Top Tips for Brewing the Perfect Coffee at Home

Top Tips for Brewing the Perfect Coffee at Home

Let’s take a look at some top tips for brewing the perfect coffee at home to start your day the right way.

If you are a fan of coffee, the chances are you ditched the instant many moons ago and now use a fancy coffee machine to do the work for you. Perhaps you are a fan of the French press and use a cafetière to brew your own coffee. Let’s take a look at some top tips for brewing the perfect coffee at home to start your day the right way:

Tip - Grind Your Own Beans

While you may prefer to buy ground coffee, for ease and convenience, you will actually get a fuller flavour from grinding your own coffee beans directly before you brew.

This is because, immediately after roasting, aromatic compounds will start to escape from the bean. This process is known as degassing. In fact, after a little over a week, you will have lost up to 70% of these compounds, along with the flavour. Grinding coffee speeds the process even more leaving you with a more stale tasting coffee.

Tip - Use the Right Amount of Coffee

Stands to reason… the more coffee you use, the stronger it will be. Do you know how much coffee to water you should be using though? It’s important to follow the guidelines and recommended amount to begin with. You can then adjust if you find it too strong or not strong enough until you are happy with the strength of your morning coffee.

While many coffees have instructions on how much to use on the outside of the packet, you may find it more useful to invest in some scales to weigh the coffee more accurately. This way you will know the right amount that should be going in your cup.

Tip - Use Filtered Water

98.5% of brewed coffee is water! That’s a lot, and you won’t always get the best taste using tap water unless you live in an area where the water is good. The quality and taste of the water that you use will contribute a great deal to the end result. Try replacing the tap with filtered water. Try not to use distilled water though as the minerality of it is what gives your coffee more taste and flavour.

Tip – Make Sure the Water is the Correct Temperature

Did you know that the optimal temperature for brewing coffee is 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit? Using water that is too cool will mean that the coffee brews slower than using water at a higher temperature. Cooler water also means that some of the flavours and acidity that we love won’t be present. Conversely, if the water is too hot, the coffee will be more bitter tasting. For the optimum cup of coffee that isn’t too bitter and is full of flavour, make sure your water is at the right temperature.

You could use a thermometer to test this accurately but as a rule, water that is 30-60 seconds off the boil, is usually the perfect temperature.

Tip – Pre-Heat Everything

Pre-heating your cup, your spoon, your cafetière etc. will ensure that everything the coffee touches is close to the correct brewing temperature. Not pre-heating your cafetière for example means that when you pour the coffee, it will steal heat and therefore lower the temperature during the brewing process. If you are using filters, you should also ensure these are wet – this will wash away the paper taste and bring the filter to the right temperature.

Tip – Be Sure to Saturate Your Coffee

If you are using ground coffee in a cafetière, you need to make sure that you saturate it during the brewing process. To do this, simply pour over the coffee grounds and then give it a light stir. This will avoid any dry pockets and ensure that you are getting a thorough brew during the bloom phase.

The bloom phase is when the coffee starts to bubble up when that first water is poured over the grounds. It’s caused by C02 being expelled from the coffee and is a key part of the brewing process. To ensure that you make the most of this part of the process, simply pour a little water (double the amount of coffee you have used) wait for the bloom then 30 seconds later, pour over the rest of the water.

And Some More Top Tips

Let’s finish off with a few more

  • Use a Burr grinder – getting the correct size of granule will enhance the coffee brewing process
  • Experiment – what may be your cup of tea (or coffee in this case) may not be the same for someone else so experiment and find out what works for you when it comes to strength and flavour. You can also experiment with different types of bean
  • Take your time and enjoy your freshly brewed coffee.

And a Tip for the Office…

Get an Office Coffee Machine

If you want the perfect coffee in the office without the hassle, a bean to cup machine is the perfect solution. Keep your teams topped up with the best quality coffee and show them that you care. What’s more, we can even come to your workplace for a coffee tasting session first to ensure that everyone is in agreement as to which coffee you choose.

To arrange a coffee tasting for your office, simply click here or to browse our extensive range of ground coffee and coffee beans, click here.

Contact us