The Four Crucial Elements Of Good Coffee, According To Starbucks

How to brew a good cup of coffee is among the most hotly debated culinary questions in history. Whether you prefer the unique taste of diner coffee or intense, espresso-like brews, almost every coffee drinker has strong (and often contradictory) opinions on how best to prepare a cup of joe. Naturally, the world's largest coffee chain, Starbucks, has weighed in on the matter (by the way, here's what coffee experts honestly think of Starbucks).

While Starbucks is infamous for serving highly involved coffee beverages tricked out with annoyingly over-the-top customizations, its coffee-making advice is refreshingly simple. In a post on the Starbucks Coffee Blog, the company posits there are four fundamental elements that go into brewing good coffee: the proportion of coffee to water, the grind of the coffee, the water itself, and the freshness of the coffee beans. According to Starbucks, if you have control of these four elements, you can make a great cup of joe using almost any method or machine (or even without a coffee maker). That means you can feel free to pick the brewing method that works for your morning routine no matter what your friend who swears by a $4,000 espresso machine says.

First of all, Starbucks advises you use the correct proportion of coffee to water to avoid an overly strong or watery brew. The coffee chain recommends the golden coffee-to-water ratio of about 2 tablespoons of coffee for every 6 ounces of water. Second, the grind of the coffee must align with your brewing method. According to Starbucks, techniques with shorter brewing times, such as espresso machines, demand extra fine grinds, while it's best to use coarser ground beans for longer brewing time methods, like coffee presses.

The third crucial element of great coffee is the water itself. It might seem inconsequential, but the wrong water can ruin even the best coffee beans. Starbucks recommends using water that's fresh and clean-tasting. Water temperature also plays a key role — the coffee chain suggests heating it to just below a boil (195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit) for maximum flavor without burning the coffee grounds.

Lastly, the coffee beans should be as fresh as possible. While unopened, whole bean coffee can stay fresh for months when stored properly, Starbucks suggests using coffee beans within a week of opening for the best flavor and quality. No matter how you feel about Starbucks, proportion, grind, water, and freshness are four crucial elements to keep in mind that can help you brew great coffee at home (and save money on incredibly expensive Starbucks orders).