Making Perfect Coffee with the Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

It is agreed there are generally four critical

components to making the perfect cup of coffee:

Water used in the DCC-1200

Since coffee is 98% water, it is important not to

overlook the water quality. If your water tastes good directly from the tap, then it will also make

a good cup of coffee. If you water tastes bad, so will your coffee. The Brew

Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker has a built in water filter to help if you have

poor water quality. Bad tastes and odors are removed by the charcoal water filter as well as chlorine and calcium resulting in the perfect cup of coffee

every time.

Choice of Coffee for the Brew Central DCC-1200

Even though your coffee is mostly water, the flavor comes from the coffee.

Making a great cup of coffee like you local coffee bar is easier if you use the

same coffee beans. Make sure your beans are fresh and whole if you are

grinding the coffee beans yourself, and only buy about two weeks supply to keep maximum freshness. Once a coffee bean is split or broken, the flavor

decreases rapidly. If buying coffee beans fortnightly is not practical, you can

freeze coffee beans in airtight containers in smaller amounts. Maximize

freshness by limiting exposure to air, light and moisture. If you remove coffee beans from the freezer they should still remain in a sealed container

at room temperature. Any condensation occurring when coffee beans are

removed from the freezer or refrigerator will be degrading the quality, too.

Some coffee purests advise against freezing dark-roast beans as they

believe oils coagulate (Note: other experts disagree). Try it, see what you

think.

The Brew Central Coffee Grind

Grinding of the coffee bean is critical for maximizing flavor extraction.

A grind that is too fine will be over-extracted and bitterness will occur. Fine grinds may also clog your Brew Central DCC-1200 filter.

Water will pass through course grinds too quickly, resulting in the best

full flavors not being extracted.

Try a medium-fine grind to start with.

The Proportions used in the Brew Central

The cup sizes used in the Brew Central DCC-1200 are 5

ounces. Add the amount of ground coffee

corresponding to the number of cups being brewed.

Lots of coffee bars and the Specialty Coffee Association

of America recommend adding 2 rounded tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water. Many coffee

manufacturers think one tablespoon per cup. Try one

tablespoon of ground coffee per cup, and then adjust in the brews to come

so that it evolves into your prefect brew of coffee.

NOTE: The maximum capacity for ground coffee is 15 tablespoons for the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 12-cup Coffee Maker. Important: Too

much ground coffee may cause over-flow if the coffee is finely ground.