Starbucks Home Brew Giveaway

January 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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It’s a new year, and you’ve vowed to save money. You know that one of the easiest ways to do that is to skip the coffee runs each day and make your own at home, but do you know how to do it right? Starbucks contacted me to share these tips for brewing your own coffee at home:

Four Fundamentals for Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

The recipe for a great cup of coffee includes four basic fundamentals: proportion, grind, water and freshness. Understanding and following the guidelines for each of them will ensure a great cup of coffee every time.
Proportion
The general rule for coffee-making is two tablespoons (10 grams) of ground coffee for each six ounces (180 milliliters) of water. Too few coffee grounds result in over-extracted or bitter coffee. Too many grounds result in under-extracted coffee that does not achieve the full flavor of the blend. Proportion is the most common coffee-making mistake – and the easiest mistake to correct.
Grind
Different brewing methods require different grinds. A grind that is too fine will trap water and result in a bitter, unpleasant brew. A grind that is too coarse leaves coffee weak and without distinguishing characteristics or flavors. Over-extracted coffee tastes much worse than under-extracted coffee, so when in doubt as to the brewing method, always err on the coarse side. Coffee connoisseurs agree that the best coffee – thick, rich and truest to its flavor profile – is made in a traditional coffee press. A coffee press requires a coarse grind.
Water
While it may not seem like an important ingredient, coffee is 98 percent water. The type of water used when brewing greatly affects the final taste. Always use clean, fresh water that is filtered or free of impurities – avoid soft water or well water. Water heated to just off the boil (195º-205ºF or 90º-96ºC) does the best job of extracting the coffee’s full range of flavors. Water that is too cool will mute the flavor and dull the coffee’s aroma.
Freshness
Coffee’s biggest enemies are oxygen and moisture. Always store coffee in an airtight container at room temperature. Storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer can result in moisture from condensation and is not recommended for daily use. If coffee needs to be kept for more than two weeks without being used, store it in the freezer in an airtight container. Brewed coffee should always be stored in a thermal carafe and never left on the burner or reheated.

Starbucks wants to help you save money this year by brewing your own coffee at home. They have expanded their coffee offerings in grocery stores so you can try new blends in smaller sizes and buy your favorites in larger sizes. When you buy the 25oz. size, it comes out to only .25/cup, which is a huge savings over the cost of buying out! Plus, some coffee packages will also have an offer for a free Tall coffee at Starbucks locations when you bring in your empty bag.

To encourage you to start brewing at home, 3 lucky readers will win 4 Bags of Starbucks Coffee and a French Press. You have three chances to win:

  • Leave a comment below telling me your tip for brewing coffee at home. Please be sure and leave your email if it’s not available in your profile. To avoid spam, space it out like: ginava3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
  • Are you a subscriber or follower? Thank you! I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Just leave another comment saying you’re a subscriber/follower.
  • Tweet about the giveaway by sending this out (just cut and paste) on Twitter: Enter the Starbucks Home Brew #Giveaway at @MoneywiseMoms http://tinyurl.com/y8qh49l then leave another comment with your twitter name so I can see it.

Giveaway is CLOSED. Winners are here.
This giveaway ends on Wednesday, January 20th at 10:00pm EST. US addresses only, please. I will choose a winner using Random.org and email the winners, who have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize. If the winners do not respond, I will choose again. Good luck!

*Disclosure: Starbucks provided the prizes for this giveaway. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post are my own and that I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway.

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