4
THE QUEST FOR
THE PERFECT CUP
OF COFFEE
It is generally agreed that there are four basic
elements critical to the perfect cup of coffee:
Element 1: Water
Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the
quality of the water is as important as the
quality of the coffee. 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.
That’s why Cuisinart has added a water filter
to the Grind & Brew Thermal
™
Automatic
Coffeemaker. The charcoal water filter removes
chlorine, bad tastes and odours, for the purest
cup of coffee every time.
Element 2: Coffee
While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the
flavour 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 flavour degrades very quickly. That’s why
the Grind & Brew Thermal
™
grinds your coffee
just prior to brewing. If it is not practical to buy
small supplies, we recommend you separate
larger amounts of beans into one to two week
portions immediately after purchase, and freeze
them in airtight containers. The best way to
maximize freshness is to minimize exposure
to air, light and moisture. So, once beans have
been removed from the freezer, maintain them
in a sealed container at room temperature,
since damaging condensation occurs every
time the beans are removed from the freezer
or refrigerator. Note that some coffee experts
advise against freezing dark-roast beans,
because freezing can cause the oils to
coagulate. Other experts disagree. We suggest
you experiment and decide for yourself.
Element 3: Grind
The grind is critical for proper flavour
extraction. If the grind is too fine, overextraction
and bitterness will result. Too fine a grind may
also clog the filter. If grind is too coarse, the
water will pass through too quickly and the
desired flavours will not be extracted. The
Grind & Brew Thermal
™
is preset for a medium
grind, the optimal grind for this type of
coffeemaker.
Element 4: Proportion
The Grind & Brew Thermal
™
makes up to
ten (10) 5-ounce (148ml) cups of coffee.
Using Whole Beans:
• We recommend you use 1 level scoop of
whole beans per cup. Maximum 14 level
scoops. For 1 or 2 cups, use 1-1/2 level
scoops per cup. Adjust the recipe according
to individual taste.
DO NOT OVERFILL OR THE GRINDER
COULD MALFUNCTION AND/OR THE
COFFEEMAKER COULD OVERFLOW.
Using Pre-Ground Coffee:
Although it is preferable to use fresh, whole
beans, you can make coffee in the Grind &
Brew Thermal
™
using pre-ground beans.
To do so, turn off the grinder by pressing the
“Grind Off” button before turning on the unit.
Our recipe:
We suggest that you use 1 level scoop of
ground coffee per cup. Adjust the recipe to
your taste.
NOTE: The maximum capacity for ground
coffee is 16 level scoops, using either a
paper or permanent filter. Exceeding this
amount may cause overflow.
