There’s just nothing like a fresh cup of espresso in the morning. Thousands and thousands of people all over the world look forward to this every morning. When it’s time to wake up, we need a little time to orient ourselves for a new day, shake off our slumber and get motivated for the days work. For some folks, a cup of instant will do the trick. For others, a well brewed cup of espresso will do. For those of us that are just a little more choosey, fresh coffee is much more than firing up the Mr. Coffee maker with some pre-ground out of a can or worse yet, a pre-made packet you drop in the basket.

The gourmet coffee drinker knows all to well there’s more to fresh coffee than an amateur coffee drinker understands. This professional puts emphasis on the “fresh” when speaking of fresh coffee.

There are really only two components that are really important in making a cup of truly fresh coffee: the coffee and the water. Well, so what, you say. Combine the two and drink. Not exactly, says the coffee connoisseur.

First, you have the coffee. The quality must be superior. This means the coffee beans must be 100% Arabica. The other species of coffee is called Robusta and is most often used in cheaper coffees and at best, contains a mix of Robusta and Arabica. Robusta beans lack the complexity of flavor afforded by Arabica and often has a little bitterness or flat tone to it.

Once you’ve got your 100% Arabica, you must decide between whole beans that you grind yourself at home, or a bag that’s purchased already ground. Which one is better? You guessed it. Whole beans always retain flavor the best.

Even the bag the beans come in matters. Like spices, coffee quickly loses its essential oils, which incorporate both flavor and aroma, when exposed to air. For that reason, make sure to choose a bag which is airtight, made of foil with a shiny surface, over a paper bag with waxed lining.

Storage of the beans is also essential in flavor retention. Store the bag in the freezer. Heat causes loss of the essential oils, derailing your mission for a cup of fresh coffee.

Now we’re ready to actually make that fresh coffee. Start with very cold water in the pot. Grind just enough coffee for the amount of coffee you want. Brew as as normal. This is a very simple method but produces a cup of fresh coffee that will please even the coffee connoisseur.

Or will it? It depends on just how hard core a gourmet you are. Some people disdain even airtight, foil bags of beans, claiming that just a couple of days after roasting, the coffee has deteriorated. The bag at the store was probably roasted at least two weeks ago and therefore is no longer up to snuff. Can you imagine? “This is not fresh coffee!”

This coffee connaisseur insists on buying unroasted beans and roasting them at home just enough for a few days. Only then is it considered fresh coffee. Some people just can’t be pleased!