Many people believe that freezing coffee is the best way to keep it fresh. However, according to coffee experts, you should NEVER freeze coffee grounds. Storing coffee in a ceramic or glass container with a rubber seal and preferably one that does not allow light through it is best. Enemies of storing coffee are air, light, heat and moisture. STOP freezing your beans!
Never store your coffee in the freezer, especially the refrigerator as this develops moisture around the bean. You may store it in the freezer if you intend to keep the beans for over two weeks but no more than 45 days and ONLY if you intend to take it out of the freezer ONCE.

Acidity, Flavor and Body
Ever refer to a cup of coffee as "strong?" Well, for most people that's the best description they have for a more acidic or a smoky flavored coffee. The industry professionals rarely use the term strong.
Acidity is the sharpness in a cup of java, relative terms to describe acidity is mellow, soft, flat, dead, delicate, bland, and rough.
Flavor is the combination of the aroma and the taste that the coffee impresses in the mouth. Terms relating to flavor are nutty, caramelly, earthy, spicy, fruity, smoky, musty, rich, grassy, chocolaty, neutral, sweet, turpeny and winey. Body is the "mouth-feel" in terms of weight and texture. These terms are best described as syrupy, harsh, lifeless, thin, heavy, medium, muddy and full.



IN THE BEGINNING... Early use of this drink was largely linked to medicinal or religious purposes by the Arabs starting around 1000 A.D. Soon, the feeling of exhilaration from the caffeine of the drink became a sought-after side effect. A popular Arab legend tells of the Sheik Omar, who experimented with brewing some coffee from raw wild coffee berries he found in his travels during his exile from Mocha. Thanks in part to the beneficial effects of the caffeine, the Sheik survived his exile and upon his return to Mocha, introduced his new way of preparing the drink.



The Arabs refined their methods of preparing the drink over many years. For over 300 years, coffee drinkers drank the grounds right along with the boiled water. Then, they began drinking the liquid alone, leaving the grounds to settle at the bottom of the cup. As methods for preparing coffee became more refined, the popularity of the drink spread first through coffee houses, known as qahveh khaneh, and then into the home where elaborate ceremonies became associated with consumption of the drink. Soon, coffee had became such an important part of the lives of the Arabs that, in Turkey, a husband who refused to provide his wife with the drink could be divorced by her!



A FEW WORDS ABOUT...WATER TEMPERATURE The perfect temperature for brewing coffee is water "just off boil" or in technical terms approximately 195 degrees. Too hot and you burn the beans giving you a bitter taste, too cold and you won't extract any flavor or the oils off the bean. After the brewing process is complete, most equipment typically keeps the coffee served at 165 to 175 degrees. Coffee in a glass carafe stored on a warmer only lasts twenty minutes before taste is compromised. Coffee kept in an air-pot lasts up to an hour, so invest in an air-pot.


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