How to make coffee – first, choose good beans and keep them fresh.
If you want to learn how to make coffee, it's not complicated. But there are a number of factors you should be aware of.
(If you want to enjoy the taste of great coffee, but really don't have the time or interest in the grinding & brewing process itself, you can always use a single-serve coffee maker, like one of the Keurig one-cup brewers from Green Mountain Coffee.)
Based on the questions we receive, it seems a lot of people get stuck over how much coffee to add to the filter when using a drip brewer.
If that sounds like you, watch this video first. After that, keep reading for more tips on how to make great coffee.
How much ground coffee to add when making coffee in a drip brewer.
Drip brewers are the most commonly used coffee makers and can be found in most households. They make a decent cup of coffee, although you might want to stay away from the lowest price range. The problem with cheaper drip brewers is that they don’t heat the water to the correct temperature, nor do they do a very consistent job of spraying the hot water over the coffee grinds.
You can buy a drip coffee maker locally or, for a wider choice, at Amazon.com.
More tips on making gourmet coffee - First, buy good coffee beans
“Good” is a subjective term as everyone’s tastes and preferences differ.
But if, for instance, you like a medium roasted Colombian blend, buy quality beans from a reputable supplier.
We have a page which lists companies that sell quality coffees online.
Buy beans that have been kept in airtight packaging
From the moment they come out of the roaster, coffee beans start to lose the subtleties of their flavors. The problem is exposure to air. So don’t buy from self-serve bins. Buy your coffee beans in an airtight bag. And look for bags which have a small, one-way valve.
Why do they have a valve? Because when beans come out of the roaster they “gas off”. If you put fresh roasted beans into a bag and seal it, the gases would build up in the bag and it would tear or explode. So quality coffee suppliers put the beans in bags with these one-way valves. The valve allows the gases from inside to get out of the bag, but it doesn’t allow any air into the bag.
These valves allow roasters to put beans into sealed bags as soon as possible after they have cooled down from the roasting process.
Keep the beans away from air until just before you grind them
When you open the bag, transfer the beans into an airtight container of some kind, and then grind only as many beans as you need for each brew. It’s tempting to grind enough for a few days. But if you do, the ground coffee will lose some of its flavor.
Grind your beans to the correct coarseness for the kind of coffee maker you are using
Buy a coffee grinder that allows you to vary the coarseness of the coffee grinds. The grind should suit the coffee brewer you are using. Using the correct grind is a key element in how to make coffee you’ll really enjoy.
A Coarse Grind: This coffee grind is fairly large, suitable for French Presses and percolators.
Medium Grind: An all-purpose grind, suitable for most drip type brewers.
Fine Grind: This is the grind you would want for espresso.
How to make coffee – first, choose good beans and keep them fresh.
If you want to learn how to make coffee, it's not complicated. But there are a number of factors you should be aware of.
(If you want to enjoy the taste of great coffee, but really don't have the time or interest in the grinding & brewing process itself, you can always use a single-serve coffee maker, like one of the Keurig one-cup brewers from Green Mountain Coffee.)
Based on the questions we receive, it seems a lot of people get stuck over how much coffee to add to the filter when using a drip brewer.
If that sounds like you, watch this video first. After that, keep reading for more tips on how to make great coffee.
How much ground coffee to add when making coffee in a drip brewer.
Drip brewers are the most commonly used coffee makers and can be found in most households. They make a decent cup of coffee, although you might want to stay away from the lowest price range. The problem with cheaper drip brewers is that they don’t heat the water to the correct temperature, nor do they do a very consistent job of spraying the hot water over the coffee grinds.
You can buy a drip coffee maker locally or, for a wider choice, at Amazon.com.
More tips on making gourmet coffee - First, buy good coffee beans
“Good” is a subjective term as everyone’s tastes and preferences differ.
But if, for instance, you like a medium roasted Colombian blend, buy quality beans from a reputable supplier.
We have a page which lists companies that sell quality coffees online.
Buy beans that have been kept in airtight packaging
From the moment they come out of the roaster, coffee beans start to lose the subtleties of their flavors. The problem is exposure to air. So don’t buy from self-serve bins. Buy your coffee beans in an airtight bag. And look for bags which have a small, one-way valve.
Why do they have a valve? Because when beans come out of the roaster they “gas off”. If you put fresh roasted beans into a bag and seal it, the gases would build up in the bag and it would tear or explode. So quality coffee suppliers put the beans in bags with these one-way valves. The valve allows the gases from inside to get out of the bag, but it doesn’t allow any air into the bag.
These valves allow roasters to put beans into sealed bags as soon as possible after they have cooled down from the roasting process.
Keep the beans away from air until just before you grind them
When you open the bag, transfer the beans into an airtight container of some kind, and then grind only as many beans as you need for each brew. It’s tempting to grind enough for a few days. But if you do, the ground coffee will lose some of its flavor.
Grind your beans to the correct coarseness for the kind of coffee maker you are using
Buy a coffee grinder that allows you to vary the coarseness of the coffee grinds. The grind should suit the coffee brewer you are using. Using the correct grind is a key element in how to make coffee you’ll really enjoy.
A Coarse Grind: This coffee grind is fairly large, suitable for French Presses and percolators.
Medium Grind: An all-purpose grind, suitable for most drip type brewers.
Fine Grind: This is the grind you would want for espresso.
Read our page about the various different types of coffee grinders.
Use good water
Coffee is 98% water, and bad water can make a difference to the taste. There’s little point in learning how to make coffee, and investing in good beans and a coffee maker, if the final taste is spoiled by poor water.
If you have good tap water, that’s fine. But if you don’t, try filtering the water before you brew. Or, for those of us with terrible tasting water, use bottled water.
Brew your coffee for the correct length of time
With drip brewers you don’t have control over the brewing time. But you do with a French Press. Different experts suggest different times. But somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes should do the trick.
Get the water temperature right
Again, most machines will set the water temperature for you. But when you use a French Press, you’ll be boiling the water yourself. Don’t use boiling water. First, boil the water and then let it cool for a minute or two. The best temperature for making coffee is just a little below boiling point.
These are just the fundamentals of how to make coffee. There's plenty more to learn. But if you get these right, you'll be making a better brew than most people.