Storing Coffee To Keep It Fresh and Measuring Coffee To Make The Perfect Pot

I'm a critical care nurse and a pretty serious coffee "addict". Drinking coffee in the evening rarely interferes with my sleep. I wake up with a cup of coffee in hand.

Now, bear in mind that I live in the Pacific Northwest, coffee shops abound. My mother owned a coffee shop for well over a decade and my brother has his own coffee shop, Clipper Ship Coffee in Lincoln City, Oregon.

While my caffeine "fix" is required to ward off the nasty headache, I am very particular about the kind of coffee I drink. Typically, I prefer my coffee black, just plain rich, flavorful coffee. Poorly roasted or poorly brewed coffee verges on impossible to palate compared to the delightful aroma of freshly roasted, freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee.

The coffee at my hospital is described in the poorly roasted, poorly brewed category. Coffee at the local Starbucks and Seattle's Best, although consistent, is consistently not my cup of black coffee. If I have to have their coffee, I do what has made Starbucks a coffee empire. I drink one of those horrendously expensive cups of flavoring syrups, milk and coffee. I can't find room in my financial or caloric budget for too many of these 'frou-frou' drinks so, I drink my coffee at home.

My husband is a wonderful guy... he makes my coffee for me while I am getting ready for work at O:dark:30. But it is very early in the morning and he is no more awake than I am, so freshly ground coffee is rarely in the cards on a work day. In fact, pouring the coffee grounds into the coffee filter is the extent of his capabilities at this time of day. Needless to say, we have had some pretty nasty pots of coffee related to his technique, not the quality of the coffee itself.

I realize that I am blessed with a man willing to haul himself out of bed to make our coffee at that hour of the day, so on days where the morning brew has been eye opening but not enjoyable, I try to bite my tongue and just clean up the grounds that missed the target when the dear man was pouring them.

If only there were a way to make it easier for him to precisely measure the coffee grounds to assure us of a consistently great pot of coffee for our morning treat; no more surprises.

You can well imagine my interest when I first found the Coffee Meter. I was initially impressed with the concept of a device for precision measurements of exact amounts of coffee. And the affordable price of the Metari Coffee Meter made me buy it right away. In fact, I bought two!

"Metari" is Latin for, "I measure", and what a fitting name it is; whether your preference is a darker cup of French roast or a milder blend of Columbian or Guatemalan coffee beans, you will have the perfect measurement every time with ease and no mess. Your brewing ritual just became exacting, faster, simpler, and much more stylized. At a surprisingly low price for the quality and function, it's a great deal and at the top of my list for gift items this season.

The Metari is a handsome piece, with a clear chamber made of high-impact Makrolon plastic with your choice of a chrome or white casing and dispensing handle. It rests next to your coffee maker in a matching shallow tray to catch any stray grounds, and is a lovely way to display your coffee. We're happy with our white coffee meters, but have friends especially happy with their new chrome model since it matches their chrome French press.

A feature that many people may overlook is the airtight seal on the Metari's lid; this ensures the maximum freshness and flavor of the coffee. So, the Coffee Meter features several benefits...

Precise coffee measurement
Easy to use
Neat and tidy; No Mess!
Stylish and durable
Airtight coffee container

Designed with the popular automatic drip machines in mind, the Metari couldn't be simpler to use. It holds almost a full pound of coffee so it doesn't need constant refilling. Simply pour in your grounds, reseal the lid, firmly tap it to settle the grounds down, and you're ready to allot yourself the perfect cup. Or two. Or ten. Whatever your need may be. It's even constructed underneath to accommodate an espresso maker's basket for precision amounts of that dark delight. Cappuccino guesswork is a thing of the past!

However, precise measurement of coffee alone does not alleviate the need for a precise measurement of water to complete the recipe. You will create your own formula to meet your expectations of a perfect cup of coffee. It will take a few tries to decide how best you like your ratio of water to coffee; everyone's preference is different, and perhaps that's why they don't include explicit directions for that with the unit. Dave Schnedler of Metari says, "there are essentially two variables with this - coarseness of ground coffee and darkness of bean or blend."

I myself prefer a rich mug of java, so the perfect measurements for me were 7 squeezes of medium dark Columbian coffee to 12 cups of water. However, my daughter prefers a lighter brew (her favorite is the Chocolate Raspberry Flavored Coffee) and she's happy with 6 trigger squeezes to a 12 cup pot of coffee. The point is, no matter how you like it, as soon as you get the recipe for how you want it, you can have it exactly that way every time thereafter.

In an unpredictable world, it's comforting to know that you can rely on some consistency first thing in the morning. Thank you, Metari!

For more information or to purchase this coffee dispenser, visit www.StoutCoffee.com

Coffee Meter
Storing Coffee
Measuring Coffee
Coffee Containers
Coffee Measurement
Keeping Coffee Fresh
Ready To Drink Coffee