words Alexa Wang
Most of us love to wake up in the morning with a bold cup of coffee, however you don’t have to stop at the local coffee joint to get a great tasting cup of coffee, you easily make one in the comfort of your own home. First, pick up a type of coffee that suits your tastes; try out different types of roasts and pick one you find delicious.
Next, you’re going to have to grind your beans to the correct fineness to match the type of coffee maker you plan on using. Finally, you’re going to need a couple brewing tips before you’re ready to enjoy your perfect cup. This article will go over all the steps required to homebrew your very own great tasting coffee.
1. Get the Right Beans
Coffee beans are the base of brewing any good cup of coffee so you want to choose a type of roast that you like. Blond or light roasts are beans that have been roasted for the least amount of time compared to other varieties; because of this they will have more caffeine than more roasted varieties. These kinds of beans will be acidic and will have a nice smooth toasted grain-like taste. Medium roasts are roasted longer than light roasts so they have a bolder flavor but less caffeine. These kinds of roasts will have a stronger, nutty taste, but it won’t be as strong as a dark roast. Finally, dark roasts will have the strongest flavors of all the roasts but will have the least caffeine. This variety of toast will have complex spicy and nutty tastes so they’re great if you demand bold flavors! Try going to the local coffee shop that roasts beans and try out a few different varieties to find the one that’s right for you.
2. Grind the Beans Properly
After you buy your whole beans you need to grind them to the right consistency. Getting whole beans instead of pre-ground ones is much better as they will retain their rich flavors for a lot longer so if you don’t already have a coffee grinder you should invest in one as soon as possible! A coarse grind is key for using French Presses since the bits of coffee will be too big to fit through the press’ wire mesh, this is essential to ensure you don’t get bits of grinds in the final product. If you’re using a french press to make your coffee you should keep note of how long you brew your grinds. Medium grinds are more finely ground than coarse grinds and they allow liquids to travel through them easily. This kind of grind is best suited for percolator drip coffee machines or Vietnamese coffee presses since they allow the essential compounds of the bean to flow into the coffee with minimal effort. The last kind of grind is fine or espresso grind, this variety is essentially a powdered coffee. Since espresso machines use pressurized water to extract the coffee these grinds are as fine as possible so you can every drop of goodness out of them.
3. Brewing the Perfect Cup
One thing you have to consider when brewing coffee with anything other than an electric coffee pot or espresso machine is the temperature of your water. When boiling the water yourself, you have to make sure the water is around 96 degrees Celsius when adding it to the coffee because if the water is too hot it can scorch the beans and damage some of their delightful flavor compounds in them. If you don’t have an electric kettle you can always buy a modern one which you can set to any temperature. According to the experts at alternativebrewing.com.au/product-category/coffee-accessories/kettle/ you can even get specially designed kettles with long, thin spouts which allow and easier pour; these kinds of kettles are perfect if you need a controlled pour like when you’re making Vietnamese coffee. If you’re using a French Press to make your coffee you should keep note of how long you brew your grinds. If you want a lighter tasting brew let it sit for about four minutes, but if you want a stronger coffee let it sit for up to seven minutes.
A great cup of coffee in the morning is truly one of life’s simple pleasures and it’s so easy to make a robust cup in the comfort of your own home. First, select a type of roast you like: light, medium or dark. Next get a coffee grinder and grind the beans to the right consistency for your coffee maker of choice. Next be sure to brew the coffee at the right temperature and for the correct length of time, then bam you have an amazing cup of coffee. Remember like any skill in life coffee brewing can take a few tries to get right initially, but after you’ve past that hump you’ll be kissing your morning café trips goodbye!
