Your morning cup of coffee can make or break your day. When it's good, it sets you up for success. But when it's bad, you end up feeling disappointed, confused or frustrated.
In this guide, we cover our 5 top tips to making great coffee at home. So you can start each day on the right foot.
1. Pick a good quality coffee you like the taste of
Whilst it can be fun trying out new coffees, it is easy to get swept up in the hype behind a blend - without actually enjoying how it tastes. You might feel like you 'should' like a coffee because of its price tag or prestige, but it ends up abandoned in your cupboard. This can be especially true for more unique single origin coffee, which can be interesting to experience but isn't necessarily made for every day drinking.
When starting out it's important to find a good quality coffee you can enjoy day in and day out. One that you look forward to brewing every morning. There's no point investing in expensive brewing equipment or machines, if you ultimately don't like the taste of the coffee itself.
We recommend trying a few different coffees (ideally side by side if you can), to understand what it is you enjoy. Maybe you like something more punchy and strong, or maybe more smooth and warming. Take the time to find YOUR coffee.
2. Grind your coffee fresh at home
When it comes to most food, freshness is key. This is the same for coffee.
As coffee is exposed to air, light and moisture, its oils dry up and the flavour decreases. If you buy pre-ground coffee, you might have noticed its taste change over time. This is because it has a lot of exposed surface area, so is more susceptible to the impact of these elements.
If you want to ensure you are getting the most flavour from your coffee, buying beans is the way to go. By only grinding the coffee when you go to use it, you are maintaining the oils and aromatic compounds for as long as possible, ensuring they end up in your final cup of coffee.
We recommend investing in a burr coffee grinder, which can accommodate a variety of different grind sizes for multiple brewing methods.
3. Make small tweaks to your brewing method
As with many things, the secret to great coffee is trial and error. Many factors can impact the final taste, such as brewing time or method selected, so it's important to experiment to understand which one makes the biggest difference.
As a coffee specialist, the most common problems we see are grind size, brewing time and the amount of coffee used - especially when it comes to manual brewing methods (like a cafetière or moka pot). If you haven't got these right, your end product is almost sure to not taste the way you want to. Here's a quick checklist, to point you in the right direction:
If your coffee tastes bitter or burnt: Try using a coarser (bigger) grind of coffee and shortening the brewing time.
If your coffee tastes sour or acidic (almost lemon-y): Try using a finer grind, increase the water temperature or increase the brewing time.
If your coffee taste weak or watery: Increase the amount of coffee you are using or try a finer grind size.
4. Store your coffee properly
There's nothing worse than spending your money on expensive coffee, only to find it stale when you go to use it. As previously mentioned, air, light and moisture can negatively impact the taste of your coffee, so it's important to store it properly to keep it protected.
We recommend storing your coffee in a opaque, air-tight container in a cool, dry place to keep it fresh. It's also important to try to use your coffee in a timely manner, so be sure to keep in mind how long you've had it for. Try buying in smaller, more frequent increments so coffee doesn't go to waste.
5. Think about your water
Whilst water won't make or break your morning brew, it can be worth a quick consideration when looking to fine tune your set up. As with tea, a cup of coffee is essentially coffee particles dissolved in water. If the water is already saturated with minerals, there's less 'space' for the coffee and you'll extract less flavour from it. Therefore, using filtered water with the right mineral balance can really make a difference. This is especially if you live in a hard water area, such as the South or East of England, where the water has a naturally high mineral content.
Whilst many coffee machines have water filters built in, it is also a good idea to give the system a thorough clean every now and again. This will prevent limescale or mineral buildup, which can negatively impact the taste of your coffee.