Coffee is consumed by millions, even billions daily but what goes into making the perfect cup? You first have to start with the basics, get some whole beans and grind them to the right fineness to suit your coffee maker’s needs. Next, you need to get a high quality coffee maker to fit your tastes and the type of coffee you’d like to make. Finally, you’ll need to get brewing with a couple tips to help your coffee come out as delightful as possible.
Start with the Grind
As a general rule for buying coffee, it’s better to buy whole beans than pre-ground. Whole beans hold in their flavor better than pre-ground coffee so if you want to brew the best cup you can start by grinding your own beans. By grinding your own beans you can also control the size of the ground to best suit the type of maker you want to use. So first get yourself a great coffee grinder so you can tailor your grinds to your needs. If you’re looking to use a French press to make a pot of delicious coffee you’re going to want to give your beans a coarse grind so that little particles won’t go through the press’ wire mesh. If you’re using a regular drip coffee maker give your beans a medium grind so the hot water can seep through them easily and consistently. According to this website, you can even get specialty grinders for making the perfect espresso grinds. Espresso beans often come pre-ground because the grinds have to be extra fine to make a beverage but if you can make the grinds yourself you’ll be able to home brew some of the most flavorful espresso you’ve ever tasted.
Get the right Coffee Maker
We’re all familiar with the notorious drip-coffee makers found in break rooms all around the world but there are in fact dozens of different methods of making a solid cup of coffee. French presses are a convenient way of making multiple cups of strong coffee in a convenient way. You put the grinds to the bottom, add in the hot water, let it sit for a while and then press down the top and bam you have enough cups of coffee for both you and all your friends. Since French Presses use wire to filter the grounds the coffee they make will be much more robust, if you love your coffee this way leave the beans in the coffee maker for anywhere up to 7 minutes to make the coffee as strong and flavorful as possible. Vietnamese drip coffee makers are a great way of making a single cup of coffee with minimal effort.
Load some medium grounds in the top and pack them down then add a little hot water to allow the beans to expand a bit. Next, fill up the maker with hot water and allow the coffee to drip down for a few minutes. After all the water in the top of the maker is gone you should be left with a highly flavorful coffee about the size of an espresso shot in your cup. If you like espresso try to invest in a moka pot or an espresso machine. These coffee makers will let you brew quality espresso in your own home and will let you make plenty of tasty coffee-based beverages like Americanos, lattes and cappuccinos. Once you find a coffee maker that suits your tastes and needs you can now start brewing.
Brewing the Coffee
Unless you have an espresso machine or an electric coffee maker you’re going to have to pay close attention to the temperature of the hot water you’re adding to your grinds. Never put boiling water on your grinds as this can damage the delicate flavor compounds found in coffee. The ideal temperature to brew coffee at is around 95 degrees Celsius so before brewing your coffee set your electric kettle to this setting or if you don’t have one after the water has come to a boil let it sit for a few minutes before brewing. Another big mistake rookie coffee makers do frequently is reusing the grinds. Once hot water touches the coffee grounds special compounds are released in the first few moments of the brewing process and will immediately seep into the coffee; so if you reuse your grounds for a second batch of coffee the beverage they will make will be very weak and relatively flavorless. So if you plan on making a second batch of coffee empty out the old grounds, clean your maker with hot water and then add some fresh grounds.
Brewing the right cup of coffee is an art but with the right knowledge it can be as easy as pie. First, you need to grind whole beans to the desired fineness; coarse, medium or fine. Next, pick out a coffee maker that fits your lifestyle and will produce the variety of coffee you want to sip on. Finally, make sure you brew your coffee properly with the tips provided so as to bring out the flavors of the beans you want in your cup. Follow these steps and you’ll be able to start brewing up café-quality coffee like a pro in no time!