Great Tips For Picking Out Quality Coffee Beans
If you’re just coming of age, chances are you’re just beginning to investigate coffee and what it can do for you. You probably have many questions about how to brew it, what kind of beans to buy, and the like. The article below has coffee tips and tricks that can help.
If you just want one cup of coffee sometimes, you might want to think about buying a Keurig maker. These machines brew just one cup of coffee at a time. You can also choose from a lot of different delicious flavors. In fact, there are many kinds of makers to choose from as well, all of which have different features.
If you want great coffee at home you have a couple choices. You can invest in either an espresso machine, or one of the new single serve coffee makers. The espresso machine will require a bit of a learning curve as you learn to properly brew espresso and steam milk, but can be a great way to impress your friends.
Fresh coffee beans taste better than anything you can buy in stores. Did you know you could roast your own beans and enjoy fresh coffee every day? You can easily roast your own beans by placing them in your oven or using a heat gun. Buy some cheap beans to practice.
To get more ideas for brewing coffee at home, treat yourself to a cup from a coffee shop every once in a while. For a sumptuous topping, why not use flavored whipped creams, chocolate shavings or ground nutmeg. You might also spring for a delicious espresso.
Cold brew your coffee using grounds, water, a filter, and milk before going to bed. Trying to quickly cool a hot cup of coffee in the morning by putting it in the refrigerator or freezer can lead to a watered-down beverage. The best coffee is one that is created slowly. Therefore, preparing the night before is important.
One of the things that you can do to improve the quality of your coffee is to filter the water that you use instead of using tap water. This will reduce the amount of chemicals in the mix when you are making your coffee, yielding a clearer and fresher taste upon drinking.
To control the strength of your coffee, watch the size of your grind. In this case, coffee is a lot like garlic. The tinier you dice (or grind) it, the more potent the flavor you’ll get when cooking or brewing. If you are looking for a milder flavor, then keep your grind rather large.
If you prefer a strong cup of coffee than you should roast your beans from 12 to 14 minutes. The bean sugar caramelizes, giving the beans a slightly oily appearance when taken out of the roaster. This will give your coffee almost a smokey taste, perfect for espressos or those who just love a strong cup of joe.
After cleaning your coffee grinder, grind a bit of coffee and then dump it. Since it is difficult to completely clean a coffee grinder, you can do this to get rid of any remaining old, stale grinds. Doing this should not be a substitute for a proper cleaning, however.
If you are grinding your own coffee, the medium grind is preferable for regular purposes. It works great for the home drip brewer. It should be around the consistency of common table salt when you are done. Practice with your own machine until you learn what produces flavors you prefer.
Try a new variety or blend of coffee every week. This can be a great idea for a lot of reasons. You can try new tastes of course, and that helps you avoid getting bored with one flavor, but there is also an opportunity for you to buy a new favorite.
If you like strong coffee, avoid using a coarse grind. This is one of the most common causes for people thinking their coffee is too weak. If you do not grind your own, you may discover that a darker roast will help you. Either way, you want to create coffee that you enjoy.
Keep track of how much coffee you drink. Drinking coffee is a great way to get some energy and black coffee can help you keep your weight under control but drinking too much coffee can make you feel stressed and cause you to get a bad complexion. Avoid drinking more than three cups of coffee throughout your day.
Ask your favorite coffee shop how they make the coffee. This will of course give you some great ideas about brewing your own coffee, but make sure that you ask good questions. Ask about technique, but also ask where the coffee comes from and how it is grown and harvested. You want to make sure you’re having the best coffee, after all!
If you have a lot of ants in your home, you can use coffee to repel them. Sprinkle dry, used grounds anywhere that you normally see them. You can brew a pot and pour it over any ant holes that you see in your yard and they will go away.
If you grind your own coffee, bean storage is critical. You can use an airtight container for shorter term storage. For longer storage, like if you have bought in bulk, put in an airtight container and freeze. Keeping air away from your beans will keep them fresh and help preserve the flavor.
If you have cats that like to make a mess of your garden, sprinkle it with used coffee grounds. The smell is a natural repellant for cats. This will stop your cat from thinking that the flower bed you love so much would be better if used as a litter box.
Now that you understand a little more about coffee, you should be able to find the blends you like. You will also learn more along the way about the intricate flavors and difference between coffee types. Hopefully, this article has helped you on your way to understanding this wonderful bean.