Coffee connoisseurs often hold strong opinions about what constitutes good and bad coffee. They’ll even tell you what they think is the best way to brew coffee, with all sorts of complicated gadgets and techniques. But people have been brewing good coffee for hundreds of years.
Some types of coffee do need better equipment. If you’re a coffee aficionado or a cafe owner, then you’re probably looking for coffee equipment in Scotland. But boiled down to the essentials, making good coffee just consists of a few simple steps.
Here are a few ways to make better coffee at home:
1. Choose good coffee beans
If you want to make good coffee at home, then you need to be more discerning about the type of coffee beans you use. Generally, the better the coffee beans, the better the flavors you can extract from them.
Do some research about the best coffee brands available in your area. Make sure that their coffee beans are sourced from ethical producers. The best way to know this is to look for the fairtrade logo on the packaging. Once you’ve received the coffee beans, you can send them to your favorite local roaster.
Another thing to keep in mind is the coffee bean’s age. Unlike wine, aged coffee isn’t necessarily better. The quality gradually degrades as time goes on. When buying coffee beans, make sure it’s freshly roasted.
2. Store in airtight containers
Oxidation is a roasted coffee bean’s primary nemesis. When exposed to oxygen, coffee beans lose a lot of its flavor and body. If you’ve had a bad cup of freshly brewed coffee, you can thank oxidation for that. And even a small amount of oxygen can render your beans useless.
When buying coffee beans, make sure it’s packed tightly or stored in an airtight container. But even if it’s stored correctly, it’s only a matter of time before oxidation takes its toll. Always check the roasting date on the packaging to determine whether the coffee is still good or not.
3. Choose whole beans
Pre-ground coffee beans are more convenient, and the grinding process isn’t exactly fun. But if you want to make the best coffee at home, then you need to buy whole beans. A few minutes of grinding every morning makes all the difference when it comes to brewing better coffee.
Essential oils in the coffee are responsible for the variations and nuances in the coffee’s flavors. During the grinding process, the essential oils are released, which is how we get the distinctive coffee flavor. However, the oil doesn’t stay for long. Pre-ground coffee doesn’t have any of the essential oils that give amazing coffee its unique taste.
4. Measure properly
Eyeballing your spoons and measurements can work for an everyday cup of coffee. But if you want to brew great coffee, you need to be exact about your measurements. Use a proper scale and measuring spoons when making coffee.
Formalizing measurements takes away all of the guesswork and ensures that every scoop and heap is exact. With many types of coffee beans in the market, all with different origins and bean sizes, standardizing your measurements will ensure consistent coffee every single time.
Remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive gadgets to make excellent coffee. If you follow these simple pointers, you’re on your way to making the best home coffee you’ve ever had.
