The Coffee Expert: How To Brew The Perfect Cup, Coffee & Health, and More!

You buy your daily cup of coffee at a reputable local coffee shop like Hampton Coffee Company, love the coffee, and bring some beans home to brew, but it doesn’t taste the same as at the shop. Naturally, you ask yourself…

How Do I Brew The Perfect Cup of Coffee at Home?

Well, it all comes down to four things.

The first thing is that coffee is about 99.9% water, so always use some kind of filtered water. Now, you don’t need to go buy expensive bottled water. Any bottled water on sale or filtered water from something like a Brita pitcher is fine. This greatly improves the taste of your coffee and will make your coffeemaker last longer, too!

Second, use the correct amount of coffee. Of course, this is up to your taste, so experiment, but a good guide to keep in mind is about 2 tablespoons (which is one coffee scoop) for every mug or 2 lines on your coffee pot.

Third, make sure you have the coffee shop grind your beans correctly for your machine. For a Mr. Coffee-type pot, you would want the Auto Drip setting. For a Percolator or French Press, you need a Course setting.

And finally, make sure you are using fresh, high-quality coffee. That doesn’t mean breaking the budget. (At Hampton Coffee Company, for example, our hand-roasted estate-grown coffee is just $12.50/pound—that equates to only about 32-cents a cup.)

Just buy a little at a time, about what you’d expect to use within a week or two. Ground coffee only stays fresh for about three weeks. Keep it in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place like a kitchen pantry or cabinet. No refrigerator or freezer—that only damages the coffee. Of course, even better is to grind the coffee as you need it. Beans last about 3 months and you can pick-up an inexpensive blade grinder at Hampton Coffee Company or Target for about $29.

Medical Research Shows Health Benefits of Coffee

Television personality Dr. Oz recently published an article that highlighted some current medical research involving the health benefits of coffee. He says that even just one cup a day can bring you some protection. Here’s what Dr. Oz found:

1. Coffee can lower stroke risk by 30 percent. While previous studies said you needed to drink several cups, new research shows that only a cup a day (even decaf!) can give you protection.

2. A cup of Joe can lower cancer risk. Dr. Oz points to a 13-year study of Japanese men and women that found drinking a cup or more a day was associated with 50% less cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus than in people who didn’t drink coffee.

3. In the final study Dr. Oz talked about, he found that more coffee can do more for some health issues. Two to three cups cuts the risk of all deaths by 18% in women and 3% in men. Three cups drops your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and more may help you avoid Type II Diabetes.

Thanks to Dr. Oz for bringing this research to our attention and of course, if you are concerned about coffee and your health, you should speak to your own doctor first.

Coming Up Next!
Well, that’s it for this time. I hope you enjoyed my first column on danshamptons.com. Next time we will bring some more coffee news to you. If you have an idea for the next column or have a coffee-related question we can help you out with in the meantime, please e-mail me atHamptonCoffee@aol.com, or visit me at Hampton Coffee Company in Water Mill where I can be found in the Roasting Room. Feel free to ask for me or ask any member of our team and we will help you.

Dwight Amade lives in Wainscott and is the Roastmaster at Hampton Coffee Company Espresso Bar and Cafe in Water Mill and a member of the prestigious Roasters Guild of America. Located next to The Green Thumb Farmstand, Hampton Coffee Company is an 18-year-old family-owned local espresso bar and cafe company with a second outpost in Westhampton Beach (on the Six Corners Roundabout next to Village Hall) and a custom-built Mobile Espresso Unit. In addition to their own freshly baked muffins and famous scones, they also feature homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, Panini, and wraps. Their Water Mill location also features a full-service, sit-down Zagat-rated breakfast and lunch cafe with outdoor seating in season. Highlights include Breakfast Burritos, Belgian Waffles, housemade Hamburgers, and an Authentic Mexican Grill. You can find out more about them at www.hamptoncoffeecompany.com.