You can make a great cup of coffee. With patience, diligence and the right ingredients, anything is possible. To learn how to make the best pot of coffee at home, keep reading.
Start With Good Tools
A great cup of coffee can’t be made with a dingy old filter and a coffee pot that’s older than you. Start your home coffee barista career with quality equipment that’s designed to last and made to make great coffee.
Look for a machine that has a stainless steel, reusable filter and a built-in water filter. For your coffee accessories like your scoop, choose a stainless steel scoop and clean it thoroughly after every use. Leftover coffee grinds and oil residue can affect the taste and flavor of the next batch.
Keep Your Coffee Fresh
The best way to keep your coffee fresh is to buy whole bean coffee in small batches of one to two week supplies. Then, keep your coffee at room temperature in an airtight container. Avoid extreme temperatures, moisture, odors and direct sunlight.
Grind each pot of coffee right before you brew it. Because grinding releases so much aroma and flavor, this is the best way to retain as much of that as possible.
Use Filtered Water
Always use filtered, pure or bottled water for your coffee. Tap water, while perfectly healthy, often contains a chlorine, metallic or mineral taste that can adversely affect your brew.
Measure Properly
The ideal amount of ground coffee is about one to two tablespoons for every six ounces of coffee. Once you have your machine and have settled on a particular blend or roast, try experimenting with different amounts to find that perfect balance.
Don’t Overbrew
Be sure your coffee pot is heating the water at a fast enough rate to avoid over brewing. If the water is boiling too slowly, this can slow the brewing process and make the coffee taste bitter and overbrewed.
Clean Your Pot Regularly
A good coffee pot is a clean coffee pot. So, clean out your coffee pot with mild soap after every use and make sure you rinse it thoroughly. Keep your machine running smoothly by decalcifying or descaling it as needed on a monthly or even annual basis.
Never Reheat Coffee
Once coffee has fallen below 175 degrees, its flavor begins to change. So, after a pot of coffee is finished or cooled, consider it done; then throw it out and brew another pot.
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