Missing Coffee Shops? How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee at Home 101

Want to up your coffee making game when on self-quarantine? Well, stick around and learn more about this. Even after months of being in isolation, accepting the ‘new normal’ has been painstaking to many. Spending more than 20 hours at home every day can be a bit overwhelming to your health, especially your mental and emotional health. It can even impede your productivity levels, but not when you have your cup ‘a Joe to activate your day. 

But considering that most coffee shops are still closed, will you get access to your favorite dark beverage? Of course not. Well, with the right ingredients, however, you can still manage to make yourself the perfect pick me up a cup of coffee and get your day going, especially when working at home. With that being said, here are a few tips on how to make a perfect cup of coffee at home.

1. Use Whole Coffee Beans

Making a quality cup of coffee is solely dependent on the type of coffee beans used. The beans will determine the taste, flavor, and smell you achieve after brewing. Whole coffee beans infuse flavors you’ll never find in pre-ground coffee bags. But there’s more to this than meets the eye. It’s also about how you store your coffee beans, how you prepare them, and the techniques used when grinding your coffee beans from home. Home-ground coffee is rich in taste, but the grinding process is often overlooked. To help you out, below are some tips you can borrow on how to grind your coffee beans, even without a grinder:

• Use mortar and pestle
• Use a blender
• Roll the coffee beans with a rolling pin

The above ways can seem a bit prehistoric and this is why you need a modern coffee grinder to achieve the right consistency. You’ll realize that different types of coffee require specific grind sizes. For instance, to make cold brew coffee, you need extra coarse grind size coffee, whereas for a cup of espresso requires a fine grind. Most importantly, always use fresh, quality coffee beans.

2. Invest in the Right Coffee Maker

If you are a true coffee aficionado, then you know how important a coffee maker is. While you can do without one, you’ll be missing out on heavenly coffee tastes. You can decide to get a compact sized coffee maker for home use or go all in and invest in a high-end type of coffee maker. Whatever your inclinations, this is a big decision that will go a long way in providing you with a convenient and hassle-free way to make coffee every day.

3. Learn How to Measure Your Coffee

Making a perfect cup of coffee requires precision and accuracy. This will not only help to reduce wastage but also give you consistent results every time. For this to happen, it’s important to always weigh your coffee before brewing. This brings in the need for a coffee scale. Alternatively, you can still use your normal kitchen scale to help put inconsistent results to bed. Knowing how much of the ingredients to use will allow you to make a cup of coffee that tastes just as good as the one at your favorite coffee shop.

4. The Quality of Your Water Matters Too

If you don’t like drinking your home’s tap water, then don’t use it when making your coffee. The quality of a great cup of coffee largely depends on the level of minerals in the water. In short, the fewer the minerals in your water, the better. It’s also important to ensure that your water PH level is within the range of 7. Variations can affect the flavor profile of your cup of coffee. 

5. Garnish Your Coffee

If you want to turn your wake-me-up cup of coffee into a memorable one, then it’s time you considered using the right toppings. These will help to infuse magical flavors into your coffee while at the same time, make your coffee appealing. Among the best coffee toppings include cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, Nutella, chocolate, and last but not least, whipped cream. So, go ahead and spice up your routine by adding something new to your coffee.

Now, it’s time to sit back and savor a taste you can only compare to that of your favorite coffee shop. There’s a good reason why coffee is the preferred beverage by many. These are the same reasons you should consider learning the art of making different types of coffee to add to your coffee making routines. It doesn’t hurt to invest in coffee recipes, but if you’ve read this article top to bottom, then you may have what it takes to be considered a barista.