Coffee—is the ultimate source of caffeine and the favorite morning ritual of the masses. But do ever give it enough thought? Brewing a cup of coffee using modern coffee machines might seem very easy, but does your home coffee tastes like the one down at the local coffee shop? Making a good cup of coffee is not all about expensive gadgets, it’s a culinary experience that you can learn about and turn your everyday coffee into a fantastic experience. Here are some common mistakes that you must avoid to attain a bold and delicious brew at home.
Not Warming the Water Enough
The ideal water temperature to make a bold and flavorful cup of coffee is 195-205 degrees F. Most commercial drip brewers do not have the capacity to reach that temperature. Water in that exact range of temperature is able to extract more flavors from the coffee. Thus ditching the drip brewer and replacing it with a French Press or pour-over method might be a good idea. In French Press, water is poured over coffee right from the boil and then steeped for at least 3-4 minutes. This allows it to extract the maximum flavors from the ground beans. Also, these machines are available at very cheap prices in the market, starting at USD 30 which is less than the average electric brewer.
Using a Cold Cup
Most people often don’t give much thought it but poring a warm drink into a cold container of a lower temperature will not allow the drink to stay warm for long either. Thus, you can prolong your sipping pleasure and enjoy your drink for more time by just pre-warming your coffee mug. And you do not have make extra efforts for this—the water is already boiling, just pour some of it into your cup and swirl around to make it warm. You can can throw this water before pouring in the coffee. Some people also go a step further and rinse their pour-over or French press with warm water before adding grounds.
Using the Wrong Cup of Coffee
The mugs that you use for drinking coffee also play a great deal in the whole experience; thin walled cups drop in temperature really quick and become cold, impacting the temperature of the brew as well. On the other hand, if you use a thick walled cup, it will maintain the steaming hot temperature of coffee for a long duration. Ideally, the best mugs for coffee are dinner-style white cups with thick walls. People also use handcrafted, sturdy ceramic mugs that are aesthetically appealing and have the same effect.
Using Stale Beans
Do you ever find bitter or bad flavors in your coffee? That is because the beans have gone stale. Although coffee is a geek territory, who wants to drink a subpar brew? To avoid such experiences, you need to make sure that your coffee beans have been roasted maximum three weeks before. The easiest way to ensure this is by checking the roast date on the packaging. Local coffee roasters who sell their produce on-site or in the area’s grocery store, often stamp the roasting information at the bottom of the packaging.
Another way to deal with this is by freezing your coffee beans. While roasted coffee can only last for up to 3 weeks outside, it can be used for a longer time when freezed. Freezing coffee beans keep them from going bad, retains the flavors and aromas, and enhances the quality of the grind.
Not Using the Right Sugar and Milk
If you like your coffee black and without sugar, then you can scroll over to the next part. But for those who like to have it with milk and sugar, it is important to make sure that anything and everything that goes into your brew complements its flavors to get great results. Thus, you must always ensure to use whole or half-and-half milk to get the rich texture; non-fat milk can ruin the entire experience and water down your coffee. Also, you must have noticed that many coffee shops use turbinado sugar (those small brown packets of raw sugar), which tastes way better than regular white sugar.
Avoiding these mistakes can help you make a big difference in your daily brew. Further, some other precautions like cleaning the coffee machine regularly, using filtered water, using the right coffee-to-water ratio, and more can help you improve your brew further.
Hope this read was helpful. Stay tuned as we continue to brew more insightful information on how to make your everyday coffee better.
