It can be hard to make a good cup of coffee at home. You need the right ingredients, the right tools, and the right technique. But with a little practice, you can make a cup of coffee that is as good or better than what you would get at your local café.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Preparation
From opening the bag to getting your grinder set up brewing – from grinding the beans to cleaning up after brewing, the coffee should be well covered and stored in an air-tight container to limit oxidation.
2. Pre-Brewing
Coffee needs to be ground to an exact size determined by your brewing method, which will allow the hot water to extract the flavours from the coffee grounds evenly and thoroughly. The general rule is to grind for about 10 seconds or until fine-grit appears on top of your grounds. Some methods work better with a finer grit, while others perform better with a coarse grind.
3. Brewing
There are five main ways to brew coffee:
French Press
Thoroughly wash your French press so that no soap residue remains on it. Grind the amount of coffee beans you wish. One level tablespoon per 4 ounces is a good amount. Put the ground coffee in the pot, and pour water over it until there are 4 ounces total in the pot (in other words, fill the pot until it is halfway full). Let the coffee steep for 3-5 minutes.
Push down your French press plunger. Pour your coffee into a mug and add any cream and sugar if desired.
Vacuum Pot
Medium-coarse grind, 200g coffee to 1L water, steep for 4 minutes, and stir before serving.
Pour Over
Pre-wetting is extremely important for pour-over coffee. Pour just some hot water over the grounds to wet all grinds, wait 30 seconds, and then continue pouring slowly until you reach your desired amount of brewed coffee.
We recommend about 360mL of water per 20g/360mL brew ratio; remember, this will vary depending on your brewing vessel and personal preference.
Once the water has been added, stir the coffee gently with a fork; this will help degas and even out any remaining water. You can then place your brewer on top of your vessel and enjoy drip-style coffee!
Aeropress
Medium grind, 22g coffee to 200mL water, steep for 1 minute, and stir before plunging.
Espresso Machine
Very fine grind, 40-50g coffee to 50mL water, brew at 93°C.
Once you have these steps down pat, you will be brewing delicious cup after delicious cup of coffee.
4. Storage
Coffee is best stored in an air-tight container and used within 1 week of brewing. It will slowly start to lose its flavour and eventually go stale if it is not properly kept. You can prolong the life of your coffee by storing it at room temperature, limiting the amount of surface area exposed (e.g., grind all your coffee and then store it).
5. Drinking
Coffee is considered to be best directly after brewing. The flavour will start to dissipate as soon as it’s made but can last anywhere from 4 hours to a few days, depending on how carefully you’ve brewed and stored the coffee. Most people recommend not reheating your coffee, and we tend to agree! You’ll need a few accessories if you want to make a great cup: A good grinder (electric or manual), some brewing equipment (Drip, french press, etc.), and some excellent beans. If you’ve got these three things on hand, then the rest is up to you.
What grind should I use for my preferred coffee method?
The finer you grind, the stronger your cup of coffee will be. If you like a softer taste, use a coarser grind.
We recommend using between 70% and 100% finer than table salt for pour-over methods. However, we suggest starting with 70% and seeing how you like the results!
Use an even finer grind (typically between 20% and 70% finer than table salt).
Is freezing or refrigerating coffee grounds ok?
No. When coffee grounds are frozen or refrigerated, they actually absorb odours from other foods. So if you want your beans to taste great, don’t freeze them!
