製作出一杯醇香咖啡的5個快速貼士

There’s a whole universe of equipment out there right now. It can be dizzying. And coffee is a complex process, with several important variables that can change the completion of what ends up in your cup.

那裏有全宇宙的設備，讓人頭暈目眩。而且做咖啡步驟繁雜，多種因素決定了你最後杯中的成品味道如何。

I’ve spent the past few years growing increasingly intense in my own coffee consumption and preparations, all in the search for that perfect cup of coffee.

我在過去幾年越發激烈地在自己的咖啡消費和準備上花時間，都在這篇《尋找一杯最棒的咖啡》中。（The journey for that perfect cup譯者注）

But here are five quick and easy steps to making yourself a better cup:

但是這裏又5條簡單快速的貼士幫助你做出一杯更棒的咖啡：

1. Grind your own beans

1、自己研磨你的咖啡豆

When buying beans, some baristas may ask, “Would you like these ground?” Resist the temptation. And when you’re at the local grocery store, ignore that large grinder in the coffee aisle. For a good cup, invest in a grinder. And for the best, make sure it’s a burr grinder. Basically, a burr grinder is in more of a conical shape and it ensures the beans are ground evenly (rather than grinders that have a blade that chops up the beans at random). Burr grinders can be expensive. But a hand grinder will only set you back about $35. And grinding by hand each day will build your muscles.

當你購買咖啡豆時，咖啡師會詢問你“是否需要已經研磨好的?" 抵住誘惑！ 當你前往當地雜貨店時，無視掉走廊上放置的大研磨機。爲了一杯醇香的咖啡，投資買一臺磨豆器吧。而且最好買一臺盤式磨豆器。基本上，盤式磨豆器呈圓錐形，並且能保證磨出的成品質地更加均勻（遠甚於研磨機刀片粉碎出的隨機形狀）。這或許很貴，不過也只需要你35美金。而且每天研磨咖啡豆也能幫助你鍛鍊肌肉。

2. Buy fresh beans

2、購買新鮮的咖啡豆

There are a lot of variables in making a cup of coffee, and you can go wrong in any number of ways. But none are more important than the beans you buy. And a crucial factor is freshness. I’ve gotten more and more picky on this. You want beans several days after they’ve been roasted. And if it’s been more than a few weeks after they were roasted, forget about it. Some places are better than others at listing this (one pet peeve: some roasters will list an expiration date rather than the date they were roasted — or when the beans were freshest).

製作一杯咖啡的影響因素有很多，而且你每一步都有可能產生錯誤。但是沒有比選擇咖啡豆更重要的一步了。新鮮程度是關鍵，我對此越來越吹毛求疵。你需要的豆子應該剛經過烘焙沒幾天。如果是那些烘焙完幾周的那就果斷別提了。（一個忍無可忍的地方：有些烘焙者會標註有效期而不是烘焙時間。）

3. Don’t store them in the freezer

3、別把咖啡豆放進冷藏庫

The idea that storing beans in the freezer is a way to preserve their freshness is one of the biggest misnomers about coffee. Put those beans in a freezer, and they will start to absorb the flavors of whatever else you’ve got stored in there. I don’t know about you, but I’m not eager to have my Sumatra mixed with flavors of chicken, ice cream, and frozen vegetables.

把將咖啡豆放進冰箱作爲保證新鮮程度的措施是對咖啡最大的誤解之一。咖啡豆被放進冰箱後會吸收周圍不管什麼的味道。我不知道你是怎麼認爲的，反正我不想讓我的蘇門答臘咖啡混合着雞塊冰淇淋和冰凍蔬菜的味道。

4. Step away from the machine. Buy a French press. Or something.

4、別用機器 買個弗氏壓碎器或其他可以代替的

Machines are great, and they’re getting even better. They can ensure consistency, there’s little mess, and — crucially, for some — you can set a timer to wake up with a fresh cup. But at least for me, working with coffee manually has helped immensely in understanding what makes a good cup. There’s experimentation. You have control over almost every step in the process. There are tons of ways — maybe too many ways — to make coffee. But the easiest way to get going is with a French press. They’re inexpensive and easy to use.

機器能出色地完成任務並在變得更出色。它們可以保證一致性並很少出差錯，最關鍵的是你還能定時在睡醒時讓其爲你呈上一杯新鮮咖啡。不過至少對我而言，手工製作一杯咖啡能讓我更好得理解怎樣造就一杯出色的咖啡。這是一個實驗的過程。有數以千計的方法可以做出咖啡，但是最簡單的莫過於弗氏壓碎器。而且不貴又好用。

5. Get a digital scale.

5、用電子天平

Yes, I realize this sounds extreme. The first time I saw someone using a scale to make my cup of coffee — during a trip to Pavement in Boston a few years back — I thought it was completely over the top. Does brewing coffee really need to be that precise? Then I tasted the cup. And a few weeks later, I was online reading about digital scales and ordering one for my home. Most of us have regular coffee habits, so you learn how many scoops you want and how much water you need. But as I’ve gotten a little more discerning, I’ve found that the scale helps eliminate some of the room for error.

沒錯，我知道這聽起來很極端。當我數年前在波士頓旅遊時初次看到別人爲我用電子稱做咖啡時我也認爲這太誇張了。只是燒一杯咖啡而已用得着那麼精確麼？直到我嚐了下味道，然後數週之後我上網仔細閱讀了如何使用電子天平並往家中訂購了一臺。絕大部分人有着固定的喝咖啡習慣，我們知道該加多少勺加多少水。不過我比常人更懂一些，所以有一個秤更能減少我犯錯的餘地。