Serious coffee lovers make coffee at home. Coming up with the perfect brew may be challenging. Here, you will discover some of the methods used by experts so that you can have delicious home brewed coffee.
A French Press can be used to create a rich and flavorful cup of coffee. In a drip-style machine, the filters take in most of the oils. A French press, on the other hand, contains a plunger that pushes the coarsely ground beans to the bottom of the carafe. You get a deeper flavor because the oils stay in the brew.
The price of ground coffee has increased considerably over the past year, and even if you grind it yourself, the coffee beans have also increased in price. Sometimes the less expensive coffee tastes just as good as the higher priced brands, but it may take some trial and error to find one you like.
When you brew your coffee at home, do not throw out the used grounds. These coffee grounds might not be good for another cup of coffee, but they are excellent for many other purposes. They are great for composting, exfoliating, cleaning, and quite a few other uses. Don’t throw them away!
To add excitement to your daily cup of coffee or impress dinner guests, learn how to decorate your lattes. Carefully poured milk is all it takes to make an attractive swirl design while more proficient pourers may choose to add chocolate for a more flavorful decoration. When it comes to the more elaborate designs, practice makes perfect!
Fresh coffee beans taste better than anything you can buy in stores. Did you know you could roast your own beans and enjoy fresh coffee every day? You can easily roast your own beans by placing them in your oven or using a heat gun. Buy some cheap beans to practice.
You can froth milk to put in your coffee without spending tons on a special appliance. Heat some milk in the microwave until it begins steaming. Put a whisk inside the mug and rub it back and forth quickly between your hands. Do this until you have a foamy milk. Use half-and-half, whole, or 2 percent milk for better results.
Clean your coffee grinder regularly. Coffee grinds go stale quickly. As a result, it is necessary to clean your grinder often. If the grinder is not cleaned on a regular basis, old stale grinds will be mixed with your freshly ground coffee. It is best to clean the grinder thoroughly every few days.
Use coffee syrups if you like flavored coffee. These are great alternatives to creamers and flavored beans. They are made from quality ingredients that smell and taste great. They’re consistent, and you can control how much sweetness or flavor you want. They also won’t cause a mess in your equipment since you directly add them to your cup.
Packaging is important when it comes to coffee. It you buy coffee beans, pay attention to the packaging they come in. Make sure you buy beans with quality packaging. Also pay attention to how long it took to package these beans and how long they’ve been sitting on a shelf. Little facts like these can make a big difference in taste.
When brewing coffee, use fresh, clean water. Since your coffee essentially consists of mostly water, the quality of the water you use will affect the quality of the coffee you drink. Avoid using a water-softening filter for the water you use in your coffee. Super soft water fails to properly extract the coffee oils.
Make it a habit to only grind enough coffee for your immediate use. When you grind a whole bag of coffee, you are speeding up the flavor shelf life. Those grounds will lose flavor within a couple of days, where the fresh beans would have held out a little longer.
If you have strong smells on your hands that will not come out, you should try wetting your hands and then scrubbing them with some used coffee grounds. They will absorb any odors on your hands and have them smelling fresh and clean in no time. Make sure that you rinse them well after you are done.
Don’t believe the hype drinking coffee. Unless you have a medical condition that suggests otherwise, a cup of coffee each day is not bad for you. It may even be a good thing. Consult your doctor if you’re not sure if coffee consumption is something you should be engaging in.
The water temperature is extremely important for brewing a great tasting cup of coffee. If you are not satisfied by the coffee your automatic machine is producing, check the temperature of the water after it is heated. It should be between 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit to produce the best tasting cup of coffee.
Make sure you buy the right size filters for your coffee maker. If your filters aren’t the right size, grounds can slip into the coffee being brewed, making it grainy. This defeats the purpose of using filters. Using the right size filters will ensure your coffee is smooth and delicious.
Try sweetening your coffee with something other than sugar for one week. Then take a look in your canister to see just how much more sugar you have. This can be a real eye opener for how much of the sweet white powder you usually use. You will likely find ways to enjoy future coffee without risking diabetes so much.
Know your coffee lingo. Knowing the right words can mean the difference between an excellent cup of coffee you enjoy, and the kind of “slop” that is rumored to be served by your mechanic. Know the difference between Arabica and Robusta, and a latte and a cappuccino, and you’ll be able to better decide what you want.
Like many people who brew their own coffee, it can be difficult to recreate that quality and flavor you get at your local coffee shop. While it can be tempting to just drive through Starbucks, use this advice to save some dough and make excellent coffee at home.