Many people have strong opinions on the best ways to prepare coffee, including how it should be done, whether tools are essential or not, and what precisely makes a decent cup. The truth is, the ideal coffee is the one you enjoy drinking! The majority of baristas concur that you can make excellent coffee using any technique and whatever equipment you have on hand. There is no incorrect method—each has advantages and disadvantages—whether you enjoy the ritual of making your cup by hand or you cherish your automatic coffee maker. Whatever method you use, here are some of our favorite home coffee-brewing tips to help you get the most out of your morning coffee.
Use Fresh Coffee Beans
The quality of your coffee depends on the beans you start with. You’re probably doing it incorrectly if you’re purchasing bags of pre-ground coffee. Begin with fresh, whole beans instead. The coffee you see on the shelf at the local supermarket has probably been there for months, which is why the majority of coffee firms don’t specify the date the beans were roasted. Coffee should be served within a month of the roast date since it achieves its taste peak a few days after being roasted. Check out your neighborhood coffee shops for fresh coffee. Some get coffee from nearby roasters that roast in smaller amounts, which usually results in coffee that is fresher.
Store Beans Properly
Those coffee beans need to be properly stored after you get them home to keep them fresh. In other words, an airtight container should be kept in a cold, dark, and dry environment rather than the freezer. If you use a transparent container, store it somewhere cool and out of the way of your appliances’ heat. Additionally, keep in mind that coffee beans taste best right after roasting, so avoid keeping a huge quantity on hand. Try to utilize whole beans and ground coffee within a month and two weeks.
Buy Coffee Maker With Grinder
Many professionals will advise the same thing if asked for the finest advice for preparing a wonderful cup of coffee: the beans should be freshly ground. When coffee beans are brewed shortly after being ground, they are at their richest and most authentic. Because of this, coffee machines with integrated grinders are a luxury. As the folks at Brew Coffee At Home say, your coffee will be ready in three minutes if you simply pour the beans into the built-in grinder and push the button. Even though they cost more than regular coffee makers, buying one is frequently less expensive than buying a separate grinder. Additionally, these multipurpose gadgets free up room in the kitchen.
Use The Right Amount of Coffee
The strength of a cup of coffee will depend on how much coffee you use in comparison to how much water you use. The strength of the cup increases with the higher amount of coffee used and decreases with the lesser amount of coffee used. How do you determine how much coffee to use, then? The easiest way to conceptualize it is as a ratio between the quantity of coffee and water utilized. If you want to emphasize the coffee’s chocolate richness and smooth body, use a ratio of roughly 1:12 (35 grams of coffee to 400 grams of water), or use 1:14 to draw attention to the more delicate tastes and acidity.
Use Filtered Water
Given that coffee is composed of 98% water, it is crucial to use high-quality water. Use bottled water instead of tap water, especially if the water is hard (rich in calcium, magnesium, and fluoride). While a modest quantity of these minerals could give your coffee flavor, too much of them will make it taste bland. As a result, it’s always preferable to use filtered water.
Brew at the Right Temperature
Many automated coffee makers also skip the process of obtaining the ideal temperature. For drip coffee, a temperature of 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Older, less expensive manufacturers do not offer manual temperature control, whereas more recent, high-end versions do. Run your coffee maker without any coffee in the hopper and check the temperature using a thermometer to make sure it becomes hot enough. As the water moves through the hopper and into the carafe below, its temperature will decrease, so if you can, attempt to take temperature readings during the brewing process. If the temperature never rises above 195 degrees Fahrenheit, see if pre-boiling your water in a kettle will help.
There are many different methods to experiment with coffee, and each one will help you learn more about how you like your coffee and how to improve it.