Making a Great Cuppa with the Exchange Coffee Company

Millions of people around the world like nothing more than to start the day with a steaming cup of tea or coffee, while later in the day there is no finer way to relax and unwind, or finish off a nice meal, than with a good brew.

Drinking tea and coffee raises mood and increases our enjoyment of life, which in turn makes us more inclined to indulge in the simple but enduring pleasure of enjoying each other's company and conversation.

Where better to turn for advice on how to make a decent cuppa, than Clitheroe’s award-winning speciality coffee and tea merchants Exchange Coffee Company.

Exchange Coffee, which won four out of seven gold medals awarded for espresso coffee by the Guild of Fine Food between 2004 and 2006, sells a phenomenal 35 coffees and 60 loose teas.

Here general manager Richard Isherwood and his team to reveal their secrets for making a top cuppa.

MAKING COFFEE IN A CAFETIERE

1. Clean the cafetiere, then rinse it with hot water to “warm the pot.”
2. While you are boiling freshly drawn cold water, measure 1 heaped desert spoonful of freshly roasted and ground coffee per 7-8oz mug into the cafetiere, or 4 desert spoonfuls per 8-cup cafetiere.
3. Let the boiled water stand for a few seconds before pouring it into the cafetiere. This will prevent the coffee from burning, which spoils delicate flavours and releases bitter overtones. Fresh coffee will rise to the top of the cafetiere and will require stirring before putting on the lid.
4. Put the lid on the cafetiere and leave the coffee to brew for 4-5 minutes.
5. Press the plunger and pour the coffee into a warmed cup.

Richard’s tips:

• Grinding the coffee immediately prior to use will enhance its flavour
• Boiling fresh water, as opposed to re-boiling old water, will also enhance the coffee’s flavour, as it will contain more oxygen
• Coffee thrives on freshness. Don’t buy ground coffee for a special occasion months in advance, but buy it the day before. Better still, invest in a little kitchen grinder and grind the beans yourself immediately prior to use! Store coffee in an airtight container.

MAKING TEA IN A POT OR CAFETIERE

1. Clean the pot or cafetiere, then rinse with hot water to “warm the pot.”
2. While you are boiling freshly drawn cold water, measure the tea into the pot or cafetiere, using 1 teaspoon of good quality tea per person, plus one for the pot.
3. Pour the water just on the boil into the pot or cafetiere and allow to brew for at least 4 minutes, but no more than 6.
4. Stir the tea before pouring into a warmed cup and drink on its own, with milk or with lemon.

Richard’s tips:

• There is no right or wrong way to make tea, although while the first cup of tea brewed in a teapot is the desired strength subsequent cups become increasingly stronger, as the tea stews. The Exchange Coffee brews tea in a cafetiere, so it remains the same strength after plunging
• Always use freshly drawn cold water, as water that has already boiled has lost its oxygen and will give a flat and lifeless cup of tea
• Stronger tea is traditionally drunk in the morning and milder tea in the afternoon. Tea is said to taste better in a China cup!