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How to Make Good Coffee at Home?

As a good cup of flavoursome and aromatic coffee sets the tone of your day, it’s important for any coffee lover to make the perfect cup of coffee at home.

There are few basic elements that go into making a perfect cup of coffee, including the right roast, right amount of water & temperature, the right grind, great brewing technique, and some love in the brewing process.

This article serves as a definitive guide for making the best coffee at home.

Making a good cup of coffee requires more than throwing your coffee beans in your coffee machine.

To begin with, let’s discuss the equipment you need for brewing the best coffee at home. In addition to your coffee machine, you may consider the following things before making your coffee include the following.

• Grinder
• Scales
• Pouring kettle
• Filter papers

Grinder

Your coffee tastes great after it has been ground. Thus, you should get yourself a good quality grinder for experiencing the best flavour of freshly ground whole coffee beans.

You may also adjust the grind in small increments for suiting your brew methods. A good grinder helps you to make coffee with excellent consistency.

Scales

You should weigh your coffee beans for achieving the desired consistency and taste. The coffee beans come with different densities. Hence, it is preferable to weigh your grounds for maintaining the perfect ratio of dry coffee to water for making a great brew every time.

Pouring Kettle

Although you can work with your regular kettle, getting a pouring kettle provides more control for getting an even extraction. Some advanced pouring kettles come with an in-built thermometer.

Filter Papers

Get the filter papers that perfectly suit your brewing method. Different types of filter papers work for different brewing methods, including aeropress, chemex, V60, etc.

Coffee

You should pick up the best quality and fresh coffee beans. Also, ensure to experiment with different roasters and coffees for finding the one that perfectly suits your taste.

Do you like coffee with nutty undertones and a chocolatey mouth feel or one with light acidic notes and big fruity flavours?

Selecting the best coffee beans is a time-consuming process, and you should try various variants to know the one meant for you.

The French press is the most common and popular manual brewing method. It allows you to caffeinate like a European.

• Begin by measuring your coffee beans using scales. Ideally, you should keep the ratio of approx 2 tablespoons of coffee per 177ml water.

• Ensure that your grinder is clean before grinding your coffee beans. If you prefer sweet coffee, make a finer roast. On the other hand, if you need a satisfying bitter flavour, go for a coarser grind.

• Now boil the water at the temperature you are targeting for. Pour the water from the filter, and allow it to sit for 30 seconds before putting your coffee grounds in the French Press.

• Ensure to pour the water in a smooth and steady flow for saturating the grounds evenly.
• Allow the coffee grounds to soak the water for approx 30 seconds. Now stir it gently a few times along the sides and around the top layer by using the back of a spoon for immersing any stuck grounds.

• Brew the coffee by setting a timer for extracting the water from the grounds for 2 mins & 30 secs. Take care of the timing because if you keep it for a lesser duration, you will get a sweet coffee, and if you keep it for longer, your coffee gets over-extracted and bitter.

• Push through the filter evenly down to the bottom. Don’t apply more force as it may cause the coffee to splash or break the machine.

• Pour your coffee into your coffee cup. As your coffee cup cools, there is a change in the flavour notes. A piping hot coffee tastes differently from its cooled down version at a lukewarm temperature. Thus, drink your coffee as your preferred taste and preference.

Making coffee in a drip coffee machine is a simple and great way of lightening up your mornings. Using this method, you can make up to 12 cups of coffee.

• Grind your whole coffee beans in a grinder for achieving the uniform consistency comparable to regular table salt
• Take a filter-lined filter basket and transfer your fresh coffee grounds to it. Set the filter basket in a drip machine. Rotate the water spout so that it is centred over the grounds. Add clean and fresh water at the back of the drip coffee machine and press the ON button.
• Be attentive and wait till the coffee brewing gets completed. Once your coffee is brewed, turn off the machine immediately to avoid a burnt taste.
• Use a mixture of water and vinegar for cleaning your coffee machine once a month. It helps in removing any built-up residue.

The pour-over coffee maker is considered a great way of making an aromatic and delicious cup of coffee.

• Begin by boiling cold water in a kettle
• Grind your whole coffee beans in a grinder for achieving the uniform consistency comparable to granulated table salt
• Keep a filter in the brewer and use hot water for rinsing it. This helps keep the coffee hot longer by warming up the brewer and removing the papery residue on the filter. Discard the water after rinsing.
• Now insert the coffee grounds into the filter and ensure to maintain an even surface.
• When the water is between 90°C and 96°C, pour it steadily and slowly over the grounds for saturating them completely.
• While pouring water, begin from the middle area and then slowly move outwards. Ensure to stop pouring before the coffee starts dripping through so that it can de-gas.
• Now pour the remaining water and maintain the level of water between ½ and ¾ in the dripper. After 3-4 minutes, remove the filter and serve your coffee.

Finding the Right Roast

There is no predefined rule regarding when you should consume roasted coffee. However, a fresh roast produces excellent coffee with a rich flavour and aroma.

Ensure to pick up the coffee beans within five days of their roast date for experiencing optimal results.

The flavours you extract from your coffee depend on how porous the beans get over time and how beans react to water. Some coffee beans maintain consistent quality even after a month from the roast date. Choose your coffee beans with the right roast.

Getting the Right Water Temperature

The flavour of your coffee depends on how much water is used for agitating the beans. The temperature of the water is a determining factor in deciding a coffee’s flavour.

If you pour water at a lower temperature 85?C, you’ll get a bitter taste as it extracts fewer nascent flavour notes of the beans. On the other hand, if you pour water at a higher temperature of 96?C, it extracts more flavour notes of the bean.

Getting the Right Water Quality

The quality of the water also determines your coffee flavours. If you are using water with fewer minerals, it is much better for extracting better flavour notes. Avoid using tap water, try to use a clean and fresh water filter and maintain its acidity in the range of pH 7.

Get the Perfect Grind Size

There is no standard guideline that determines the perfect grind size for making a high-quality cup of coffee. You need to experiment and find with your grind settings.

Your taste preference determines the right grind for you. An ideal coffee should fill your aura with refreshing vibes and melt your worries. You should use a grinder to enjoy freshly ground coffee.

A finer grind results in smaller coffee particles with larger surface areas for slowing down the water’s movement. This helps in extracting more of coffee’s flavour notes. So if you want a sweeter cup of coffee, go for a finer grind.

If you want a caffeinated cup, go for a coarse grind that provides a strong caffeine punch. If you use an older roast, go for a finer grind to extract as much flavour as possible.

Avoid mixing coffee grinds as it may ruin your coffee flavour and aroma. Always ensure to clean your grinder after every usage to clean your leftover coffee grinds.