What do physics and coffee have to do with each other? More than you might think! Coffee brewing is all about the quality of the beans, the grinding of the beans, and the method used for brewing. Coffee beans are ground according to brewing technique; the coarser grind for percolators, for instance, with a super-fine grind for espresso. However, there is nothing wrong with using a finer grind for everyday coffee. It doesn't change the taste and (here's where the physics comes in) the higher the amount of surface area available in the coffee during brewing, the more coffee you can get out of a given amount of coffee beans. It's a pretty simple concept and in this article you'll learn make your coffee last longer with this and other tips.
Instructions
1. Grind your coffee into a "Turkish" grind. Turkish grind is nearly a fine powder. Most store coffee grinders, and the grinders at cafes, have a Turkish grinding setting. If you already have coarser-grind coffee at home, regrind it in a coffee grinder until it begins to clump slightly and is a fine powder.
2. Use half your normal amount of coffee to make a test pot. Some people report being able to use as little as one third of the coarser-grind amount to make an equivalent cup of coffee. Sometimes the finer-ground coffee spoils quicker; use it quickly, or grind in small batches.
3. Freeze all coffee. Freeze your ground coffee to keep it from spoiling. Spoiled coffee tastes extremely bitter, and even coffee that is vacuum-packed can spoil. At $5 or more per can or pound, letting coffee spoil not only shortens its usefulness, but wastes money.
4. Refrigerate or freeze leftover coffee. Can't finish the pot? Pour the coffee into a small container and place in the refrigerator for iced coffee later, or to use in recipes (i.e., cookies, shakes, smoothies). Freezing coffee in ice cube trays can be a great method for making iced coffee--cold coffee plus ice cubed coffee can be a great summer treat.
5. Use grounds twice. This depression-era technique is still valuable and worthwhile when working to make your coffee last longer. Take your coffee filter with used ground in it, and add 1/2 the normal amount of fresh grounds. Make coffee with the normal amount of water. The quality of the coffee is slightly less appealing, but you are stretching your coffee dollars.
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