Cuisinart DGB-300 manual Quest for the Perfect CUP of Coffee

THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE

It is generally agreed that there are four basic ele- ments critical to the perfect cup:

Element 1: Water

Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the qulllity of the water is as important as the quality of the coffee. If you filter your drinking water, filter the water for your coffiemaker. .A good rule of thumb is that if your water doesn’t taste good from the tap, it won’t taste any better in your coffee.

For hard water areas, we recommend using bottled water. The calcium in the water and the softeners used to combat it have a nlajor impact on the extrac- tion of the coffee. IIard water will also accelerate

calcium buildup inside the coffeemaker which slows down brewing, affects the flavor of the coffee and ultinrately n~ay shorten the life of your coffeemaker.

Element 2: Coffee

M%ile the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the fla- vor should be from the coffee. To achieve the Same great quality cup of coffee you receive at a coffee bar, you need to use the Same quality beans.

Buy the beans fresh and whole, only about two weeks’ supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades very quickly. That’s why the Automatic Grind and Brew grinds your coffee just prior to brewing. If it is not practical to buy small supplies, we recom- mend you separate larger amounts of beans into one to two week portions immediately after pur- chase and freeze them in airtight containers. The best way to maximize freshness is to minimize exposure to air, light and moisture. So, once removed from the freezer, maintain the beans in a sealed container at room temperature since damag- ing condensation occurs every time the beans are removed from the freezer or iefrigerator. Note that

some coffee experts advise against freezing dark- roast beans because it can cause the oils to coagu- late, while others disagree. RTe suggest you experi-

ment and decide for yourself.

Element 3: Grind

l‘he grind is critical in proper tlavor extraction. If the grmd is too fine, ovcrcxtraction and bitterness will result. ‘Ii)0 fine a grind may also clog your fil- ter. If too coarse, the water will pass through too quickly and the desired flavors will not be extract- ed. The Automatic Grind and Brew is pre-set for a medium grind, the optimal grind for this type of coffeemaker.

Element 4: Proportion

The Automatic (Grind and Brew makes up to ten

(10)i-0u11cecups of coffee. Using Whole Beans:

‘Ii) make a full pot of coffee:

Fill the Grinder Basket to the top of the basket.

DO NOT O~.‘ERFILI, OR THE GRINDER COULD MALI;UNC:TION.

To make fewer than 10 cups of coffee:

We recommend you use about 1 measuring scoop of whole beans per cup. For 1 or Z cups, use 1-l /!measuring scoops per cup. Note: One

measuring scoop is approximately equal to

one tablespoon. This is our suggested recipe. Adjust the recipe to paste.

Using Pre-Ground Coffee:

Although it is preferable to use fresh, whole beans, you can make coffee in the Automatic Grind and Brew using pre-ground beans.

To do so, turn off the grinder by pressing the Grind Off button betore turning the unit on .

Our recipe:

Use 1 to 1 -l/2 measuring scoops of ground coffee

per cup. Note: One measuring scoop is approxi- mately equal to one tablespoon. This is our sug-

gested recipe. Adjust the recipe to taste.

NOTE: The maximum capacity for ground cof- fee is 15 measuring scoops or tablespoons using either a paper or permanent filter. Exceeding this amount may cause overflow if the coffee is too finely ground.

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