The Right Grind

Having made your selection, make sure you have a suitable grind for the coffee equipment you are using (ie coarse for basic infusing, medium for plunger, drip filter, stove pots and vacuum brewing and fine for espresso machines). Your coffee supplier can help you choose the right grind. If you grind your own coffee, where possible use a cone or plate grinder rather than the more common blade type. The blade grinders don't provide a consistent grain size and this factor can lead to insufficient extraction of the flavours and a cup of coffee with a muddy residue.

You will need 7 grams of ground coffee for each cup of coffee.

Use only FRESH Coffee

Of critical importance is the freshness of your coffee. As ground coffee beans begin lose their flavour almost immediately, it is preferable to only buy enough for a week at a time and have it ground while you wait. Coffee beans, however, keep longer and retain most of their freshness for two or three weeks after roasting. Beans and ground coffee should always be kept in an airtight container in a cool dark spot - remember that exposure to oxygen is the main reason coffee loses its flavour. To help maintain the freshness of their coffee, good coffee suppliers are now using resealable packaging with a one way valve which allows the excess carbon dioxide out of the bag whilst preventing air to enter.

Most of the coffee available in supermarkets is roasted and packaged interstate or overseas and is likely to have deteriorated significantly even before you purchase it. Locally roasted and properly packaged coffee offers the best chance of retaining the full coffee flavour for your enjoyment.