Top 5 Tips for Brewing Delicious Coffee at Home
As the Home of Daily Happy, we believe brewing coffee at home should be stress-free, enjoyable and delicious. Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or you’re a home-brewing expert, these crucial tips will help you to make a café quality cup of coffee every morning, without fail.Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or you’re a home-brewing expert, these crucial tips will help you to make a café quality cup every morning, without fail.
1. Use Fresh, High-Quality Coffee
One more thing, for the best results, make sure you’re choosing beans that were roasted for your preferred brew method. Coffee roasters determine how best to roast and serve each unique batch of green beans based on its unique characteristics. Typically, different beans will do better at different roast levels and with different brew methods.
Once purchased, store your beans in a sealed, airtight container away from sunlight and moisture. Light, heat and oxygen all cause coffee beans to oxidize and break down or go “stale”. The Airscape Container is a great option, as you'll be limiting the coffee’s exposure to these factors and making sure your beans stay fresher and tastier for longer. Alternatively, you can keep your coffee in its original Old Quarter bag with the zipper completely closed. Either way, remember to also keep it off the windowsill and away from the toaster or oven! We recommend trying the pantry ;)
3. Always Follow a Recipe
Consistency is just as important as freshness when it comes to making the perfect cup of coffee at home. A recipe is a simple formula created to get the best extraction and flavour out of your beans. Just like baking a cake, following a recipe and using scales are crucial steps in achieving the desired results, no matter your brewing method. Coffee recipes are always written in the format of: DOSE, YIELD, TIME.
4. Keep it Clean
While it may seem obvious, this one is a must. Coffee oils go rancid overtime and can seriously impact even the most meticulously brewed cup. Wash your brewing equipment with hot soapy water, wipe down grinders with paper towel, purge and wipe your steam wand after every use and invest in cleaning products for espresso machines. We liken it to cooking in a dirty pot. Maybe in our uni days…
5. Invest in Quality Tools
GRINDER
Starting every cup with fresh, whole beans is a must. It tastes A LOT better. Having your coffee ground fresh means it will have the most amount of aroma, sweetness, and flavour. There’s nothing wrong with pre-ground if that’s more practical for you, but over time ground coffee will oxidise and go stale much faster than beans due to the increased surface area available to react with the environment The fresher the grind, the better your coffee will taste.
An adjustable burr grinder is the way to go to get the most of your beans, as burr grinders use pressure (rather than blades) to evenly grind beans, providing consistent extraction (and a delicious cup of coffee).
And remember…grind size DOES matter! Matching your grind size to your brewing method plays a big role in extraction. In general, coarser grinds are used with brew methods that have longer brew times (such as a plunger) and finer grinds are used with methods that have shorter brew times and are extracted under pressure (such as espresso or stovetop). Suggested grind sizes are below:
Espresso | Very Fine |
Stovetop | Very Fine |
Aeropress | Medium - Coarse |
Pour Over | Medium - Coarse |
Moccamaster | Medium – Coarse |
Plunger | Coarse |
Cold Brew | Coarse |
If you like to mix it up and drink stovetop one day and plunger the next, buying an adjustable home grinder will change your life!
SCALES
As mentioned above, following a recipe is crucial when brewing coffee, and a set of digital scales will help you to weigh out the dose and yield. Using a measuring scoop or cup won’t cut it, as different coffee roasts can vary significantly in mass. With a set of scales, you’ll be sure to measure the exact weight of your beans and therefore achieve the perfect ratio. While it may seem excessive, using scales to weigh as you brew will help rule out inconsistencies and lead to a more balanced cup.
TIMER
A timer can be helpful when measuring and controlling the extraction time, no matter your brew method. Brew time can have a significant effect on how balanced your coffee tastes, as well as how strong it is. Some at home coffee machines come with a built-in timer, but if not, your phone will suffice!
That’s it! With these simple tips, tricks & tools, you’ll be able to make a delicious cup of coffee at home every time. If you have follow up questions or feel you need more guidance, pop in and visit us at our Roastery and Café in Ballina or contact us here. Good luck, and happy brewing!