If you know me, you know that I love to read and love to drink coffee (if you don’t know me check out the ABOUT ME post HERE). I read daily and I drink coffee morning, noon and night. Surprisingly, I have four college aged kids (who are home during this COVID-19 pandemic) and between them and my husband I’m the only one who drinks coffee! This is a good thing right now as there is a mild concern about running out of toilet paper with 6 adults self isolating in the home but I’m not going to run out of coffee! As an avid coffee drinker I’ve learned to perfect a great cup of quality coffee that I make at home. Since we are in a time where our favorite coffee shops are closed I thought I would pass on 7 tips for quality coffee at home.
Buy Whole Bean Coffee and Grind at Home
For a good cup of coffee made at home you will need to start with a good coffee bean. Purchase whole beans (not any more expensive) and grind it yourself. Compared to ground coffee, whole bean coffee is fresher and more flavorful.
Grind Only What You Need
Only grind the amount of beans needed for what you want to use at that time. Don’t grind all of your coffee beans at once. This will keep the beans as fresh as possible.
Store Coffee in Ceramic Canister
After you break the fresh seal from the coffee packaging it should be stored in a sealed canister that shields sunlight. The best would be a dark colored-ceramic or glass container to ensure the coffee stays fresh. Never freeze coffee. When you freeze coffee, there’s a chance that it will absorb moisture, which will affect its taste.
Use Filtered Water
Water matters but I’m not as particular about this since the water in KY is great out of the tap. If you are not benefiting from Kentucky’s out of the tap water then make your coffee using filtered water. You can keep a pitcher of filtered water in the refrigerator and brew coffee with the filtered water that’s heated between 195°F and 250°F.
Steam and Whip Your Milk
Steam your milk/cream at home by using your microwave to warm the cream for 10-15 seconds. If you want to up your game, get yourself an electric milk frother. Use it to blend the warm milk into a froth and add to your coffee to make it more like a latte or cappuccino.
Brew Method
Coffee brewing methods are not the same. How you make your coffee at home has an impact on the strength of your coffee. Depending on your taste preference determines how to brew. Automatic drip coffeemakers tend to brew an even, mild pot of coffee while a French Press provides a bolder, darker flavor and a pour over coffee brew (this is how I make coffee) is right there in between.
Flavor With Spices or Syrup
Flavor coffees by adding syrups, sugar or sugar substitutes (I use a KETO friendly sugar substitute sweet drops). You can also flavor coffee without syrups by adding bits of chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon or honey. To really kick it up a notch, add a shot of bourbon cream, Kahlua or Baileys Irish Creme! Enjoy!
