Know Your Joe

Mr. White likes his joe the way he likes his storyline: Black

Now that the Atlantic has posted How to Make Perfect Coffee, I have to say I feel vindicated. I have to say that because saying, "I told you so" is impolite and inappropriate. The article uses some jargony jargon and names golden ratios and some neat sciencey sounding tools but the short take away is you can make great coffee by following some common sense rules:

• Use good, recently roasted whole bean coffee
• Store properly
• Grind just before brewing, preferably in a burr grinder
• Choose the correct grind to suit your method of choice
• Use the right coffee to water ratio
• Use the right temperature of water

Probably the only thing I don't really do on that list is know the temperature of the water - I boil it, I pour it (I use a French press so I pour enough to cover the coffee first, then wait, top up, stir, wait, plunge). Sometimes I wait too long to pour it and I guess I'm usually pouring it too soon. Another thing I've been saying for years is that I prefer light-roast to dark-roast and as such I won't drink a Starbucks coffee because it essentially tastes burnt (also known as "terrible). A couple of years ago I saw a documentary wherein a panel of coffee experts chose Ethopian Yirgacheffe as the best coffee in the world. I gasped the gasp of pride. That's been my staple for years (and oddly the only light-roast my local coffee shop sold). In the words of the fictional Tracy Jordan, I hate to say, "I told you so", so… "Welcome to Miami!"

I say all this on the eve of heading to St. John's where no one troubles too much about coffee so I'll have to make do somehow without packing my grinder, beans and press.