How to Start Making Coffee at Home

To achieve the ultimate status as a coffee-lover, one must embark on the joys of making coffee at home. We aren’t discussing instant coffees or grocery store brands that are already ground for you. We are talking about going from bean to cup and enjoying it every step of the way!

Buying Your Beans

So how do you buy coffee beans? It takes a bit of study and lots of research to know exactly what you are buying. It helps if you already know what kind of coffee you like and you can ask what kind of bean is used in the recipe. You can usually find good coffee beans in organic grocery stores and at local markets (sold by coffee lovers!) If you are close to an organic coffee shop, you might be able to buy beans from them. However, if none of those are options for you, you can buy online.

To start making coffee at home, what you want to look for is:

• Where it comes from
• How old it is (if a month over sell-by date, you will have stale coffee)
• Is it certified?
• Organic
• Fair trade
• Direct trade
• Rainforest Alliance
• Bird-friendly
• Shade grown

All of these will attest to the flavor and impact it has on the environment and community. Your store bought coffees have been overly processed and probably grown in a way that is detrimental to the environment.

Consider Additives

So, you picked out your favorite bean and you are wondering how to make the best coffee? There are lots of additives you can use to give your coffee the right flavor. A bit of cream and raw sugar may be just enough. What if you want to make a pumpkin spice latte? Or maybe a hazelnut vanilla? Or how about a delicious almond mocha coffee to soothe you after a hard day? There are tons of flavor syrups that can spruce up your coffee.

Don’t forget the ability to add spices to your beans when grinding. A bit of fresh nutmeg and cinnamon ground with the bean can make for a warm and spicy cup of joe on a cold winter morning. The possibilities become endless when you consider all the ways you can be creative with your coffee recipes.

Use The Right Tools

With all the thought and care that goes into picking your coffee beans and the additives to create your signature flavor, you will need the right tools. I highly recommend using a grind and brew version of the coffee pot. It makes it easier for you to grind exactly what you need and brew it right away in the right method for that bean. This machine guarantees a fresh grind every time, super convenient by letting you make a single cup to a full carafe with a touch of a button, and takes up a lot less space than if you have a grinder and a coffee pot separately.

Conclusion

As drive-through coffee shops and pre-ground coffees took hold in the world, many have moved away from making fresh coffee in their home. Thankfully, technology has changed enough that it doesn’t have to take a very long time to get the perfect cup of joe every morning. It’s well worth the investment and you may never want to go to a coffee shop again!