Making fabulous coffee can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Some may consider it a chore because of the various steps and techniques involved. From good water to the best filters, there are a number of considerations involved. It is easy to streamline the process by using the tips that follow.
To make a good coffee, always start with fresh beans. They should look kind of oily, and they should be potent. Try to avoid very dry beans, any grocery store beans, and any beans that have been exposed to air for a long time. Your best bet is to either roast beans yourself or buy them from a local roaster.
For a quick and affordable brew of espresso, try using a Moka stovetop coffee pot. Mokas generally produce one or two cups of coffee in the amount of time it takes to boil that amount of water. The coffee is brewed by pressurized steam rising through a funnel of coffee grinds and then rising again into the top chamber where it is ready to be poured into a cup.
If you want fancy latte decorations without a fancy latte price, you can try making your own. There are various guides online that can get you started. With some practice, you can make latte art as good as any barista using milk and melted chocolate. You will not only save money by creating beautiful latte designs, but you’ll impress your guests too.
Trying drinking your coffee while it is at the hottest temperature possible. This is when coffee is at its best. If you allow coffee to cool and then you reheat it, you will not get the same flavor from it that you would from drinking it while it was still fresh.
When you are done with your coffee grinds, do not throw them away. What many people do not know is that used coffee grinds have many uses. They can be used for gardening, getting hardened food off your dishes and removing foul smells. Simply put them in a ziploc bag and put it in a cabinet.
Buy smaller cans of coffee. If you buy coffee in a can, only buy what you will consume in a couple of weeks. It will cost more money than buying a large can and storing it for a while. What you save in money by buying a larger can, you end up sacrificing in taste.
When grinding your coffee at the store, use a medium grind if you plan to drip brewed coffee. A medium grind is similar to the consistency of granulated sugar. This grind is perfect for a drip brew that takes about 6 minutes. If it takes longer, use a coarser grind.
If you want to be treated to a different flavor of coffee every morning, but you do not have the funds to make the daily trip to a cafe, you should try buying coffee creamer that has the flavors you want. They are not very expensive and you can use a different one every day to mix things up a bit.
Never just throw coffee grounds into a coffee maker without measuring first. Match the number of cups you’d like to the right measurement of grounds. A cup of coffee is not really a cup as it is only around six ounces. You should use around 2 TBS of coffee in this 6 oz of water. The use of measuring cups can cause your coffee to be too watered down.
Get the best deals on your favorite coffee by finding and using coupons. When they are on sale, use the coupons to buy them at the best price. Many times, grocery stores will print out coupons for the items you purchase most often. This is a great way to save on your coffee budget.
Not all coffee should be stored in the freezer because doing so could result in less tasty coffee. Instead, you should divide your weekly stash of beans into equal amounts and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. The future week amounts can be stored in the freezer.
Try adding sweeteners and flavorings to enhance your coffee. Brown and raw sugars add distinctive flavors compared to plain white sugar. Other flavor extracts that can make a boring old cup of coffee taste great include cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Instead of milk, flavored soy or almond milk can be used.
Are you one of the millions of people who spend far too much on coffee? If so, then think about buying gourmet coffee and a machine that will allow you to make your own brew. You are going to discover making your own coffee is easier than buying it.
Remember that coffee does have calories. While it is true that a good jolt of caffeine right before a workout can enable you to exercise more intensely and hopefully burn more calories, that is not carte blanche to drink as much coffee as you want. Each cup still adds up to your total caloric intake.
A good tip for cleaning your coffee maker is to run vinegar through it. This helps as the vinegar kills residue and any foul smells that may be found in your coffee maker. To do this, simply pour the vinegar in as you would the water and let it brew.
A great tip for those who want to make their own coffee is to use water that is just below boiling temperature. If your water is in the range of 195-205 degrees F, your coffee will end up tasting much better than if it was at a full boil.
Making and drinking coffee should be a simple pleasure, though you wouldn’t know it to see all the tools and appliances needed to perfect the process. Some equipment tends to make the process more difficult than necessary, but it does not need to be the case. The tips in the following article will bring the fun back into brewing coffee.
