Home Brewed Coffee 101

  Discover the world of coffee cupping and enhance your coffee-tasting skills with this personal account of a coffee cupping experience. Learn about the process, techniques, and the art of appreciating different coffee flavors and aromas. Introduction to coffee cupping      Have you ever heard of Coffee Cupping? It's a process of tasting different coffees and comparing them to evaluate their qualities. While it requires a sophisticated taste catalog to become a professional coffee taster, anyone can utilize this process at home and decide what they like.  Instructions      To start, you can get a few different types of coffee from the grocery store by purchasing small amounts from the bulk chutes. Alternatively, you can invite friends over, and each of them can bring their own bag of coffee. You'll also need some containers for the coffee, which can be small baking dishes or actual cupping bowls. Using containers with measuring marks can help you ...

Distinguish between fresh and stale coffee beans with these simple tips. Learn how to assess the quality of your coffee beans and ensure a flavorful cup of coffee every time.        The quality of your coffee depends on the freshness of your beans. They begin to lose quality when they come in contact with air. That’s why it’s better to grind your own coffee and brew it immediately. Roasted coffee is good for four to fourteen days, but green beans can keep for up to a year. Dark roasts go bad faster than light roasts. The perfect age also changes with your brewing method. Sometimes, they can be “too fresh”. Given that, how do you know if they are stale? 1. The first thing to look at is a "roasted on" date.    This tells you when the coffee was roasted, not when it will expire or be past its best, like the dates you usually see on supermarket coffee. A really good coffee company will let you know the roasting date and leave it up to you to determine how ...

Discover the benefits of roasting your own coffee at home. From flavor control to cost savings, learn why this DIY approach to coffee preparation is worth exploring.      I find it fascinating to learn how the products we use every day reach us. I think anyone who enjoys caffeine should try roasting their own green coffee beans at least once. I don’t mean to say that everyone should become coffee snobs who only drink their own homegrown coffee, but just give it a shot. We live in a time when we can get anything we want almost instantly, like making a K-cup with a push of a button without thinking much about it. But do you know how much work went into making that product?       Most of us can’t grow our own coffee trees, since they only grow in certain places. But ordering green coffee beans online and roasting them ourselves is possible. By trying to roast coffee, I can appreciate the art of the roasters better. When I realize the skill that is needed ...

  To make a great cup of coffee, the quality of the water you use is just as important as the beans. Learn about the importance of water in coffee making and how to optimize your coffee preparation for the best taste.      Most of us don't often think much about water, but when making coffee you must realize that more than 98% of the stuff in your cup IS water.  The first thing to NOT do is simply use tap water.  Please for the love of coffee, at least use a filter if you aren't using bottled water.  The next thing to avoid is using distilled water.  I know that sounds a little funny since first I am saying to use purified water, but then don't use ultra-purified water.  The distilled water is completely devoid of minerals which would help the water to absorb some of the coffee content.  Also, it can damage your expensive electronic equipment because it will leach minerals out of the metal parts.        The best ...

  Roasting coffee at home is a rewarding and flavorful experience. Discover the art of cast iron coffee roasting and learn how to elevate your coffee-making skills with this comprehensive guide.      The second most basic method of roasting coffee beans is in a cast iron pan.  Consistency is very hard to achieve with basic methods like this one, but it does help if you want to learn the art before moving up to the big leagues.  I personally make sure to note the temperature and times in an observation log so that if I have exceptionally good results, I can replicate them.  I like to know at what time I noticed the cracks as well as when I stopped.  For this method just constantly stir it with a wooden or metal spatula and play around with trial and error.  This is another technique that doesn't require electricity for those who are camping, living off the grid, or just preparing for the zombie apocalypse.  

  Manual pour over is a popular coffee brewing method that allows you to extract the full flavor of the coffee beans. Learn about the steps, techniques, and tips for making a perfect cup of pour over coffee at home.     This method is similar to using a standard drip coffee maker, but you have more control over the water temperature and the pouring speed. You also don’t need any electricity, which makes it ideal for camping or living off the grid. You start by boiling the water and then letting it cool down for about thirty seconds to reach around 200 degrees. Then you slowly pour it over the ground coffee in a filter, using a figure-eight motion to wet the coffee evenly. There are many brands of this type of coffee maker, but Chemex is one of the most famous. You may purchase Chemex products on their site.

  Espresso is a highly concentrated coffee beverage made with finely ground coffee beans and hot water. Learn about different methods of coffee preparation and how about enjoying espresso at home. One day quite some time back a coffee drinker didn't want to have to wait for their coffee to finish brewing so they asked the question "What would happen if I used pressure to force the water through the bed of grinds?"  This led to the creation of Espresso.  Rather than just making regular coffee quicker it actually made an entirely different kind of coffee with a unique flavor.  Other coffee drinks that are built on that are lattes and cappuccinos.  The idea is to use steam to foam up or heat some milk to be added to the espresso.  This is usually the most expensive to make in terms of purchasing the necessary equipment and often the most difficult to master.  The cheaper machines will normally have a cost approaching $100.  The problem with these mac...

An air-tight canister is an essential coffee accessory for storing beans and ensuring freshness. Learn more about the benefits of using a canister and how to choose the right one for your coffee preparation needs. When storing coffee, it is best to store it in an airtight container.  Exposure will cause the coffee beans to age quickly.  One consideration when choosing such an accessory is to make sure it also blocks out light.  This makes clear plastic or glass ones unsuitable.  Also, if you are storing freshly roasted beans you may need to have one with a one-way valve to let out carbon dioxide as it degases for the first few days.  It is best to store it at room temperature, a common error is to put it in the fridge.  When the beans get cold the oils are drawn toward the exterior which has a negative effect on your coffee.

Understanding the basics of coffee grinders is essential for achieving the perfect cup of coffee. Learn about the different types of coffee grinders, their functions, and tips for selecting and using them effectively to enhance your coffee preparation.      Pre-ground coffee is great for some people because it is much more convenient.  For anyone who is drinking coffee made from canned ingredients, the single biggest jump you can take in quality is to change to a whole bean and invest in a coffee grinder.  The reason for this is that you can get a much fresh coffee, and it allows greater control over the results.  Coffee grinders fall into two main categories, burr and blade grinders.        A blade grinder is on average going to be the cheaper of the two options and typically start at around twenty dollars.  They work just like a blender with a pair of blades circling around chopping up bits of beans.  The drawbacks to...

     Roasting Coffee doesn't have to be some mysterious art form that is strictly reserved for professionals.  While it isn't practical to purchase an industrial machine capable of preparing batches of thirty kilograms at a time, you can easily roast enough for a week's worth of beverages for a reasonably small amount of money or even use items you already own.       Even though I am an individual coffee drinker I still have taken some opportunities to learn a little about professional coffee roasting to better understand how to improve the quality of my cup.  The simplest form of roasting is to put some beans on a baking sheet and set it in the oven or to use a pan over heat.  If you would like to try a little more elaborate you can always use a popcorn popper.  From there the price increases to just over $100 for a basic home roaster and can get to the point of ridiculous if you need more features or a bigger capacity.   ...