First, start with freshly roasted, whole bean coffee. Coffee looses it's freshness rapidly once it has been roasted, especially after it has been ground. A grinder is a must for a gourmet coffee lover.

Secondly, use good water. A cup of coffee is mostly water, and water that tastes bad will affect your coffee's flavor. If your tap water tastes good, go ahead and use it, but if not, use bottled or filtered water.

Thirdly, select the correct grind. Different coffee brewing methods require different kinds of grind. How coarse or fine coffee is ground is very important to making good coffee. If your coffee is ground too finely it will produce a bitter cup, and if it is ground too coarse it will produce a watery, less flavorful beverage. For espresso, you must also be aware the temperature and humidity, as this will have an affect on the process. A grind that works well on a cold day may need to be adjusted when it's hot. For a more precise and consistent grind try a burr-type grinder, especially when grinding for espresso or Turkish coffee.

Finally, keep your coffee brewing equipment clean. Coffee oils that build up over time become rancid, which will definitely affect the taste.

Coffee Brewing Methods
This list does not cover every method of brewing coffee, but the following are most common.

Drip Coffee
Some filters are flat bottomed and some cone shaped. If flat bottomed, the grind should be medium, while a cone should be fine. In most cases the cone shaped filter tends to make a better brew.

When using an automatic drip machine, do not leave the brewed coffee on the burner because it will continue to cook and become bitter in a few minutes. Transfer the brewed coffee to thermos or air pot for flavor's for best heat retaining.

French Press
This coffee maker is one of the most popular methods. First, the glass beaker should be preheated by running it under hot water. Then put in the amount of medium to fine ground coffee needed, add water heated just off the boil and stir. Let the coffee steep for three to four minutes and stir again. Finally, put the lid-plunger apparatus on the beaker and slowly push the plunger all the way down.

Espresso
Espresso is the main ingredient of to all specialty coffee beverages (americano, latte, mocha, etc,,,). Espresso is the most difficult coffee to prepare, but is also a great thing for a coffee lover to know. Education and practice are the key to understanding and preparing fine espresso.

One myth about espresso is that it is high in caffeine. In fact, espresso has less caffeine than filtered coffee. A traditional espresso has 40 mg. of caffeine compared to the 70 mg. in a cup of regular coffee. Caffeine content is determined by the length of time the coffee steeps, not by the pressure of the water. An espresso takes 20 - 25 seconds to brew, while filtered coffee has a brew time of 3 - 5 minutes.

The espresso blend must have the correct mixture of beans to give the espresso its characteristic taste and crema. The roast must be dark enough to bring out the body of the coffee but not so dark as to have been burned or carbonized. The water temperature should be below boiling (194 is perfect). Make sure the portafilters are clean. Preheat the portafilter, creamer pot or glass. (Retention of heat preserves flavor). Using fresh espresso beans, grind just before drawing your shot. Check the grind setting often and change if necessary. Use 7 - 8 gr. of coffee for a single shot and 13 - 15 gr. for a double shot. Tamp coffee evenly with consistent, firm pressure. Wipe excess off of the portafilter rim before inserting into brew head. Begin your shot of espresso and time it. If it is not 20 - 25 seconds, check your grind.

Crema
Crema is the heart and soul of true espresso flavor. Simply, it is the foamy golden brown extraction that develops on top of your espresso. It is thick, creamy, with a distinct bittersweet taste not found in other types of coffee.

For Good Crema Use a freshly roasted properly blended espresso. Use an espresso machine with the proper amount of pressure. Use the correct amount of espresso. Grind the espresso to the proper consistency.

How to Set the Grind
For a perfect espresso, the espresso extraction rate should be approximately 20 - 25 seconds in length for a long espresso (2 oz.). This is timed from the moment the espresso leaves the tip of the filter until it reaches a 2 oz. dose.

If the espresso comes out too quickly, then the grind is too course, while if it comes out to slowly, then the grind is too fine.

Adjusting the pressure of the tamping can also affect the espresso pour time. This should only be done when you have a lot of pre-ground espresso that is not extracting at the proper rate. You simply tamp harder if the grind is too coarse or tamp lighter if it is too fine. This is not an ideal way to create the perfect espresso but can help reduce waste.

If the coffee or the grounds are too old you may not be able to produce crema even if the extraction rate is correct.

Stove Top Espresso
The Stove Top Espresso pot consists of two pieces that screw together with a filter chamber in the middle. Originally these units were made from aluminium and tended to add an unpleasant taste to the coffee. Newer units can be found that are made from stainless steel that do not taint the coffee.

First, fill the base with water up to it's safety valve. Fill the filter chamber with finely ground coffee, do not pack it down. Place the filter chamber in the base and screw the top on tightly. Place the pot on the heat. When the coffee starts to pour out of the stem in the top, reduce the heat to low. When you hear a gurgling noise, all of the water is out of the base. Remove it from the heat and wait for the coffee to stop pouring from the stem.

Coffee Storage
The first step that you can take to preserve your coffee's flavor, is to keep it whole bean until needed. If you do not already have one, purchase a grinder for your coffee. The second step is to keep your coffee in a sealed container that prevents the coffee from being exposed to the surrounding air.

Another consideration is the length of time that the coffee needs to be stored. If you will use the coffee you have within two weeks, then keeping it in a sealed container in a cool cupboard is fine. If you need to keep your coffee longer than two weeks, then keep it in a sealed container in your freezer. When keeping coffee in the freezer, take out only the amount you are going to use and put the remainder back into the freezer immediately. Coffee kept in the freezer will last a month or more.