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Have you ever tried to make coffeehouse drinks at home? Well, there’s no time like living in pandemic to give it a shot. The U.S. is quickly approaching it’s second year of pandemic living (just a nice way of saying quarantine, let’s be real) and more and more Americans are brewing coffee at home. If you’re not one of them, then is is definitely for you. If you are one of them, I’m fairly confident you’ll learn a new trick or two!
Buy Whole Bean Coffee
When it comes to coffee, it’s really okay to splurge a bit and ditch the ground grocery store coffee. Seek out some good local roasters in your area, or heck, use the googles and see what places around the country ship. Many coffee houses have pivoted because they know people are making coffeehouse drinks at home, or at least a pot of coffee. If you’re in the Las Vegas area, I know a few local roasters and several that have online ordering and will ship.
Seriously. Whole bean coffee makes all the difference.
Invest in a Quality Grinder
I mean if you’re buying whole bean coffee for your to make your favorite coffeehouse drink at home, then you must invest in a good quality grinder. I am partial to a ceramic burr grinder, because it doesn’t heat up the coffee beans. Once the beans are subjected to a blade grinder, the beans immediately begin releasing the delicate flavors. Those delicate flavors are what make your tastebuds sing and wake you up, so it’s imperative you treat your beans with care.
Grind Only What You Need
Please do not grind all of your beans at once. Remember why you bought the whole bean instead of the ground? Yeah, it’s because you would rather enjoy fresh ground coffee. A good measurement rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of beans per 8 ounces of water. Depending on your brew method (which also determines your grind size) you should be safe. For my 20 ounce cup in the mornings, I use 4.5 tablespoons of beans and it makes a perfect cup every time.
Store Your Coffee Beans Properly
Please for all that is baby Yoda, do NOT put your coffee beans in the freezer. The moisture and dampness of the freezer can greatly affect the flavor of your coffee beans. The oils in the coffee begin to pick up odors and smells from foods in your freezer or refrigerator. Those odors are carried through the brewing process, so if you like onion with your coffee, then be my guest.
Now, if you have one of those food saver things, then suck all the air out of the bag and seal up those beans. Once they are in a completely airtight container, you can store them in the freezer. But take them out several minutes before brewing. This will dry them out a bit and let the moisture evaporate. Honestly though, if you drink your coffee like I do, then three 12 ounce bags of coffee only last about three weeks so just store them out of light, heat, air, and moisture in their original packaging and you’ll be fine.
Use Filtered Water
If you truly want to make coffeehouse quality drinks at home, then filtered water is a must. Chemicals, natural and added, in water will highly affect the extraction and flavor of your coffee. I have a reverse osmosis tank under my sink which is our drinking water because, Las Vegas water is some of the worst in the nation. Bottled water works fine; you definitely don’t need distilled.
Putting it Together for the Best Coffeehouse Drinks at Home
These 5 basic tips will have you at the very least making the best tasting cup of coffee you’ve had in a LONG time! Make sure that you clean your brewing machine or tools regularly. Follow the manufacturers recommendations for cleaning your auto drip and clean it often. Coffee oils leave residue and can also affect the flavor and taste of your coffee.
Lastly, if you haven’t grabbed your free copy of the Coffee Roast and Brew Guide, I HIGHLY recommend it. You’ll learn different brewing methods and all coffee roasts are explained. Seriously, all you need is these 5 tips and the brew guide to get you on your way to making some of the best drinks right at home!
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Monica,
Well done. Good list. You really hit the high points. When you said “don’t put your beans in the freezer”, I was going to disagree, but you straightened that out quickly by saying use an air-tight bag with the air sucked out. I’d also suggest adding an oxygen absorber. Their dirt cheap and you can find them all over Amazon. The oxygen absorber packet makes big difference.
Russell
Thanks Russell! Always good to hear from you and thanks for the tip on the oxygen absorber. I’ll have to give it a try!