So you've got some really fresh, specialty coffee in hand. But how do you make it? You throw it in your countertop auto-drip coffee maker and try it out. But it's not all that good! Is specialty coffee just junk wearing the emperor's new cloths? Is all this hype about quality just talk?!?
1. Miscela, Great Coffee Beans
Coffee beans are not all equal. There is commodity coffee and there is specialty. In the coffee industry, we call this the Miscela, the Italian word for the kind of coffee used in the beverage. But in the industry, there are three other M words that affect how our final beverage turns out. A great Miscela but sloppy preparation methods or imprecise equipment will result in a bad drink. On top of a quality bean, Miscela also speaks to is the coffee fresh and recently roasted? You can read more about fresh coffee here
2. Macinazione, Precise Grind
Discerning the differences between great, good, and average coffee depends on brewing methods that you use. The coffee industry talks about a consistent and customized grind for your brewing method. This is the second M, Macinazione, which describes your grind. We've talked in other blogs about getting a grinder for your coffee. There are some affordable, entry-level burr grinders that we recommend here.
3. Macchina, Efficient Equipment
Related to a great grind, provided by a great grinder, is quality equipment for extracting a quality brew. This M is the Macchina, the machine. What kind of equipment do you use to brew your amazing, high-quality coffee? Are you putting high octane gasoline into a mis-firing clunker? Or is your brewing equipment efficient and precise?
4. Mano, hands, YOU!
We've talked about three of the M's: the Miscela (great coffee), the Macinazione (precise grind), the Macchina (efficient brew machine). The final M is the Mano, the hand, the person, the barista, YOU! Get some education. Be mindful during your preparation and you'll find that those great beans truly are significantly better than the ol' tub-o-coffee that you used to find at the grocery store. To improve your Mano, read our brewing guides here