If you’re brewing coffee at home, there are a few simple steps that will take your coffee drinking experience to another level. You’ll enter a whole new world of flavor and start to really taste the nuances and complexities of speciality coffee. Why drink mediocre coffee when you can drink magnificent coffee at home?
Get ready to grind
The single biggest thing you can do to improve your coffee drinking experience is to buy whole beans and invest in a grinder. As soon as you grind your coffee, you start to lose the good stuff and it will begin to go stale. Grinding will only add a few moments to you morning coffee routine, but it’s so worth it. Grind just what you need (enjoy those incredible aromas) and use it straight away. Invest in a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder. Trust me, you’ll never look back.
And grind again
Yes, there’s a theme developing. It’s not all about the grind, but it’s massively important. Different brew methods need a different grind particle size, from espresso (very fine) through to cafetiere (very coarse) and everything in between. It’s all about extraction. The finer the grind size, the more extraction. The coarser the grind, the less extraction there will be. Under extraction leads to sour tastes, while over extraction leads to bitterness. You can play with grind size to adjust the taste of your coffee.
Keep it airtight
When you buy your beans from us, they come in an airtight bag with a one-way degassing valve. The valve releases the pressure of trapped air and gas while preventing outside air from getting into the bag. This means you get super fresh beans. As soon as you open the bag you’re exposing the coffee to oxygen, which soon starts to degrade the flavor of the beans. So once you’ve use the coffee you need, reseal the bag, wrap it up tightly and secure it with an elastic band. Then store it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Oh and don’t store your beans in the fridge!
Get the recipe right
For filter brewing there is a basic ratio of coffee to water that will help you hit the perfect sweet spot. It’s 60g of water to 1L of water. Scale this up or down.
Invest in some kit
It’s worth getting a few bits of kit to improve your home brewing:
- Invest in a pourover setup, whether it’s a Hario V60, Chemex or Kalita Wave.
- Get a gooseneck kettle. The narrow spouts make precise pouring more easy.
- Some decent scales will help you measure both coffee and water to ensure you get the same great taste every time you brew.
And finally…keep on learning!
The world of coffee is vast and the art (and science) of extraction is endlessly fascinating. Experiment with your brewing, try out new things and have fun!
