Preparing Kona Coffee
Your step-by-step guide to brewing the perfect cup—from
grind to pour, the Kona way.
Your step-by-step guide to brewing the perfect cup—from
grind to pour, the Kona way.
Explore expert tips on freshness, grinding, and brewing—your complete guide to the perfect cup.
About Brewing
How to Keep Your Coffee Fresh
How to Grind Coffee
How to Make Pour Over Coffee
How to Make a Drip Coffee
How to Make Espresso
How to Make Cold Brew
1. What’s the best grind for a French press?
A coarse grind is preferred to ensure that the extraction of flavor maintains a smooth finish without an overwhelming aftertaste which may occur with a finer grind when doing a French press brewing process.
2. What’s the best grind for cold brew coffee?
Similar to the reasoning for making a coarse grind choice for a French press method, it is also recommended that a coarse grind is selected for cold brewing.
3. What temperature is best for brewing coffee?
Around 195*F-205*F is ideal. Any hotter will result in scorching the coffee.
4. What is the difference between a cold brew and a regularly brewed coffee?
Cold brew coffee is steeped in cold water typically for 24 hours. While a regularly brewed cup is made with hot water, this will pull out more of the caffeine than the cold water does, yet the cold brew is known to have more body and flavor.
5. What brews a better cup of coffee, and auto drip or a French press?
It is up to the preference of the coffee drinker and which brewing technique accommodates their lifestyle and taste best. Some methods of brewing can be more time consuming, like that of a French press.
When coffee, like many other agricultural products, oxidizes the quality degrades. There are four main elements that degrade the aroma, flavor and quality of coffee over time. By minimizing these, coffee will stay fresher for longer:
Once the coffee bag is opened, whole bean coffee will last longer than ground coffee. While still whole, the coffee will last for about 6 months while the ground coffee beans may last for about 3 months. If you’re going to use the coffee in just a few weeks, folding the bag over, clipping it, and storing in a cool, dry place will suffice. Storing in a refrigerator or freezer is NOT recommended. The coffee will extract moisture and absorb flavors of the other food stored inside.
To prolong the storage of your coffee, you can use one of our Airscape Canisters available in our gift shop and online. These containers help minimize all of the elements that will deteriorate the flavor and quality of coffee. The metal canister prevents light from contacting the coffee and dissipates heat quickly. The double seal formed by the lid and plunger prevent oxygen and moisture from contacting the coffee. Resulting in coffee beans that stay fresh for as long as possible.
We recommend having a personal grinder at home, if not a mortar and pestle can be used. There are four commonly used home grinders:
There are different grinds required for the different methods of brewing.
We suggest the best ratio for making a well-balanced cup of drip coffee is 1 tablespoon of medium ground coffee per 6 oz. of water.
To brew espresso without a machine:
Brewing with a machine:
Tamp:
Tamp:
Time:
There are three main ways of making cold brew coffee.
Whatever your preferred method, start with Mountain Thunder 100% Kona Coffee. Take 16 tablespoons of the coarsely ground coffee and combine with 32 oz. of filtered water. After steeping in the refrigerator for 24 hours, remove the grounds and you will be left with a cold brew concentrate to enjoy for up to 4 days.
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