taking the beans home and brewing their own. The economy has kind of driven that."

The trend comes at a time when more folks than ever are picky about coffee.

"They used to say, just give me drip or French press," Jessen says. "Now they say, I want this single-origin coffee."

To help coffee lovers get the most out of their home-brewing experience, here are some tips from roasters. Shawn Steiman, a Hawaii-based coffee scientist and consultant, rounds out their advice.

Buying beans

For the best flavor, skip the supermarkets. They'll let coffee sit on the shelves for months. You want freshly roasted products.

Buy enough coffee to last only two to three weeks, because it degrades quickly.

"When you start to drink coffees that are three weeks old instead of two months old, you'll eventually be able to tell the difference," Steiman says.

Buy directly from roasters. If they stock stores, ask how often they add new products. For example, Mavericks checks its displays in Save Mart and other stores once a week, Beckley says. Anything roasted more than three weeks ago gets pulled off the shelves. Also, ask your roaster about a coffee's flavor, acidity, aroma, aftertaste and sweetness — all characteristics used by the industry to evaluate products.

"Roasters should have an awareness of what their coffees taste like and how they differ," Steiman says. They should also guide you to a roast you'll enjoy.

Whole or ground?

Ideally, you'll want to buy whole beans, because they maintain their flavor far longer than ground coffee.

But, if you don't know how to properly grind coffee, let your roaster do it.

If you prefer to grind your own, choose between a blade grinder or the burr grinder. Blade grinders are inexpensive, but they don't grind the coffee as evenly as a good burr grinder, which costs upward of $100.

How important is the difference in flavor? It depends on your ability to taste it, Stei-man says.

Proper storage

Roasters have a variety of opinions on storage. Jo Ann Sorrenti, owner of Sierra Nut House in Fresno, for example, refrigerates ground coffee for a week.

Jessen doesn't like the refrigerator because food inside can transfer odors to coffee. He stores coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dark area. Ground coffee will last for a week, while whole beans will last two to three weeks.

Or, if you freeze coffee, take out only what you need, let it come to room temperature, then brew it, Jessen says.

Scientists are just as varied in their opinions. "There is no definitive answer," Stei-man says. He recommends storing coffee in airtight packaging. Once you open the bag, transfer the coffee to an airtight glass or ceramic jar.

Drink coffee as quickly as possible. For some coffee, "floral and berry notes are there for a week and a half and then they just disappear," Stei-man says.