You don't require costly equipment to make great coffee at home. All you require is good beans, fresh water, and knowledge of a handful of factors. Here's where to begin.
The X-Factor: The Beans. There is no such thing as a bad cup of coffee that you can make great.
Sacrifice your coffee bean buy high quality, freshly roasted green beans from a quality roaster, keep them in a sealed container away from light and heat, and grind the beans immediately before brewing.
This one bit of kit will improve your cup of coffee more than any equipment upgrade.
The grinder is a burr grinder, meaning that it gives the same sized grinds for each bean, ensuring an even extraction.
Blade grinders do not give the same sized grinds and do not extract evenly. An adequate hand burr grinder can be bought from about 30, and will last many years.
French Press (Cafetire)coarse grind, 4-minute steep, push and pour. Full-bodied, rich and allows errors. Good beginner coffee. Pour-Over (V60, Chemex)medium-fine grind slow controlled pour.
Takes 3-4 minutes in total. Very clean, bright, and nuanced. More effort is needed but it's well worth it!
AeroPress- versatile quick difficult to fail at. Creates a concentrated, smooth brew. Perfect for use away from home. Moka Potalso called stovetop. That's a real Italian espresso. True, it is not as thick, but it is still satisfying and full-bodied.
Use a medium-fine grind and low temperature. Espresso Machinethe most difficult and costly to obtain. For this you need a fine grind, just the right pressure, and plenty of practice.
But when you get it right, it's worth the effort. Water Coffee is 98% water. If your tap water is heavily chlorinated or very hard use filtered.
Water temperature should be close to 93'C - just below boiling point. The Ratio A typical starting ratio is 60g of coffee per litre of water (1:16). This can be altered to suit preferred taste, more coffee for a stronger taste, less for a lighter taste.
Discover special quality beans for making coffee at home in Global Coffee Haven.