The perfect cup of coffee

If I don't have a cup of coffee, I can pretty much guarantee that it will not be a good day.  Raise your hand if you feel the same way!  I've found, though, that most of my friends tend to forgo the coffee brewing experience at home (seriously, even just the smell is enough to make my day sometimes!) in exchange for a trip to Starbucks, or another local coffee place.

I, however, wouldn't trade my home-made coffee for anything.  And you're in luck because now I'll share my secrets on brewing the perfect cup.

It starts with the right tools.  I will always SWEAR by my Farberware percolator.  We have been loyal to this brand in my family since, well, before I was born.  Best coffee ever.  Stays warm for ages, and if you take out the inner basket, you can actually re-warm your coffee in the pot and it still tastes amazing.
The tough thing is that these things can be difficult to find in Canada.  We usually end up finding them at outlet malls on trips to the USA.  So if you find yourself near an outlet... buy one of these pots. You will not regret it.

I usually brew three cups worth of coffee in my 6-pot machine.  First, I place a disc filter in the bottom.  Then I add 1.5 scoops (which is equivalent to about 3 tablespoons, I believe) of ground coffee.  Then, I have my next little secret.  Salt.  Yup, salt.  Just a couple of shakes of it (probably less than 1/8th of a teaspoon!) takes away any bitter taste.  I also add a bit of cinnamon (just a little more than the salt) to give it a little more flavour.  Sometimes, if I want to switch it up, I might add some hot chocolate or vanilla sugar to the basket before brewing.
Give it about 5 minutes to brew (other bonus of the Farberware - it is SUPER fast.  Pour it into your travel mug (in my case, because I can never finish a cup of hot coffee before I have to leave for work), add your milk/sugar/whatever as usual... and voila, your perfect cup of coffee is born!