How-To Guides & Tips

Making good coffee is both an art and a science. There's no shortage of advice on how to do it, on everything from roasting to brewing to storing coffee and more. Here are some tips worth knowing.

Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee, 1961 Style

By Brian Lokker. Published May 26, 2013, last updated March 23, 2019.

“This Is Coffee!” This stylish 1961 film by the Coffee Brewing Institute is a guide to brewing the perfect cup of coffee. The key to successful coffee? Care, care, and more care. The opening of the 13-minute film sets a menacing mood. An alarm clock ticks and a kitchen faucet drips, over a jazzy film noir score. When the alarm goes off, a tired woman awakes, trudges downstairs, and goes through the motions of brewing a pot of coffee. Her coffee is weak and unappetizing. But with a little care, she can do so much better!

How to Store Coffee to Keep It Fresh

By Brian Lokker. Published March 15, 2013, last updated June 22, 2020.

To enjoy a great cup of coffee at home, make sure the coffee you’re brewing is as fresh as possible. Coffee is perishable. It begins to lose freshness soon after roasting. As coffee loses freshness, its natural flavors and aromas are diminished. To reduce the likelihood of brewing stale coffee, use your coffee as soon as you can, and when you store it, keep it away from the four agents of deterioration: excessive air, moisture, heat, and light.