Brewing with a personal coffee maker

[HardCharger]

Hi All!

First of all, Happy New Year!

My significant other gave me a Black & Decker personal coffee maker for Christmas as I love coffee. It has a reusable (and environmentally friendly stainless steel screen filter) and a cup instead of a pot, meaning one brew batch equals one cup.

My questions are the following:

1.) How fine or coarse should I grind my beans to get the optimum flavor?
2.) Can I use the grounds more than once?
3.) Where can I get an air tight container and scoop to store and dispense the ground beans with?

Thanks.

Hope to hear from y'all again soon.

Best regards!

[ab_initio]

Hi All!

First of all, Happy New Year!

My significant other gave me a Black & Decker personal coffee maker for Christmas as I love coffee. It has a reusable (and environmentally friendly stainless steel screen filter) and a cup instead of a pot, meaning one brew batch equals one cup.

My questions are the following:

1.) How fine or coarse should I grind my beans to get the optimum flavor?
2.) Can I use the grounds more than once?
3.) Where can I get an air tight container and scoop to store and dispense the ground beans with?

Thanks.

Hope to hear from y'all again soon.

Best regards!

1. better to have your coffee from fine ground beans; the finer it gets, the better it gives off the aroma.

2. if you're gonna use the same ground within 24 hours, i guess, it's ok. the trick is to add the used ground with another batch of new ground, to get the desired taste and aroma.

3. i found one at rustan's power plant mall... please check, Sir.

[XTO]

1. do you have a personal coffee grinder? IMO ready made grounded beans is much recommended.
2. you can. but it’ll not be as intense as the first cup.
3. there are sealed type containers available in the kitchenware areas, just look for the size you prefer or you can buy a branded one coffee beans in container to make it your own storage later.

[CVT]

I have an electrical grinder. Turns it on from 8 to 12 second depending on the 'amount' of beans I am grinding. It is better to stock coffee beans as it has a longer 'shelf life'.... BTW, there are manual grinders being sold at Gourdo's (I think). Just make sure that the grounded beans will not pass through your filter....

I do not reuse the grounded coffee beans. I throw them away after the drip. I do not recommend reusing them.

7202:bruce_lee:

[Horsepower]

Hi All!

First of all, Happy New Year!

My significant other gave me a Black & Decker personal coffee maker for Christmas as I love coffee. It has a reusable (and environmentally friendly stainless steel screen filter) and a cup instead of a pot, meaning one brew batch equals one cup.

My questions are the following:

1.) How fine or coarse should I grind my beans to get the optimum flavor?
2.) Can I use the grounds more than once?
3.) Where can I get an air tight container and scoop to store and dispense the ground beans with?

Thanks.

Hope to hear from y'all again soon.

Best regards!

Happy new year :D

1. The average or common texture is okay when you buy ground coffee. Just don't get those that are too fine because they'll clog the filter. The coffeemaker I was able to get was Braun and it uses a disposable paper filter (you're lucky yours is reusable ).

Since you are after flavor, you might wanna get roasted beans and grind the coffee manually yourself before brewing, this is usually the practice.

2. I have not tried this yet.

3. Just buy an authentic lock-n-lock container. Remember, it must be air-sealed because the more oxygen that coffee is exposed to, the more its flavor deteriorates.

After this, you'll want to get an Espresso machine. I'm eyeing a Krups espresso + latte machine.

[ab_initio]

Happy new year :D

After this, you'll want to get an Espresso machine. I'm eyeing a Krups espresso + latte machine.

would you know how much is this one, Sir?

[ess]

Hi All!
1.) How fine or coarse should I grind my beans to get the optimum flavor?

That depends on your coffee machine. Since you've got a drip brew machine, you'll need to get a medium grind. The flavor of your coffee will also be influenced by the type of filter that you use.

You'll get a better flavor if you use a permanent filter. However, you'll also get some fine silt/sediments. This is not really a problem...but you wouldn't want to drink the coffee to the last drop though. The sediments tastes really nasty. Also, if you will be going with a permanent filter, get the metal one. The plastic one somehow imparts a slight aftertaste.

If you use a paper filter, you will not get those nasty sediments. However, paper filters trap the essential oils that are released during the brewing process. This mutes the flavor a little bit.

Hi All!
2.) Can I use the grounds more than once?

Heavens...NO NO NO.
Proper brewing requires the grounds to be exposed to the hot water for a fixed time period. During this time period, the essential oils and the flavors are extracted. If you exceed this time period, that's when the nasty, foul chemicals are also extracted.
These nasty chemicals are what give coffee that burnt, bitter and sometimes sour aftertaste.
If you re-use coffee grounds, you'll be extracting only the bitter and sour flavors.
Don't reuse coffee grounds. Instead, give them to your plants as fertilizer.

Hi All!
3.) Where can I get an air tight container and scoop to store and dispense the ground beans with?

You'll find a lot of those in the home/kitchen section of any department stores. Get the opaque ones. Coffee beans need to be stored in a dark airtight container.

[HardCharger]

Thanks for all the replies!

I have an electronic grinder at home which I can use to grind the beans up hence the question of how fine or coarse the resulting grounds should be. I think I'll try medium ground as ess suggested.

The air tight container I'll be needing to transport said grounds and store them for when I will be brewing at the office. I plan to put this coffee maker on my desk

Using the used grounds as fertilizer is a novel idea! Thanks for reminding me that I can do this.

Espresso machine? Hmm... That, is for a later date.

[ab_initio]

^^happy brewing Sir! enjoy your coffee...always a pleasant experience. more pleasant (maybe enchanting, priceless coffee date) when wifey drops by and bring you blueberry cheesecake! share a cup then!

hope it'll perk you up at a time when you need to be awake...wehehe!

[ess]

If you ever get tired of the drip brew taste, you may also want to ramp things up a bit by getting a French Press. I prefer the taste of coffee made from this over the drip brew method. Rich and lots of body. (Unfortunately, lots of sediments/sludge too.) 1-cup french presses are fairly inexpensive and very office friendly.