There is almost no man who does not start their day with a cup of coffee. Either you make it at home or take it on your way to your job. Altogether with new trends, coffee experienced a great expansion. If you want to make your coffee like a barista, and if you want your coffee to look like espresso, not depresso, here are some of the very useful tips for making your coffee look and taste like Starbucks.
Choose Your Favourite Coffee
There is a huge spectrum of flavours you have to choose between, from 100% Kona coffee to Robusta coffee which is usually more bitter. This seems like an impossible task. You have to find the one that suits you the most. Milky coffee, like a latte or white coffee, needs strong black coffee for the base. Bitter black coffee perfectly complies with the mild taste of milk. When it comes to dark coffee, it is a better option to use lightly roasted coffee. These beans have a nice and fruity taste unlike darker roasted beans of coffee. Once you choose your favourite coffee, make sure you store it correctly. Coffee should be stored in an airtight container, in a dark and cool place. The fridge is not the option. If you put it in the fridge, humidity can change the taste considerably.
Grind Your Coffee Daily
For the maximum taste, you should grind your beans on your own. One of the best pieces of advice the professional barista can give you is to use a burr instead of a blade grinder. You will have a little control over the size of your beans and the consistency you want to achieve. This will make your beans have the full flavour. The size of your grind depends on the coffee you want to make. If you want to make an expresso, then you should use a finer grind. For the filter coffee, the best grind you can use is a medium grind. For French Press, you will need coarse grind. You can make your grind just the way you want, depending on the coffee you want to make.
Brewing Methods
Black Coffee
The best brewing methods for black coffee are possible to be homemade.
- Cafetière: This is the most versatile way of making brewing coffee at home. The procedure is quite simple. The coarse coffee grind should be soaked in warm water for 4 minutes. You can even make the cold cafetière with the cold water. Everything you should do is soak the coarse coffee grind overnight in the cold water, refrigerated. Or, for at least 15 hours.
- Filter coffee: Filter coffee is the easiest way to make lighter dark coffee. Everything you should do is pour some hot water over the coffee and place it in a small filter. Then gravity will do the thing. Drops of the light-dark coffee will slowly drip in the jug or mug.
Espresso Coffee
- Aeropress: This is one of the best ways to make homemade espresso. Pressure is the key. Put fine coffee grinds and the hot water into the device and press really hard. This will make a rich brew. For this, you will need to invest in a new semi-automatic espresso machine and make your dream coffee. The classic espresso is not the only one you can make with the machine.
- Flavoured coffee: You can adapt the coffee according to your wishes. You can put a teaspoon of vanilla extract, almond extract, liquid chocolate in your coffee and create a new and unique taste.
How to Make a Coffee
If you want to make your coffee as a professional you need to follow the procedure. Most of the baristas measure the amount of coffee they put in a cup. You can use the kitchen scale to weigh the right amount of coffee or alternatively invest in a coffee scale. See The Coffee Folk for a guide to the best coffee scale. The right amount is 15g per cup. This is the optimal amount of coffee per cup. If you are making filter coffee, you should avoid cheap filters. These can considerably alter the taste of the coffee. You have to keep your equipment clean and take care of your machines. This is the essential thing. If your equipment is filthy, the quality of coffee does not play the role anymore. You will have a different and bad product. Additionally, filthy equipment and the remains of the coffee in the machine can cause stomach problems.
These are just some of the wide scope of advice the experienced baristas offer. These are the most applicable ones for every household. You should just find the method that you prefer the most.