But here’s the thing with gadgets: no Japanese Origami dripper, no sleek high-tech grinder, no pouring tool, and no temperature-controlled gooseneck kettle can overcome a batch of substandard beans. As James Hoffmann, managing director of Square Mile Coffee Roasters in east London and a general authority on the subject, writes in his latest volume, “The Best Coffee at Home”: Depending on your method, you should use beans four to five days after they have been roasted (for filter coffee) or seven to eight days after roasting (for espresso). But either way, once you open the bag, you should plan to use it within two weeks.
It’s safe to say that you won’t routinely find this type of freshly roasted beans in supermarkets, even at Whole Foods. That’s why you need to hang out and befriend the team at your local roastery. They will ensure that you start with the freshest beans, often from small farms or collectives that have developed close relationships with roasters.
Over the years, I’ve written extensively about making coffee at home and my relationship with the drink. As we head into the colder months, I thought it would be a good time to collect these articles on one page, for easy reference if nothing else.
My knowledge, like that of the industry, has evolved, which is just another way of saying that I might approach some of these stories differently in 2022. But I think they still give you an idea of how the different brewers, techniques, beans, water temperatures, roast levels and more can affect what you taste in the cup.
The stories might not change the way you brew coffee at home, and that’s cool. If I’ve learned one thing about coffee over the years, it’s this: people like to fight for their right to enjoy a dark roast blend that’s been reduced to muck after an hour on the griddle. of a Mr. Coffee.
And you know what? They are right. Coffee is one of the most personal things you consume, day in and day out. It should be prepared the way you like it.
How to brew better coffee at home and save money in 5 easy steps: You don’t have to be a barista to make better coffee. With just a small investment in equipment — you don’t need a scale or thermometer! — and a little time, you can turn your morning cup into something far better than what you can do with a cheap drip coffee maker or a Keurig.
How to hack your Keurig machine and get a better cup of coffee: Speaking of the Keurig, the popular push-bottom brewer may be anathema to specialty coffee snobs, but, as we find out, you can improve the performance of the machine with a few important modifications.
I thought cold brew coffee wasn’t worth a hill of beans until I used the right ones.: Cold brew is a point of contention among coffee lovers for a reason: steeping ground beans in cold (or room temperature) water doesn’t extract the same flavors as steeping them in hot water. The cold brew process produces a sweeter, rounder cup, of course, but usually at the expense of the acids and other flavor compounds that give the coffee depth and balance. Both of these recipes, however, produce a more complex coffee than your typical cold brew.
Each method of brewing coffee has advantages and disadvantages. We’ve tried 5 to help you find your perfect cup. No two coffee makers are the same, even using the same beans. Each will extract different flavors. Each will result in a different viscosity or weight, which you can feel on your tongue. That’s why it’s important to find the brewer that best suits your tastes. (By the way, if you’re curious, Mia Farrow went with the Chemex.)
How to make great pour-over coffee and start the day right: Do you consider making coffee by hand a problem? This simplified recipe offers many of the benefits of pour-over coffee without all the equipment and hassle. The recipe also suggests that you can treat the morning ritual more like a meditation, which results in a boost, the perfect combination to start any day.
Coffee at Home: Brewing Experiences. You might be wondering why there are so many coffee machines on the market, some that require no skill and others that take weeks to master. We’ll take you through the pros and cons of nine brewing systems, whether it’s a French press or a cold Japanese siphon that requires a small butane burner. You might find one that suits your daily habits and needs.
Coffee is not just a medicine to make us good worker bees. It’s a pleasure. However you brew the coffee, you shouldn’t treat the drink as if its sole purpose is to set you up for another day on the hamster wheel. Relax. Hold a hot cup in your hands. Enjoy it for what it is: one of life’s great pleasures.
