Cuisinart DCC-450 Series - Manual (Page 4)

INTRODUCTION
Whether you’re short on counter space,
an occasional coffee drinker, or the only
coffee drinker in your home, you’ll find that
Cuisinart’s ® 4-cup Coffeemaker fits your size
needs as well as your desire for a stylish
appliance with high-end features. This compact
coffeemaker is small enough to store easily
or leave on your counter, and it comes with
practical features such as Brew Pause ™ and
automatic shutoff. With the convenience of this
handy coffeemaker, you’ll look forward to the
morning coffee ritual.
THE QUEST FOR THE
PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE
It is generally agreed that there are four basic
elements critical to the perfect cup:
Element 1: Water
Coffee is 98% water. Often overlooked, the
quality of the water is as important as the quality
of the coffee. If you filter your drinking water,
filter the water for your coffeemaker.
A good rule of thumb is that if your water
doesn’t taste good from the tap, it won’t taste
any better in your coffee.
For hard water areas, we recommend using
bottled water. The calcium in the water and the
softeners used to combat it have a major impact
on the extraction of the coffee. Hard water will
also accelerate calcium buildup inside the
coffeemaker, which slows down brewing,
affects the flavor of the coffee and ultimately
may shorten the life of your coffeemaker.
Element 2: Coffee
While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the
flavor should be from the coffee. To achieve
the same great quality cup of coffee you receive
at a coffee bar, you need to use the same quality
beans.
If you chose to grind your own beans, buy the
beans fresh and whole, only about a two-week
supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once
the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades
very quickly.
If it is not practical to buy small supplies, we
recommend you separate larger amounts of
beans into one to two week portions
immediately after purchase and freeze them in
airtight containers. The best way to maximize
freshness is to minimize exposure to air, light
and moisture. So, once beans have been
removed from the freezer, maintain them in a
sealed container at room temperature, since
damaging condensation occurs every time the
beans are removed from the freezer or
refrigerator. Note that some coffee experts
advise against freezing dark-roast beans
because it can cause the oils to coagulate, while
others disagree. We suggest you experiment and
decide for yourself.
Element 3: Grind
The grind is critical in proper flavor extraction.
If the grind is too fine, overextraction and bitter-
ness will result. Too fine a grind may also clog
your filter. If too coarse, the water will pass
through too quickly and the desired flavors will
not be extracted. We recommend a medium-fine
grind.
Element 4: Proportion
The cups on the Cuisinart ® coffeemaker are
5 ounces. Add the desired amount of ground
coffee, corresponding to the number of cups
being brewed. Many coffee bars and the
Specialty Coffee Association of America
recommend adding 2 rounded tablespoons
of coffee per 6 ounces of water. Some coffee
manufacturers recommend using one tablespoon
per cup. We recommend 1 to 1½ tablespoons
of ground coffee per cup, but use more or less
to suit your taste.