The preparation of coffee requires seven essential steps. Understand and follow these guidelines and you are on your way to brewing the perfect pot of coffee.

1. Fresh Coffee- Fresh coffee when brewed liberates the highest percentage of aroma and flavor. Oxygen, light, heat and moisture deteriorate ground coffee and lead to staleness. Store coffee in air tight containers at room temperature and never leave coffee exposed to air.

2. Water- Use only fresh, cold water heated as close to boiling as possible. The water should be clear, clean and void of odor or foreign taste. If any of these elements are present you should use a carbon or phosphate type filter. Water makes up 95% of your coffee and it must be of high quality.

3. Grind- The proper grind is essential to brewing good coffee. The shorter the brewing process or the smaller the portion being used to brew coffee, the finer the grind. Coffee for espresso should be very fine due to the short brewing process while coffee brewed in urns needs to be coarse to accommodate longer brew times.

4. Correct Formula- You must use the proper amount of coffee to water. You should use 10-12 grams of coffee for every eight ounces of water. Using this formula you should use between 2.5 to 3.5 ounces of coffee to every half gallon of water. The proper amount of coffee to hot water will provide the proper extraction of soluble solids that are essential to a good brew.

5. Proper Infusion Time- To obtain the proper extraction the coffee grounds must be in contact with hot water for the proper amount of time. The normal brew time for half gallon of coffee should be between three and half to four and half minutes. For larger quantities the contact time should be between four and six minutes and should never exceed eight minutes.

6. Maintenance of Holding Temperature- Coffee should be held at 185 to 195 degrees. The temperature should not drop below 185 degrees, nor reheated or boiled. Coffee should be at its best 10 minutes after it has been brewed and should maintain that for another 20 minutes. After that it will begin to lose its flavor characteristics. If you can not use coffee in this amount of time it might be better for you to brew into Airpots or Thermal Servers which maintain flavor and temperature for hours.

7. Well Maintained Equipment- Coffee brewing equipment should be kept spotlessly clean. Coffee is very susceptible to odor and foreign taste. It very important that the equipment, coffee pots, airpots and servers are cleaned regularly and never use soaps and cleaning solutions. Soaps and chemicals leave a residue that causes coffee to have objectionable taste characteristics. Use approved cleaners that are designed to clean equipment without leaving behind residues. Also, automatic brewers should be checked for proper brewing temperature, water level and infusion time on regular intervals.

Your experienced Farmer Brothers personnel are trained to maintain these seven essential characteristics for brewing good coffee. They are committed to helping you provide a cup of coffee that will satisfy your customers.