How to Brew Great Coffee at Home

What's the secret to brewing great coffee at home? A more expensive grinder and a less expensive brewer!

Too many people spend too much money on fancy automatic brewers, only to be disappointed in the results. We suggest manual coffee brewing instead. C'mon, it's not as hard as it sounds. All you need is:

Fresh Coffee Beans

Store in whole bean form in a dry, airtight container at room temperature. Not the freezer. Not the refrigerator. For optimal flavor and aroma, brew within 2 weeks of roasting. If you want to brew like a pro, weigh out .06 ounces of beans for every ounce of water. Not quite that committed? Use a level 1/3 cup of beans for every 16 ounces of water.

Coffee Grinder

Yeah, we know, you don't have time, you have to get to work, yadda yadda yadda. Grinding causes flavor and aroma to dissipate, so if you want a great cup, you have to grind just before you brew. Really, it doesn't take long. We know, we do it every morning. A high quality burr grinder (Baratza makes several) is best, but even an inexpensive blade grinder beats pre-ground. The longer the coffee will be in contact with the water, the larger the grind particles should be. Particle size is important: too coarse and the coffee will be weak, too fine and it will be bitter. If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and we'll give you a sample to compare to at home. (Exception to the rule: if you brew flavored coffees at home, have your shop grind them. The flavoring oils will permeate your grinder, contaminatng your unflavored coffee and clogging the grinder.)

Filtered water at 195-205 degrees

Not distilled, not softened. Coffeehouses strive for 125-175 ppm hardness, but most home coffee drinkers just need to be sure the water has no odors or taints. For liability reasons, most home brewers don't heat the water hot enough to fully extract all the flavor of the beans. Pros need temperature-controlled water heaters, but at home you can approximate the right temperature by bringing water to a gentle boil, then letting it cool just enough to stop bubbling.

Coffee Brewer

Many coffeehouses offer multiple brew methods, carefully selecting the one that best highlights each coffee. To keep it simpler at home, choose the method that fits both your flavor preference and your labor threshold:

• Press Pot: Rich flavor and thick body with silky sediment at bottom of cup; easy to achieve consistent quality; clean-up is a little cumbersome
  
  Coarsely grind the coffee and place in the carafe. Add the water. For professional results, measure the water volume precisely. For I-want-good-coffee-but-I-have-other-things-to-do results, pour the water to about a half inch below the rim. If the coffee is fresh it will "bloom," creating a layer of foam similar to the head on a beer. Stir the bloom gently to completely saturate all the grounds. Add more water if needed to return to the original level. Place the lid on the carafe with the plunger up. Let steep 4 minutes, then point the spout away from you and gently press the plunger all the way down. (If you meet resistence. raise the plunger slightly to release pressure, then press again.) Pour the brew into a thermal carafe. If left in the press pot over the spent grounds, it will over-extract and turn bitter.

• Clever Brewer: Full flavor without sediment; easy to achieve consistent quality, easy clean-up
  
  This aptly-named device has a valve that allows the coffee to steep, then releases it into the cup. Place a fresh paper filter into the cone and moisten it with hot water. This will help remove the paper taste. Pour out any remaining water. Coarsely grind the coffee and place in the cone. Gently pour in the water. As the water level rises, stir to settle the bloom, then add the rest of the water. (Expect to use about 2 ounces more than the size of your cup.) Cover to retain heat and let steep 4 minutes. Then, simply place the Clever on your mug, which will activate the valve and release the brew.

• Pour-Over Brewer: Clean, clear flavor and lighter body highlight high notes; labor intensive brewing requires practice to achieve consistent quality; easy clean-up
  
  There are several brands of pour-over brewers, most notably Hario and Chemex. Each funnels the water slightly differently. Avoid the plastic ones as they can impart a taste that porcelain or glass will not. Place a fresh paper filter into the cone and moisten it with hot water. This will help remove the paper taste. Pour out any remaining water. Grind the coffee to about the size of table salt and place in the cone. Gently pour the water in concentric circles, carefully saturating all of the grounds without allowing liquid to drip into the cup. Once all the gounds are moist, continue pouring in gentle concentric circles until the water fills about half of the cone. As the brew drips into the cup, slowly refill the water level, trying to keep it at the halfway mark. Try to maintain a steady flow that will fill the cup in 4 minutes.