The Secret to Making a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Ever wonder why your brewed coffee at home tastes different from the ones in coffee shops? There could be plenty of reasons but the good news is you don’t have to be a professional barista or buy expensive equipment to make a perfect cup of coffee. You can brew your own coffee at home that is as delicious or even better than over-priced coffee in coffee shops.

The secret behind every great tasting coffee is simple. You just have to understand the factors that affects its taste and apply these simple techniques when brewing coffee at home.

The first and most important factor you need to consider is the coffee that you’ll be using. You should start with a good quality coffee to get its maximum flavor. An inferior coffee will never be a good coffee no matter how you prepare it. This does not necessarily mean that you have to buy expensive coffee brands. As a matter of fact, it’s better to get it in a nearby coffee roaster.

Freshness is the key to get the best tasting coffee. Roasted coffee beans are perishable and their flavor will go stale after a couple of weeks or even after a few minutes. The first secret is to buy fresh whole coffee beans which you can easily get from a local coffee roaster. Coffee beans in supermarket do not guarantee freshness as they are probably in the shelves for months. There are online stores that offer freshly roasted coffee beans but with the shipping time it takes, you’ll most likely lose a few precious days when your coffee is at its best.

Coffee beans are at their finest for a few days after being roasted and will start to lose their delightful flavors after a month. Therefore, it is best to buy small amounts of beans that are consumable within a month to make sure that they are at their peak flavor when you brew them. Make sure to store the beans on an airtight container at room temperature to help hold their freshness.

It is important to buy whole coffee beans instead of pre-ground coffee as beans begins to stale 30 minutes after being ground. Hence, it is so much better to grind them yourself just before brewing. It is recommended to use a burr or mill grinder to grind beans to a consistent size. Other grinders produce an unequal grind which is not good as it will result to uneven brewing.

When it comes to variety of coffee, there is no right or wrong choice as it comes down to your personal taste. You can choose any: variety, brand, or country of origin that you want.

The quality, ratio, and temperature of water are also crucial for the end taste of your coffee. Use filtered or purified water and avoid using tap water as it has strong smell of chlorine which can greatly affect the taste of your drink. A good guide for coffee-water ratio is 1 part coffee to 20 parts of water but you can adjust this according to your own preference. The 1:20 ratio is mostly used in coffee shops.

With regards to water temperature, between 195°F to 205°F or 90°C to 96°C is the best temperature for brewing coffee. Using lower than 195°F will result to under-extraction making the beverage taste flat. Brewing higher than 205°F on the other hand will over extract the coffee ground making the drink taste burnt or bitter.

A great cup of coffee is one that is best for your personal taste. Have fun and enjoy exploring different varieties of coffee and try different coffee-water ratio to discover the perfect cup for you.