5 Tips For Making A Great Cup Of Coffee At Home
Yes, you can make a great cup of coffee at home. But for that to happen, you need to pay attention to details, have patience and ensure you do everything right. Here are tips that can help you to make that delicious cup of coffee.
- Choose your coffee carefully
There are different types of coffee from many origins. However, for the best coffee, opt for specialty coffee that shows its country of origin and the region or estate it comes from. The two major types of coffee beans are Robusta and Arabica. Arabica is considered better with more flavors and so you should look for beans that are 100% Arabica.
- Use fresh coffee beans
Coffee is the main ingredient, which means you need to choose carefully the coffee beans you use. If you can, buy green coffee beans and roast them yourself. This way, you will roast them to your desired level, whether light, medium or dark roasts. Besides, freshly roasted coffee beans have the best flavor. Make sure you use them up within days after roasting. To keep the beans fresh, store them in airtight containers. Do not freeze them.
In case you decide to buy roasted beans, make sure that they are fresh. Check the expiry date to ensure they have not been on the shelf for too long. It is recommended that you buy coffee beans that were roasted within the last two weeks to ensure freshness and so you should check the roast date. Don’t confuse it with the ‘sell by’ date.
You can get roasted coffee beans from a local roaster who is also conscious about quality packaging using strong bags that are vacuum sealed to prevent the beans from losing their flavor.
- Use the right equipment
Choose a coffee making machine that meets your needs in terms of the kind of taste you want. For instance, if you want to make great espresso, choose an espresso maker that is consistent with steady pressure and water temperature. To make great espresso, you need a machine that heats up fast and also keeps the temperature steady. The recommended water temperature is between 195oF to 205oF.
A dual boiler can be ideal if you want to brew coffee and steam milk simultaneously.
You can check out coffee machine reviews such as this espresso machine reviews to help you choose the right one.
- Use freshly ground beans
Grind your coffee beans when you intend to brew coffee so you can get the best taste. Fresh ground beans have the best flavor. A burr grinder is the best since it grinds the beans uniformly such that the coffee does not end up too strong or too weak. Also, fine grinds have better flavor.
- Weigh and measure your ingredients
You will get the best coffee if you use the recommended ratio of your ingredients. Measure the water and weight the coffee before you brew. For proper coffee strength, you should use 2 tablespoons of coffee beans for a cup of 6 ounces. Also, you can use 25g of whole coffee beans with 350g water.
Also, make sure you brew the coffee when the water is at the right temperature.
The type of water you use may also affect the taste of your coffee. Use filtered or bottled water if your tap water ruins the flavors. Avoid distilled or softened water since it lacks essential minerals found in water.
How to Clean a Keurig Coffee Maker Machine
Check out these tips from 11thStreetCoffee.com on how to clean your Keurig because they can harbor some nasty bacteria! 