Making filter coffee

Making the best filter coffee

Filter coffee can be one of the most enjoyable fresh coffee experiences, providing a clean crisp taste and being easy to drink throughout the day. In fact the easy drinking of filter coffee makes it a favourite in offices, where a constant supply keeps the staff working hard and alert. There is no real art to making filter coffee, but if you follow some simple rules then you will be sure to enjoy filter coffee at it's best.

Keep it fresh
Rule one, always use fresh coffee and fresh cold water. Don't leave a jug of water by the machine ready to use, always get it fresh from the tap for every brew. Don't have filter papers pre filled with coffee piled high, open a fresh sachet for every brew. Never recycle the grounds or use them for a second brew, each sachet will make one jug only the flavour and taste is lost after that.

Just in time
Rule two, make filter coffee just before it is needed, don't brew it for use later. This is most important when you use a jug filter coffee machine where the jug of coffee is kept hot on a hot plate, once brewed the heat from the hot plate will slowly degrade the taste and flavour. After one hour on the hot plate the filter coffee should be poured away and a fresh brew made. If you are brewing into a flask or airpot remember to pre warm the jug by running a brew of coffee with no coffee. A cold airpot will cool the coffee making it luke warm when drunk.

Keep it clean
Rule three is simple, keep your machine and jugs clean and the taste and flavour will be at it's best. over time the oils from coffee brewing will build up on you filter coffee basket and in the coffee jugs or flasks. Use a coffee cleaning powder like Bravilor jug cleaner or Dusty Caff with hot water to clean these surfaces and return the taste to your coffee, dirty jugs taint the flavour of your coffee with stale negative tastes that can ruin the taste of your fresh coffee. If you do not trust people to dose correctly then use bean to cup cleaning tablets, tell you staff to put a tablet in the filter basket instead of coffee and run a brew cycle. The tablet will dissolve in the hot water cleaning the filter basket and jug it runs into. Simple and easy.

Make the right choice
Just because a filter coffee is 100% Arabica or a single estate origin does not always mean it will be the best tasting, many filter coffees are blend of different origins because this allows you to enjoy a range of different flavours combined in the cup rather then one single over powering flavour. Don't be afraid to experiment and try different filter coffee's before you find the one you prefer, or keep it fresh and vary them over time to try a world of different tastes.