A cup of perfectly brewed coffee can instantly boost your mood and start your day right. But on days when coffee shops are closed, or you don’t feel like stepping out for your quick coffee fix, you may have to be your own barista. Not sure how to make a proper cup of coffee? Follow our guide to become a coffee guru!
Best Methods To Make the Perfect Coffee At Home
When it comes to preparing coffee at home, there are three popular brewing methods: brewing using a drip coffee machine, pour-over coffee maker, and the French Press.
Using a Drip Coffee Machine
A drip coffee maker comes in handy when you’re short on time, for example, on those mornings when you’re running late for work and need an instant coffee fix. Drip coffee tends to have a strong, smooth, and tasty flavor. Here’s how you can prepare your coffee using a drip coffee machine:
Directions
- Grind whole coffee beans into medium-fine particles. Alternatively, use ground coffee to save time on grinding.
- Transfer the ground coffee beans into the filter basket.
- Place it in the machine and pour cold water into the reservoir.
- Close the lid and turn on the brewer.
- When the coffee finishes brewing (you’ll know when it stops bubbling), turn off the machine.
- Pour the hot coffee into your cup and enjoy!
Using a Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Often known as a “pour-over dripper,” a pour-over machine creates a more textured and flavorful cup of coffee. Black coffee lovers usually prefer this method. Here’s how you can make strong pour-over coffee at home:
Directions
- Boil water in a kettle.
- In the meanwhile, grind whole beans into a uniform consistency or use packet ground beans instead.
- Now, put some paper filter into the brewer, after which you will rinse the paper with hot water. This will make sure that your coffee doesn’t taste sour. Plus, it will remove some of the paper taste from the filter. Throw out the water that you used to rinse the filter.
- Add the ground beans to the filter, and make sure that the surface is level.
- When the boiling water reaches 195 degrees Fahrenheit or 205 degrees Fahrenheit, pour it in the filter just enough to saturate the beans. Let the beans soak in water for 30 – 40 seconds.
- After 30 – 40 seconds, pour some more water slowly and steadily. Make sure to add it in the middle and then all around but not necessarily to the sides of the filter.
- Let the coffee brew for 3 – 4 minutes. When done, remove the filter carefully.
- Once ready, serve the coffee, and enjoy.
French Press
A French press coffee has everything in the cup except for the ground coffee. Because of the way it’s prepared, the coffee tastes better and more flavorful. A nice French press coffee is created as follows:
Directions
- Boil cold water in a kettle.
- If using whole beans, you can grind them to a uniform size and then add them to the French Press.
- When the water temperature rises to 195 degrees F or 205 degrees F, pour it into the press. Stir until the beans and water are well-mixed.
- Turn on the machine and brew the coffee for 3 – 4 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Make a Proper Cup of Coffee – Tips and Tricks
Always Purchase Fresh Beans
Without a shadow of a doubt, coffee tastes best when used in a window of a week or so after being roasted. Make sure to buy from a local roaster to ensure the freshest beans. Avoid buying coffee in bulk as coffee becomes rancid when stored for a long time.
Invest In Good Coffee
You want to know how to make a proper cup of coffee, so we’d be wasting your time if we didn’t tell you to only choose good coffee for your morning cups of Joe. Choose good coffee. It makes a world of difference!
Try to look for “Arabica beans” as they are widely produced in an array of flavors. Ideally, you should be investing in 100% pure beans for high-grade coffee.
Grind Your Own Coffee
Purchasing whole beans is better than ground beans. The former is fresher, aromatic, and more delightful.
Apart from the abundant aroma and taste, freshly ground coffee allows you to control the grind size, which can have a great impact on the coffee’s flavor.
Don’t Use Tap Water
Using tap water (which is usually full of chlorine and has an off-taste) can ruin your coffee at once. If you are using tap water, make sure to filter it first. Or instead, use bottled purified or spring water.
Keep in mind that distilled or softened water makes awful coffee.
Use Good-Quality Filter Paper
Cheap filter papers result in cheap coffee.
To get the maximum flavor from your coffee, invest in quality filter papers, such as dioxin-free or oxygen-bleached paper filters.
Today, you have a lot of options when it comes to making your coffee just the way you want. However, following the above guide will answer your question of “how to make a proper cup of coffee” and will help you change the way you prepare your coffee at home – ensuring that you succeed at brewing the perfect cup of hot coffee!
