4 Tips For People Entering The Coffee World


  • Coffee Mug

    Photo Credit: Jennie Faber via Flickr



    In the coffee world there are a million things to consider. Okay, maybe not a million but you get the idea. For example, things like water type, brew methods, bean type, grinders, brew time, and so on.

    When I started learning about coffee I was amazed at how scary it all was in the beginning. So much to learn, so much to grasp, that my head felt like it was spinning out of control.

    In the coffee world, things change every day. Things like new brew methods are being born, and new ways to make that cup of joe even better. We are constantly learning. The learning, the knowledge we take out, it never ends.

    Which leads me to this: 4 tips for people entering the coffee world.

    These tips are ones that I have learned over the past year 1/2 from my adventures. I’d like to share them with you in hopes you can take something away from them or to help you adopt your own.

    1.)
    Do not take shortcuts when it comes to coffee. If you are serious about making great coffee then this needs to be your number one priority. If you take shortcuts when it comes to things like water, and grinding the coffee long before you are ready to use the grinds then it will affect the coffee’s outcome. Just because you save a few extra minutes out of your day does not mean you will benefit from it in the end. Great coffee requires time, and patience.

    2.)
    Always remain open to new things. Don’t write off something before you’ve even had the chance to try it. Like the saying goes

    Don’t judge a book by its cover.

    Don’t judge a coffee before you’ve tried it. You never know, those dark roast coffees you’ve been hiding from all these years because of the “bitterness” may just be because you haven’t tried what a good dark roast can offer.

    3.)
    Great coffee requires great decent equipment. Stop wasting your time searching for coffee equipment to start out on. You will waste more money on buying coffee equipment to start out on then you will on just going out now and getting what you really need. You do not need to spend hundred of dollars on the top of the line equipment, but you do want to buy something decent, and something that will last so you don’t have to upgrade your coffee equipment months down the line.

    4.)
    Last, but not least… Do not let yourself at any point feel overwhelmed. At times, you’ll start to feel like your head will explode, but just stay calm. The learning is worth it in the end, and so is the coffee that will come out from it.

    With these 4 tips you will be ready to enter the coffee world with your head held high and be able to come out making great coffee.

    Anyone have any lessons or tips that they would like to add?



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    January 6th, 2011 | Jamie | 5 Comments | Tags: , ,

About The Author

Jamie Ferguson

From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...

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  • Piper Jones

    Your points are all right on, Jamie. My other suggestion to those just starting in the migration from ‘ok’ to really good coffee is that they become the craftsman of their cup. What that means basically is reading directions for your brewing equipment, researching ways to make a great cup (there are great video tutorials online available which include some of your tips), start with a clean/filtered water source and keep your coffee equipment as clean as possible.

    It doesn’t have to be complicated – but you can experiment to get the perfect cup for you. Buy a little extra coffee (and try to get fresh roasted – there are lots of great local roasters out there) that will be used to play with and adjust your ‘variables’; grind, water temperature, amount of coffee and extraction time. What you’ll net is a great cup of coffee that you’ve created.

    Drinking great coffee is a joy I want everyone to experience. Thanks for putting good information out there.

    Piper Jones
    Kohana Coffee

    • http://thecoffeeadventures.com Jamie Ferguson

      Piper,

      Those are some very great points/tips you’ve added. Research is definitely key to help you make your cup of coffee better.

      Thanks!!

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