FAQs & TIPS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & TIPS FOR BETTER COFFEE MAKING
MY COFFEE DOESN’T TASTE THE WAY I LIKE IT. HOW CAN I IMPROVE THE FLAVOUR?
Clean the machine –It’s pretty simple but so often forgotten. If not cleaned, your coffee machine builds up gunk (oils) over time in the group head and port filter handle. That gunk is bitter and makes its way into your coffee drink. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to clean your machine at least once a fortnight for domestic use. And don’t forget to clean your steam wand every time after use!
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The right grind and the freshness of the beans are the two most important factors in making a great coffee. The grind may need to be adjusted for each new bag of coffee as the right grind will change with freshness. See our tips below on finding the correct coffee grind.
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Buy freshly roasted coffee. Coffee beans peak in flavour at 10-12 days after roasting and will deteriorate after that over a 6 week period from roasting. This is why it’s always better buying locally roasted coffee. Try to buy only enough beans that you would expect to use in a month or less. Coffee roasted overseas is already many weeks or months old when it hits supermarket shelves.
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I LIKE A MORE BITTER COFFEE. CAN I MAKE MY COFFEE BITTER?
Minerva Coffee’s beans are not typically bitter. But a few changes in your coffee making process can bring some bitterness to your caffe latte or short black.
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Over-extracting the coffee shot (a longer espresso extraction than usual) will produce a more bitter coffee.
You may need to run a few trials of the extraction process to find the right taste for you.
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Using a lighter, low fat milk will also produce a more bitter milk-based coffee.
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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARABICA AND ROBUSTA COFFEE BEANS, AND IS ONE BETTER THAN THE OTHER?
Robusta beans exhibit better crema and body whilst arabica provides a better overall flavour profile, which is why the best coffee is a carefully balanced blend of the two. But it’s all about individual flavour. 100% arabica is not necessarily better. Minerva Coffee includes a portion of robusta beans because we understand robusta beans add depth and body.
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THE CORRECT GRIND IS (ALMOST) EVERYTHING!
The best coffee is made by grinding coffee beans immediately before extracting coffee through your machine. However, the correct grind can change from bag to bag depending on various factors including freshness of the roast, types of green beans used, roast profile (light or dark). If you’re using a manually adjustable grinder you may need to play around with the fineness of the grind when you open a new bag of coffee beans. What you’re looking for with the correct grind is an 18-22 second slow pour that looks like a “rat’s tail” as it’s extracted from the group head and leaves about a 3mm thick crema layer on top of your espresso.
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I DON’T HAVE A GRINDER. CAN I USE MINERVA COFFEE IN MY STOVETOP COFFEE MAKER OR PLUNGER?
We recommend you buy a grinder! Using freshly ground beans is the single best way of improving the quality of your coffee. If the coffee is ground too course you'll under extract the coffee (fast pour) which will produce a bland cup.
If the grind is too fine the coffee will be over extracted (too slow pour) and bitter.
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However, if you don’t have a grinder, you can request ground coffee beans from Minerva Coffee.
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HOW SHOULD I STORE MY COFFEE BEANS OR GROUND BEANS AFTER I OPEN THE BAG?
There’s no perfect way to store coffee after opening the sealed bag. But it will help if you store the coffee away from light, air and moisture.
