WATER

Do you like the taste of your tap water? If not, then using it in your coffee isn't such a good idea either. Coffee is about 99% water so using bottled or filtered water is likely to improve the taste! We recommend bottled water or a filtration system.

If you want to make four cups of coffee use 4 1/2 cups of water.

Brew your coffee with hot water; boiling and lukewarm temperatures just don't cut it. Boiling may damage your coffee because it can vaporize some of the beans' flavor. Lukewarm temperatures fail to release the bean's full potential. A temperature of 200 degrees F is ideal, which means bringing the water to a boil and then waiting a couple of minutes before brewing.

EQUIPMENT

Keep your coffee maker clean. In some areas, hard water can leave deposits on your brewing equipment that may mute or detract from the rich flavor of your java. Try running some vinegar through your machine every month or so to remove those deposits.

Rinse your coffee maker with hot water before you brew.

If you don't have a coffee maker consider investing in a small filter cup to make your drinks.

GRIND

Some people go overboard on the importance of grinds. Truly, if you've grinded the coffee too coarsely, you'll get very dark water with little taste. If you grind to finely, you'll end up with a coffee milkshake and a very dirty coffee machine. Grind your coffee as fine as you can without losing any through the holes in the filter of the coffee maker.

AVOID

Reheating.
Mixing old coffee with new.
Brewing more than you plan on drinking.
Holding onto coffee too long. Coffee loses its flavor after 20 minutes.

A FEW MORE TIPS

For each 8-ounce cup of coffee use one rounded teaspoon of coffee.

Make sure to let the coffee all run through before drinking. There is a considerable difference in tastes between the first and last cup.