Top 10 Tips for Brewing Delicious Coffee at Home
Americans love coffee. In fact, people are drinking more coffee than ever. It’s the way many of us wake up in the morning. There’s simply nothing better than a perfect cup of joe, regardless of the time of day.
And yet brewing great coffee doesn’t happen by accident. There’s actually a method to the madness. It’s not rocket science, but brewing coffee requires following the proper steps in order to produce a cup that will make your taste buds sing.
Let’s take a look at the Top 10 things you need to keep in mind when you’re really serious about making great coffee.
1. Buy High-Quality Beans
Not all coffee beans are created equal. And the flavor of your coffee will vary greatly depending on the location in the world where the coffee beans were grown. The next thing to understand about coffee is that the fresher the beans, the better the flavor.
One of the keys to great coffee is to buy whole beans that have been roasted as soon after harvesting as possible. Then grind and drink as soon after roasting as possible. This is the secret to the freshest and most robust tasting cup of coffee.
2. Grind the Beans Yourself
Many people make the mistake of buying their coffee already ground. This means the beans have been roasted and ground prior to packaging, then shipped to the store. Keep in mind that beans start losing their freshness the moment they are roasted and ground.
In fact, up to 70% of the compounds that make coffee smell and taste so delicious begin escaping immediately after roasting. And grinding the beans speeds up this process even more.
3. Use a Scale
Making great coffee is all about precision. While many people still adhere to the simple rule of using 2 tablespoons of coffee for every 6 ounces of water, this won’t take your brewing skills to the next level.
A more precise way of measuring coffee beans is by using a digital scale. After all, a scale allows you to measure by weight instead of volume so that you know exactly how much coffee you’re putting in.
4. Measure the Right Amount of Coffee
It’s very important to achieve the right ratio of coffee to water. If you prefer a strong cup, use more beans. This can take some experimentation to figure out the perfect ratio for your particular taste.
5. Grind Only Enough For Each Serving
Store your coffee beans in an air-tight container and never grind them all at once. Remember that freshness is key. Your beans will begin losing their freshness the moment they’ve been ground.
This is where measuring out the right amount of beans using your scale is so important. Scoop out and grind only the amount you need for a single cup. If you grind more than that, you’ll soon notice it beginning to taste stale.
6. Use a Burr Grinder
Keep in mind that the quality of grinder you use is another major factor in making great coffee. A good burr grinder is essential for producing the best possible bean particles.
A burr grinder provides greater control over the exact size of your coffee grounds, allowing you to consistently produce the taste and intensity you desire.
7. Use Filtered Water
Nearly 99% of brewed coffee is only water. Therefore controlling the quality of water you use will greatly impact the flavor of the end product. Does the tap water from your kitchen faucet taste funny or smell bad? If so, your coffee will turn out the same way.
We recommend using water from a home filtration system or bottled water. Just make sure the bottled water you choose isn’t distilled.
8. Temperature Matters
Believe it or not, heating water to the proper temperature is vital to brewing a perfect cup of coffee. It’s all about basic chemistry and how the coffee grounds react to the temperature of the water.
Brewing with water that is too hot will result in coffee that tastes burnt. And using water that isn’t hot enough won’t bring out the full richness of flavor from the beans.
9. Bloom Your Coffee
Blooming is an important step in brewing coffee that many people aren’t familiar with. This is the simple process of wetting your coffee grounds before adding the full amount of water.
Blooming forcefully expels CO2 from the coffee. This is important because CO2 negatively affects the quality of the brew.
When you first pour water over the grounds to wet them, you’ll notice the coffee start to bubble up. Let the grounds set for 30 seconds to a minute before pouring the rest of the water. You’ll be amazed how blooming adds to the flavor of your coffee.
The optimal brewing temperature is between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit, and not only affects the speed of extraction, but also what gets extracted.
10. Upgrade Your Coffee Maker
Our final piece of advice is to upgrade your coffee maker or consider using a french press or pour-over coffee maker. There are plenty of opinions regarding which brewing method is best, but all boils down to taste and preference.
You might be tempted to simply go with the least expensive coffee maker you can find, but the truth is that it won’t produce the best coffee. There’s no need to spend a fortune, but using the right equipment will make all the difference in brewing great coffee.
Brewing Coffee One Perfect Cup at a Time
For many people, brewing coffee is the best part of their day. A cup of coffee is not only delicious–it wakes you up and clears your head, giving you the energy to get things done. Following the simple steps in this article can make the experience even better.
Drinking coffee is one of the great joys of life, and you’ll be shocked how easy it is to go from a good cup to a great cup. You deserve the best from your coffee, so upgrade your process and make each sip the best it can be!
Click here to see a list of SCAA certified coffee makers.