High Fives to a Better Brew

With everyone spending extra time in the house right now we’re all appreciating our home comforts more than ever and if you’re reading this then there’s every chance that a good cup of coffee is high up on your list.

We often get asked if there are any easy ways to make better coffee at home so here’s five quick steps to raise your home brew game and help get yourself closer to coffee shop quality without stepping out of the front door.

1. Choose quality.

The first part is easy - buy good coffee! Quality ingredients are always the best place to start. You should also think about roasting style, If you’re already enjoying speciality grade coffee you probably prefer coffee roasted to a medium level, so that you can enjoy the characteristics of your chosen bean.

2. Stay Fresh.

Step two is all about keeping it fresh - freshly roasted and freshly ground. Ground coffee from the supermarket is not going to be either. What’s more, the grind is going to be a ‘one-size fits all’ - it'll be ‘okay’ for a few different brew methods, but not dialled-in to your specific brewer.

Buying whole bean coffee and grinding fresh is literally a game-changer. Whole bean coffee won’t stale as quickly as pre-ground and the improved results you’ll get from grinding specifically for your brew method can’t be over-stated. You honestly will not believe the difference grinding at home can have and there’s plenty of options out there to suit a range of budgets; from hand grinders to electric – whatever you buy it will make a huge impact on your home brewed coffee.

3. Keep it consistent 

One thing good coffee shops do so well is consistency, how do they get this? They follow a recipe and weigh everything to try and control the many variables that affect a coffee’s flavour. Brewing the perfect, well-balanced cup depends on precision - too much coffee or too much water (or vice versa) leads to undesirable changes to the strength in your coffee; leaving you with a coffee that isn’t satisfactory or at least isn’t as good as it could be. 

What’s more, when you do pour yourself that perfect cup, you want to make sure you can repeat the result and unless you know the weight/ratio of coffee used you’re going to be relying on guess work. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a pair of scales - after buying good coffee and a grinder they are pretty much the most important thing you can do to get a better brew.

4. Water

Yep, water! Good old H20 makes up the majority of your finished beverage and sometimes tap water just ain’t gonna cut it, especially if you live in a hard water area. Filtered water is pretty key in helping you recreate that fuller flavoured brew at home. Brita water jugs are one way of improving your tap water; they soften the water and also add a touch of magnesium which helps carry flavour, you’ll notice the acidity and sweetness more easily in your coffee. Alternatively you can use bottled water, such as Tesco’s Ashbeck, which naturally has a great mineral makeup to help you get the best from your beans.

5. Storage

Last but not least - look after your beans! Keeping your coffee in an airtight bag or container and in a cool dry place. We don’t recommend storing your coffee in the fridge, this can cause the beans to take on the aromas from other items in there … not always a good combination! You can freeze your beans but our advice is to buy little and often.