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Show Park Record. PARK CITY, UTAH Saturday, aprii 16,2005 Events Calendar: C2, Crossword: C4, Scene & Heard: C7, TV Listings: C8, Classifieds: CIO An introduction to the art of coffee making: Be your own barista Making a good cup a matter of attention to detailV quality of beans By MATT JAMES 0 f the Record staff Coffee has a fascinating range. It can be brewed in a simple pot over a fire with a sock for a filter and some Tabasco for some flavor, or it can be frozen, sweetened, mixed and modified, or it can be morphed into sometiling like a frozen Frappuccino, one of those creations which bears a greater resemblance to a creamsicle than a drink brewed from the beans of a coffee tree. But between those two poles of pure grit and saccharin smoothness lies the heart of the coffee experience, where a cup can bring morning wakefulness or a simple dessert to a fine meal. And while some might consider themselves cursed to a fate of poorly brewed potions too waten' lo tasle or too acrid to bear, a good cup of coffee is within reach for almost anyone, so long as you can get the right equipment and follow directions. At first, the task can be a daunting one. "There are so many issues and so many dimensions to it," said Ken Davis, owner of the Java Cow Cafe and Bakery on Main Street. He pointed to the different brewing times for different types of coffee. He talked about issues like the freshness of the coffee beans, the different grinds needed for different brewing methods, and the different types and blends of beans available. All of those things are factors in brewing coffee, certainly, but ultimately, coffee brewing comes down to a few much simpler elements. Starbucks calls them, "The Four Fundamentals," they are "the cornerstones of making great coffee." Nearly all coffee authorities agree about those elements in one way or another; they are: proportion of coffee to water, grind, quality of water and freshness of die coffee. 3. KC--O. GRAYSON WEST/PARK RECORD A latte by Java Cow barista Brian Gray shows one of the beverage's many artistic possibilities. cur-1 01 .ff gg According to both Tiflanie Barton, assistant store manager at Park City's Starbucks, and Michel Boroff, owner of Bad Ass Coffee on Park Ave., the most important element is the one that's hardest to see and control: the water. It is. after all, 98-percent of a cup of coffee. "If you have not-so-good water, coffee takes the blame," said Boroff. With Park City's mine-shaft water sources heavy in minerals, both Starbucks and Bad Ass filter their tap water multiple times. For the best possible coffee, the water should be either be filtered or from a bottle. Softened water and water with chlorine, iron or sulfur smells should be avoided. The other main component of coffee is, of course, the beans themselves. Bad Ass specializes in Hawaiian Kona coffee, a rare but extremely popular coffee low in acidity. Java Cow offers coffee from Caffe Ibis, a local specialty roaster from Logan. Starbucks1 beans come from dozens of sources around the world. Myriad flavors of beans from locations across die tropics exist, but several elements tie die better ones together. Better coffees are almost always made with 100percent Arabica beans, with the best grown in the shade on smaller farms and harvested by hand. Perhaps the most importantly, the coffee should be freshly roasted, preferably from a local roaster. That will help reduce the amount of time the coffee spends in shipping and warehouses after it is roasted and will help avoid over-roasted coffees, which keep for longer but contain fewer unique and subtle characteristics. All of this makes sure the coffee reaches a home-brewer in peak condition. For the best results, only buy as much coffee as you need over a week. After its purchase, store the coffee in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature to preserve its freshness. Grind the coffee as close to its brewing time as is possible. Ground coffee will lose its freshness, drying out more quickly, because more of its surface area is exposed to air. Burr grinders work best, because they produce the most even-sized grounds. It is also essential that one match the ground size to the method of brewing. French press coffee needs a T H E DRAGON LOUNGE, PARK Crnrs NEWEST SUSHI CLUB IS LOCATED INSIDE OF T H E MINER'S CLUB AT T H E CANYON'S RESORT OPEN DAIIY WITH LUNCH O N SAT. &. Str- -* coarse grind and espresso needs a very fine grind; drip coffee makers are somewhere in between. Check with a professional where you purchase your coffee to find the best possible grind for your specific method of brewing. To actually make the coffee, use between one and two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. For ideal flavor extraction the water should be between 195 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit when it touches the grounds. For drip coffee, the water should be in contact with the grounds for about five minutes; for French press, between two and four minutes. After coffee is brewed, it should be drunk immediately. Reheating the coffee, or even letting it sit for a long period of time will harm its taste. The coffee experience: "It can be very simple or very complex," said Brian Gray, head barista at Java Cow. "It's a very individual preference." Davis warned that many home coffee makers - perhaps the simplest way of brewing a cup of coffee - often don't heat the water to a proper temperature. And all of the coffee makers interviewed noted the importance of having clean equipment. "From the quality perspective,11 he said, "the best way to make coffee at home is the French press." The French press, added Starbucks' Barton, is perhaps the best way to make a great cup of coffee. "It's neat, and it s really cool to, on a special occasion, make not just a pot of coffee, but something special," she said. Starbucks even offers a booklet to match its various coffee flavors with specific dishes, just as one would with different kinds of wines. "Coffee can be thought of like wine," agreed Gray. As such, like wine, almost everyone involved agreed that making coffee involves a certain art. "It is an art, but it is the right science," said Barton. Some factors, like the brewing temperature, the freshness of the beans or the quality of water, are universal, but others can be tweaked and modified to fit an individual's taste. The National Coffee Association s website urges coffee makers to feel the grounds in their hands to see familiarize themselves with a particular size for a particular type of brewing. A little more coffee or a little longer brewing time will make a stronger cup, and each type of brewing will produce a slightly different taste and consistency. Specific instructions on brewing coffee are available from most sources as well. Bad Ass prints them on the sides of its bags of coffee, and Starbucks prints a small booklet about home brewing which is available for free. Beyond home coffee brewing, one should always remember the aspects of coffee available only at various local coffee shops. Those elements are as different as various coffee locations. Gray talked about the art of creating a latte or a cappuccino, properly steaming the milk, creating an espresso shot and combining the elements. He compared it to making a good meal. "If you really want a quality latte," he said, "you're going to have to wail some time." Boroff, from Bad Ass, with its communal seating areas and cozy-house location offered a slightly different perspective. "I'm here to sell coffee, but it's more of a social thing to me," she said. The home brewing experience, from cowboy coffee on a campfire, to a flavorful cup of French-pressed brew in the morning, to an iced coffee in the afternoon, is similarly diverse. Ultimately, perhaps the best tiling one can do is take the information - the science - and use it to improve upon a personal twist or an individual love. The most distinctive characteristic of all homemade coffee, after all, is that a person can make it however she or he likes best. AlPlVC IK/ Shoulder Season Special THt DRAGON LOUNGE AT THH MINERS CLUB A PryXZ Chi ry .V-Ti.VI 1 / 2 PRICE ROLLS AT PASSPORT NOT REQUIRED ENCHANTING EUROPEAN INN ROMANTIC FINE DINING BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER - DAILY ELEGANT SUNDAY BRUNCH ^-"... 8 PM ON SUNDAYS (NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. DlNE-IN ONLY) OTHER SUSHI SPECIALS FRI. & SAT. 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