Pablo Luna
Coffee is one of the more popular drinks in many people’s lives. Some people drink it for the taste while others need an extra jolt of energy to get them through the day. This has translated to many people making their own coffee from home before starting work or going to school. Making coffee can be as simple as using instant coffee mixes, or going all out with different coffee makers and machines. It is important that no matter how complicated your setup is, that you take the time to practice certain habits that will impact your coffee and the brewing experience.
Clean Your Coffee Maker
One important thing to remember for many people brewing their own coffee is to regularly clean their coffee makers and machines. Coffee beans and grounds have natural oil in them, and that oil will leave different sorts of residue in your machines and makers. Additionally, you always want to clean the pots thoroughly to ensure no oil is left in there as well. If you aren’t cleaning regularly, your cup of coffee will have a strange aftertaste, sometimes burnt, other times just different than what you are used to. Cleaning your coffee maker, as well as your kitchen or bar space, is a good habit to have in general.
Filtered Water
Using filtered water in your coffee will truly make a difference in the taste it. Many aficionados and experienced drinkers will understand the impact water will have on your coffee’s quality. Depending on your preference, whether you prefer your coffee without sweeteners or extra ingredients, or in espresso form, or any other way, water will make up a significant amount of what goes in your cup. Ensuring that your water is filtered gives it that extra boost and consistency to your flavor, and removes the factor of other contaminants altering your coffee taste.
Control Your Flavor
Speaking of flavor, if you drink coffee because you like the taste, and not simply looking for an energy boost, there are a few things that you should learn about. If you will want to look into ways to maximize the flavor of your coffee, there are different methods in terms of brewing that can help you bring out more flavor. The process of brewing will range, as you have to look into different coffee machines and makers. Some require you to steep your coffee in certain ways, while others provide you more convenience for a quick cup to go. Additionally, you should learn more about the different beans and roasts as they can satisfy different palettes and tastes. There are many ways that coffee will differ in its flavors, and you should research these in order to make the best cup to your liking.
Grind Your Own Beans
One way that you can have more control over your coffee in terms of flavor and texture is by grinding your own beans. This gives you more flavor because, with newly ground beans, the flavor is still fresh and will be easier to extract when steeping in hot water. Also good to note is that when you are grinding coffee manually, you can control the size of the grounded coffee. The finer you grind them, the more flavor is lost, whereas keeping your grounds larger provides more area for them to retain their flavor. Stored coffee grounds lose flavor the longer they are kept so this all contributes to freshly ground beans making the best tasting cup of coffee. Whole coffee beans will also keep their flavor longer than coffee grounds, so minimize the amount of ground coffee you decide to store and grind when you know that you want something fresh.
Storing Your Coffee
Of course, there will be times that you want to make enough coffee grounds to store and use quickly. As mentioned, the longer you keep coffee, the more flavor is lost. There are, however, ways in which you can keep as much flavor as possible through how you store them. You can do this by keeping them in an airtight container, whether that is glass or tin, and store them away in a room temperature storage space away from direct sunlight. Do not keep them in the refrigerator as this will allow for humidity to affect the beans or grounds. Storing them somewhere such as a pantry or cabinet prevents them from losing their flavor and aroma through temperature changes, as well as keeps them away from moisture. This ensures your coffee grounds are as fresh as possible for the next time you want to make a cup of coffee.
Brewing your own coffee is easy, although it may appear more complicated at first with everything you should be aware of. There are things that you can do to make coffee taste better, as well as impact how you go about the brewing process. Whether you are in a rush or can take your time in the kitchen, consider what practices you can do to give yourself as close to a barista experience as possible.
