Secrets of perfect homemade coffee

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

I love coffee. What is really there, I just love delicious coffee! Coffee for me is the first reason to come to the editorial office. However, you can make really good coffee at home, you just need to learn something.

Good coffee starts with good fresh beans

Even the most powerful magic will not make the coffee brewed from shit taste different from the original product. This fundamental rule cannot be fooled, and therefore, if you really want to enjoy the drink, you will have to shoot your inner toad and start buying quality FRESH coffee beans. Plunge into the wonderful world of theory and practice of home-made delicious coffee. Fortunately, with the ubiquitous Internet access, only the last lazy person can deny himself useful knowledge.

It is worth getting to know the social communities of coffee lovers on the Web, as well as specialized sites and forums. There you will not only learn the basics and intricacies of truly great coffee, but also learn about good producers whose products are available in your area.

The need to choose fresh coffee was highlighted above, and this is really important. Freshness refers to the amount of time the beans are stored after roasting. Coffee is not wine or cognac, its taste does not improve with age. Of course, the grains won't literally go bad, but the chemical structure and flavor will certainly suffer.

Air is the first enemy of coffee

One-fifth of air is oxygen, a strong oxidizing agent. Oxidation is the strongest factor in the accelerated degradation of coffee taste. To ruin 500 grams of excellent coffee beans, 70 cubic centimeters of ordinary air is enough. So it goes. By the way, seemingly sealed packages with valves do not actually provide complete protection of coffee from contact with air. Air can still remain inside such a package, and when the oxygen content in the surrounding coffee is 4% or more, negative consequences begin to manifest themselves. Moral - if the roast date is not indicated on the packaging, the purchase of such coffee becomes a tape measure.

Whole grains only

Natural laziness can push you to buy ground coffee, and this is a sure way to deprive yourself of the opportunity to get acquainted with a delicious drink. Seriously. The only positive moment in buying ground is a couple of minutes saved in the morning. But in return, you lose the lion's share of the taste and aroma of this drink, since oils and other substances, initially locked in the grain, are very volatile. They evaporate easily, taking with them all the charm and richness of the taste and smell of coffee. The coffee should be ground just before brewing.

Forget capsule coffee makers

Another temptation lurking in search of delicious coffee lies in these coffee makers with disposable capsules. Nothing needs to be done, nothing can be spoiled. Tempting? Of course, you will not be able to influence the process in any way. And this is very important. Experts from the US National Coffee Association believe that 93.3 degrees Celsius is the ideal average temperature for making coffee, and similar machines, including the famous Keurig, barely reach 88.9 degrees. The result is that the coffee is not at all like that. And the capsules are also expensive. And harmful to the environment. There is no fine adjustment of the ratio of coffee and water in such machines. Small, medium and large cups use the same amount of coffee. The consequences are appropriate. In general, delicious coffee and capsule coffee makers don't go together.

Libra - the choice of a professional

Various volume measuring instruments (measuring spoons, etc.) are good and allow you to make good coffee. But the pinnacle of skill is weighing. Only the mass guarantees the ideal proportions. Instead of abstract "spoon with a slide" you will begin to say like a scientist: "14, 3 grams, gentlemen, and nothing else." The density of coffee can vary greatly depending on the bean size, origin, variety, roast, and so on. Therefore, the volume is not indicative. Based on unambiguous numerical data, you can conduct amazingly sophisticated experiments, and when the standard "18 parts water to one part coffee" gets bored, you no longer say "I'll try to increase the coffee content a little." You will operate with precise numbers: "I will make the ratio 1:13." Like this.

Burr coffee grinder

This will probably be your biggest spend on coffee accessories, but you won't be disappointed. The conical burr grinder certainly outperforms the conventional rotary with blades: you have complete control over the grinding process. If money is tight, you can buy a manual grinder. This is not only stylish, but also allows you to pump up your hands.

Don't forget about water

Let's count. Canonically prepared coffee is 1.25% of the coffee itself and 98.75% of water. It would be rather strange not to take into account the key component of the drink. Any unpleasant aftertaste caused by the presence of foreign substances in the water will remain in the drink. Bleach flavored coffee … mmm, how lovely! The better the water is purified, the cleaner the coffee will taste. However, distilled water is not an option. Without a minimum of minerals, the drink will be unnaturally empty.

Purover

A special method of brewing coffee. "" Will tell you a little more about it (there are also links to specialized resources), but for a start it is enough to know that a pourover is a whole separate world with its own history and peculiarities. Purover is a ritual. Almost magic. An endless proving ground for testing and experimentation, with absolute control over every aspect of coffee preparation. Try it, you will like it.

Temperature

Above we talked about the ideal average temperature for making coffee - 93, 3 degrees. At a lower temperature, the richness of taste and aroma suffers. More coffee will turn out sour.

Perfect home for coffee

Where do you store your coffee? Rumor has it that there are especially gifted individuals who store coffee in the refrigerator. And even in the freezer! Horror. The best home for coffee is an opaque glass or ceramic container with a sealed lid. Store it out of the reach of light at room temperature and the lowest possible humidity. For example, in a kitchen cabinet.