There’s coffee, then there is good coffee.
If you’ve never had good coffee before, you’ve never really experienced how amazing coffee can be.
That’s where we come in. We’ll show you how to make good, nay, great coffee. Once you start making coffee the way we show you, you’ll never look at coffee the same way again.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
How to make good coffee at home: what makes a good coffee
Regardless of whichever brewing method you use, there are a few basic principles for making good coffee.
Coffee is only two ingredients: coffee and water. As you can imagine, you have to take extreme care when it comes to these two ingredients as that’s all you have to work with.
The right kind of beans and roasts
Obviously, the first thing to dial in is the kind of coffee you brew with. When you buy coffee, make sure it is freshly roasted, and only buy whole bean coffee.
DO NOT BUY PRE-GROUND COFFEE!
Whole bean coffee is much, much fresher than ground coffee. Ground coffee becomes stale within an hour of grinding, so by the time it reaches your coffee machine, it will have lost most of its flavor.
Try to buy from smaller roasters, as they have fresher coffee that is roasted more frequently. Supermarket coffee can sometimes be roasted a long time before it reaches a shelf and your home.
WIth coffee, the fresher the better.
Now for roasts and flavor profiles.
Depending on your taste tolerance, you’ll want to choose a roast that suits you.
Light roasts are usually very bright, fruity, and acidic.
Medium roasts are earthy, smooth, and can sometimes be fruity.
Dark roasts are intense, caramelized, and bittersweet.
I suggest starting with a medium roast and going up or down depending on how it turns out for you. Starting out with a dark roast may be too intense for newcomers to coffee.
Grind size
The next factor to better, delicious coffee is grind size. Every brewing method has a grind size that is suited to it.
- Espresso requires a fine grind
- Moka pot, Aeropress, and pour over require a medium-fine grind
- Drip coffee requires a medium grind
- French press requires a coarse grind
- Cold brew requires a very coarse grind
You’d be surprised how much of a difference something as innocuous as grind size can make in a cup of coffee, but mismatching the grind size can be the difference between delicious and disaster.
Learn more about grind sizes here
Finally, grind right before you brew. This will ensure that your coffee is as fresh as possible.
To start making better coffee, you’ll need to invest in a good coffee grinder.
Check out automatic coffee grinders here.
Water quality and temperature
As you read above, coffee is just coffee and water. Now that you have your coffee sorted out, you need to make sure your water is up to par, too.
As much as possible, use filtered water to brew coffee. Filtered water has far fewer dissolved solids like minerals that can alter its taste.
Also, when brewing manually, you need to make sure your water is at the right temperature.
The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is 90-95 degrees Celcius or 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s ok to use water that’s slightly hotter, but don’t use water that’s any colder! Water needs to be at a certain temperature and have enough energy to be able to extract all the flavors from the coffee grounds.
Brewing methods
One reason you may not like your coffee is because you’re not using the right brewing method. Here’s a quick overview of how brews typically taste:
- Espresso: Very acidic and intense
- Moka pot: Acidic and intense, full-bodied
- Pour over: smooth, clean, and bright
- Drip: smooth and clean
- Aeropress: clean and sweet
- French press: acidic, full-bodied
- Cold brew: smooth, mellow, crisp
Start by matching a flavor profile to what suits your personal preferences, and experiment from there.
How to make one cup of coffee
You may wish to make a single cup of coffee instead of a whole pot. Here are three methods you can use to easily make a single cup of coffee without any expensive equipment.
Using a french press
The easiest and most no-frills way to make coffee is with a french press:
What you’ll need
- 15 grams of coffee beans
- A grinder
- 225 ml of water
- A kettle
- A french press
- A timer(your phone works fine)
What to do
- Grind 15 grams of coffee to a coarse grind. You’ll need to refer to your grinder’s manual to see their suggested adjustment range
- Add the coffee to the french press
- Heat the water to a boil and let it rest off the boil for 30 seconds
- Slowly pour the water over the coffee grounds and wet them evenly. Pour all 225 ml out
- Gently stir 5 to 7 times
- Place the plunger on the french press and set a time for 4 minutes
- Once the 4 minutes are up, plunge down, pour into a mug and enjoy!
Using a pour over
Pour over coffee is a little challenging to get the hang of, but once you get the technique down, it will be the best coffee you’ll ever make.
What you’ll need
- 15 grams of coffee beans
- A grinder
- A pour over funnel like the Hario V60
- Filter paper
- A kettle(preferably gooseneck, but a regular kettle will work)
- 225 ml of water
- A spoon
What to do:
- Grind the coffee beans to a medium-fine consistency
- Place the filter paper in the funnel and over your coffee cup. Wet the filter with hot water to wash out the papery taste, and empty the water from the cup
- Add the coffee grounds to the filter
- Heat water to a boil and let it rest for 30 seconds
- Pour 50 grams of water over the coffee grounds. Pour in a circular motion, starting at the outside and swirling towards the center
- Once the grounds are all wet, let the coffee sit for 30 seconds to bloom
- Pour the remaining 175 grams of water in the same circular motion
- Once all the water is in, use a spoon to scrape any grounds off the side and get them in the center of the funnel. You can also gently swirl the funnel to get all the grounds in the center
- Once all the water has filtered through, your coffee is ready
Using an Aeropress
Aeropress produces the sweetest cup of coffee I have ever tasted. It’s also really easy to use and very versatile, so consider picking one up.
What you’ll need
- An Aeropress with a paper filter
- The Aeropress stirrer or a spoon
- 15 grams of coffee beans
- A grinder
- 225 ml of water
- A kettle
What to do
- Grind your coffee beans to a fine-medium consistency
- Place the paper filter in the Aeropress plastic filter basket and wet it to wash out any paper taste
- Lock the plastic filter basket into the Aeropress chamber and add your coffee grounds
- Place the Aeropress on a flat-bottomed cup(important, otherwise the cup can tip over)
- Heat your water to a boil and let it sit for 1 minute
- Add water up to the “1” mark on the Aeropress chamber
- Stir for 10 seconds
- Place the plunger on the bottom chamber and gently plunge until you hit the bed of coffee grounds
- You now have a concentrated shot of coffee. Dilute with another 150 ml of water and enjoy
How to brew the perfect pot of coffee
When it comes to brewing a pot of coffee, aside from the quality of coffee beans that you use, the coffee maker you use also makes a big difference.
Cheap coffee makers often don’t have good temperature control and what’s more, they just dump water over the coffee grounds.
If you’re serious about your coffee and have the cash, invest in a decent coffee maker that has good temperature control and good water distribution.
Since a coffee maker automates everything, you need a good coffee maker to make a great pot of coffee!
Where can I get a good cup of coffee
You can get a good cup of coffee at any small specialty coffee shop. Avoid large chains if you want to enjoy proper black coffee.
Any small cafe that has freshly roasted small-batch coffee beans is the place to go. You may also find that smaller coffee shops have a wider variety of brew options to choose from, too.
Chain coffee shops are good for specialty drinks if you are looking for a treat/dessert!
Conclusion
Making the perfect cup of coffee is not too difficult as long as you can get a handful of things right. Once you start brewing coffee the right way, you’ll never be able to go back to any other kind of coffee!
