Spring and summer are the time for celebrations. Since coffee is drunk in Finland both at parties and in everyday life, we have compiled the best tips, instructions and advice for making good coffee. For the most urgent Googlers, the measurements and instructions are here:
1 cup of coffee = 1.25 dl of water
1 cup of coffee = 7.5 grams of coffee powder
10 cups of coffee in a coffee maker = 1.25 liters of water and 75 grams of coffee
1 guest = average of 2 cups of coffee
The world's shortest tip for making good coffee
1. Measure cold, fresh water from the tap into the coffee maker using a separate water jug.
2. Wet the filter bag thoroughly with running water.
3. Measure 7.5 grams of coffee per 1.25 dl of water, or a good tablespoon per measured cup. Check that everything is in order in the device and press the power button on.
4. Wait for the coffee to brew. If you want to make a high-quality brew, lift the water and coffee powder mixture in the funnel a few times after the water has covered the powder so that the coffee brews evenly.
5. Drink your coffee slightly cooled to enjoy the best aromas.
The world's shortest tip for choosing good coffee
1. Buy coffee from Lehmus Roastery, voted the best roastery in Finland twice in a row, either from retailers, Satamatie 6, or from Lehmus Roastery's online store .
2. Buy coffee beans and grind them at the store or at Satamatie's mill. Ground coffee is also fine, that's great too.
3. Good light coffee: Kanava or Myllysaari, good darker coffee: Pusupuisto or Muukko, good really dark coffee with milk: Lauritsala. For espresso, Sammonlahti.
4. Rule of thumb for coffee sufficiency: A 220 gram coffee bag will yield 30 cups of coffee. A 500 gram package will yield 67 cups. A 1 kilo package will yield 130 cups of coffee.
On the left is the model of a leveled tablespoon. That would be 4.5 grams of coffee, which is too little. In the middle is the model of a heaped tablespoon, which is 7.5 grams. That's correct. On the right is the model of a Moccamaster brown measure, which has 12 grams of coffee.
More in-depth information: what is the right amount of coffee?
In short: 7.5 grams of coffee per 1.25 deciliter cup. In longer terms: 6 grams of coffee per deciliter, or a pot of coffee = 75 grams.
Special tip: The Moccamaster brown coffee scoop, when evenly filled, will brew 12 grams of coffee. Moccamaster recommends using approximately 1 scoop of ground coffee for every 2 cups of coffee, i.e. 10 cups of water = 6 scoops of ground coffee.
To explain it even further: Automatic coffee machines, or more commonly known as coffee makers, designed for making filter coffee, have a measurement chart. The measurement charts are mostly standardized, meaning that the reading on the water tank of the machine means the same thing regardless of the manufacturer.
One cup in a coffee maker means 1.25 deciliters of water. The extraction absorbs about 12-15 percent of the coffee drink, so a full pot contains about 1.1 liters of finished coffee, even though 1.25 liters of water has been measured in it. Similarly, for example, six cups of coffee means in practice 6.5 deciliters of finished coffee instead of 7.5 deciliters.
We recommend using a kitchen scale to measure coffee grounds and water. Volume alone can be a bit misleading, as light coffee weighs more than dark. In other words, dark coffee requires more volume than light coffee. This way, by measuring weight, not volume, you will get optimally filtered coffee.
Additionally, accuracy can be misleading when measured in different ways. We tested this in a blind test at a roastery. We asked our staff to blindly measure coffee grounds into 10 cups of coffee. The target amount in grams was 75 grams. The results ranged from 58 grams to 110 grams.
Special tip: If the coffee is too weak, add a little more coffee to the next extraction and taste again.
If the coffee is too strong, reduce the amount of coffee powder in the next extraction and taste again.
Wetting the filter paper prevents the paper aroma and possible paper dust from getting into the coffee. However, the oxygen-bleached white filter bag itself is relatively clean.
What if the coffee tastes bad?
Coffee should generally taste sweet and smooth, not bitter or sharp. The fault may be old or spoiled coffee, but there may also be a fault with the extraction equipment.
Get the basics right: dispense water with a separate jug. Use the coffee pot only for brewing and possibly serving the finished coffee.
If you don't use your coffee maker every day, it might be a good idea to empty it by turning it upside down over the sink. There is always some water in the water tank inside the coffee maker, so water that has been sitting for a long time could ruin the whole coffee.
It is generally a good idea to keep your coffee maker clean. Grease can build up in the coffee maker and coffee pot. Grease can be removed with inexpensive liquids designed for cleaning coffee makers. Simply filtering water through the coffee maker several times can also clean the machine's pipes.
If you store coffee in a thermos, it is a good idea to replace the fresh coffee every hour or at least every two hours.
Fresh and crisp water = fewer impurities = fewer off-flavors due to water.
Tips and tricks for making even better filter coffee
If you already have the basic skills, you can improve the extraction of filter coffee with an automatic coffee maker with a few good tricks.
1. It is often said that the filter bag must be soaked to completely remove the papery taste. It is best to simply rinse the filter bag under running water with the narrower end of the funnel pointing upwards. This way, any paper dust will flow out of the bag with the water and not remain at the bottom to affect the taste.
2. Another tip is related to the initial stage of coffee brewing. When enough hot water has poured into the funnel that the dry coffee grounds have been completely covered, you can stir the coffee grounds by carefully lifting the wet coffee grounds from different sides of the funnel in a rotating motion. This way, the entire coffee grounds are extracted evenly, and the water does not just flow through the middle of the coffee grounds and leave the coffee grounds at the edge unextracted.
You can stir the coffee lightly in its pan before serving.
3. A small final stir can be made to the surface layer of the water after all the water has come through the tank and the final stage of extraction is underway. However, in this case, it is not a good idea to touch the coffee pod, but rather the surface water and give it a small swirling motion.
4. Coffee should not be drunk hot, but can be allowed to cool down so that the coffee feels pleasant in the mouth. Coffee that is too hot does not release much aroma, so the coffee is wasted a bit. Coffee can also be drunk cold, as cold coffee has different flavors than warm or hot coffee.
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More tips and some of these tips come from the Cappuzine podcast , made by award-winning Finnish championship-level baristas Jarno Peräkylä and Samuli Parkkinen .
On Soundcloud, the episode on making filter coffee can be found here .