1. Grind Your Own Coffee
Unless you're using state of the art coffee packaging, ground coffee can stale in as little as fifteen minutes. Burr grinders are the best, but any grinder is better than none.
Don't have a grinder? No problem. Here at Death Wish, we grind our coffee as close to shipdate as possible to ensure that you're getting the freshest cup. Using only double walled, foiled gusseted bags, oxygen flows only one way: out.
Here are some more tips and tricks about how to keep your coffee as fresh as possible.
2. Preheat Your Mug
The temperature of the material will have a great impact on how long your coffee stays warm.
While your coffee is brewing, let it sit with near-boiling water until you're ready to pour. (Faucet hot water will also work if you don't have access to a kettle).
3. Use Proper Ratios
It's easy to get in the habit of just blindly scooping, but measuring your coffee can have a huge impact on the flavor.
We recommend 2.5 tablespoons per every 6 oz of water. If you're using a scale to measure weight, the ratio should be 15:1. For every gram of coffee, use 15 grams of water. Of course, the best ratios are the ones that you find to be the most pleasing through experimentation. Keep track of the ratios that you do like, to make every cup your best cup.
4. Use a Proper Mug
There are certain materials that just don't work with coffee. Plastic, aluminum, and paper are the three main culprits because they impart flavors from the vessel itself into your coffee.
Would you slurp milk out of paper plate material? I don't think so! Among the best materials used for mugs are stainless steel, glass, and sealed ceramic. With materials such as these, the only thing you'll be tasting is coffee.
5. Keep a Clean Coffee Maker
This trick shouldn't be used every time you brew, but here's a quick test to see if it should be done: take apart your brewer and take a big whiff of it. Smell like old coffee? It's time to clean it!
Coffee oils turn rancid more quickly than you may think. With equal parts white vinegar and water, run your machine until it's about halfway done. At this point, shut it off and wait about 45 minutes. Finish the cycle, then run it two or three more full times with water only. Wash the removable parts as you normally would, paying extra attention to the parts that may have collected oil. Remember: a clean coffee maker makes clean coffee.