Everyone enjoys a good cup of coffee. There is nothing that warms the soul early in the morning after a good nights sleep or after a hard days work. A good cup of coffee can put you in the mood for great conversations be it business or pleasure. And how often has a good cup of coffee complimented a wonderful meal followed by dessert. Coffee has been the beverage of choice for many cultures from the South Americans, North Americans, Europeans and the South Indians. So much so that coffee shops have become kind of a hangout place for the modern yuppies from Manhattan to Seattle and from London to New Delhi. However, as one knows there is a definite difference between bad coffee and good coffee and more than that, there is a huge difference between good coffee and great coffee. Well, unless you want to, you do not need to spend tons of money to enjoy great coffee. You can make great coffee right in your home and what is more important, you can make great coffee every single time. In this article, we will explore the variables involved in making consistent coffee every single time. After all it is consistency that we are after, once we have identified the perfect taste.

To begin with, we need to accept the fact that making a great cup of coffee is really an engineering process control phenomenon. With that in mind, let us account for all the raw materials involved. You have coffee beans, water, sweetener and creamer. First step is to control the raw materials source and quality. Hence whatever be your taste, purchase the same grade and same brand of coffee beans from the same store. Next, use preferably bottled water from the same company. Do not start using tap water with or without filtration devices. Tap water is never consistent in taste and this will affect the taste of the final product. Coming to sweeteners, if you choose sugar, then use the same brand and grade every single time. Without mentioning brands, some companies have various grades of sugar. Stay with the same grade whether you use sugar or any other sugar substitute. And finally, the same is applicable as far as creamer is concerned. If you are using fat free creamers, then stay with the same fat content creamer AND the same brand. So now you have locked up the variables in the raw materials. There is one more raw material that you may not have thought about. We will reserve this to the end of this article. You may choose to have a cup of coffee in the mean time as you ponder what that could be. Next comes the processing equipment. The coffee brewing machine should be of a good quality that maintains the optimum temperature of the coffee pot once the coffee has been brewed and you need to control the amount of time the brewed coffee can stay unused in the pot before you throw it away. There is no way you will get consistent taste if you let it sit ten minutes in the pot one time and two hours the next time around. So shelf life control is critical. Next is the filter media being used. Stay with the same brand of coffee filters used. Differences in filter pores can make a difference to the taste of coffee. Use measured amounts of creamer and sweeter every time and use the same order of mixing. For instance, if you plan to put in creamer first and then sugar and then coffee, then stay with the same order every time. The amount of water put in the coffee machine should also be a measured quantity every time and so should the amount of coffee grinds. Coffee beans should be roasted to the same level every time and sieved to the same level every time so you avoid inconsistencies in the coffee grind particle size. This affects the surface area exposed to the hot water flowing through and will affect the final taste. And now comes the hidden raw material that was discussed early on. That is the cleaning materials used to clean the coffee pot. You must use a new scoring pad every single time along with the same cleaning fluid every single time and perform the final rinse only with the same brand of bottled water that you use to brew your coffee. Sounds like a triviality, however, you will not believe the subtle changes in taste that ensues by using differences in cleaning techniques. Thus controlling all of the variables will ensure consistently great coffee every single time. Life is too short for inconsistent and bad coffee.

Source: http://articlewonders.com