A beginner's guide to brewing coffee at home

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For some people, getting up in the morning and having a cup of delicious coffee is the most perfect thing, but there are many ways to make coffee at home. Whether you use an automatic coffee machine, a French press, or a hand-brewed pot, remember that there are many factors that can affect the flavor of the coffee.

Most people still think that coffee brewed in professional coffee shops tastes better. The reason is:

1. The coffee is freshly brewed (nonsense); 2. The coffee beans are freshly ground; 3. The brewing parameters have been debugged and matched many times; 4. Expensive coffee machine - the more expensive one can buy a car.

Although not everyone has a car and a coffee maker in their kitchen, we can still learn a few tricks from professional shops so that you can make a satisfying cup of coffee at home.

1. Purchasing advice for novices

For beginners entering the world of boutique coffee, the order of purchase is: coffee beans → grinder → coffee beans → hand brewer → coffee beans → various filter cups → coffee beans → coffee machine. You don’t have to buy them in the end.

Good coffee beans are really important, so I say this many times.

When you first start knocking on doors and asking for directions, you often get lost in the list of equipment to purchase. Sometimes you may envy others, but choosing the most suitable tools within your ability is the best way. The best tools don’t have to be the best and most expensive, but they must be the tools that are readily available, the most convenient to use and brew. The key is whether the brewed coffee tastes good. Using different coffee cups can sometimes make you feel better when drinking coffee.

Drink more, compare more

It is recommended that coffee novices try more, drink more, drink more, and drink more. Try to taste and experience the flavors brought by the producing areas, and the differences in flavors and tastes caused by different utensils. There is no trick to tasting coffee, just drink more, and the original flavor is best.

Before buying beans, you can go to the store first and taste the flavor brewed in the store, and then try it at home to see if you can reproduce it. Usually, the grinders used for business are more professional, the grinding degree will be higher, and the flavor details that can be tasted will be relatively more, so the grinder is the most worthwhile coffee equipment to invest in, and you can never go back after tasting it.

2. The key to coffee brewing

Water quality and temperature

The water temperature will affect the amount of substances dissolved in the coffee. Simply put, the higher the temperature, the more aromatic substances in the coffee will be dissolved. Using good filtered water will make your coffee taste better.

The weight of coffee beans per serving

How much weight of coffee beans, how much weight of water, can get a fixed ratio of delicious coffee. Using an accurate electronic scale can greatly increase the chance of successful brewing.

Brewing time

The longer the brewing time, the longer the coffee is soaked in hot water, the stronger the flavor will be, and more substances will be dissolved in the coffee. Relatively speaking, good-tasting coffee will taste better, and bad-tasting coffee will taste worse.

Grinding fineness

The grinding scale must be determined according to the brewing method and equipment used. Choosing the right brewing equipment can greatly enhance the fun of drinking coffee. Here are some common brewing methods and appropriate grinding scales:

3. Brewing utensils and corresponding scales

There is a corresponding relationship between brewing methods and grinding degrees, and people who have studied coffee grinders naturally understand that even if it is the same coffee grinder and the same grinding scale, the powder ground by two coffee grinders will be of different coarseness and fineness. However, it is not necessary to be too harsh for novices. As long as the initial scale is adjusted (that is, the blade will have a metal friction sound when it is adjusted to the finest scale), the difference between the grinding scales can be ignored for the time being. Then, let's use the most popular Little Fuji Ghost Tooth as a reference. The Little X Cannon, Little X Eagle, Little X Horse, Zheng X Xing, etc. on the market, as long as the shape is similar, are basically "extended" from the Japanese Little Fuji coffee grinder.

Foaming, hand pouring

Using a filter cup and filter paper or filter net as a filtering tool is very convenient to use. Generally speaking, American coffee pots use the concept of filtration to brew coffee. There are many types of hand-brewed filter cups available on the market, such as T-shaped, cone-shaped, V60, smart filter cups, etc. The filtration type recommends medium to fine grinding, small Fuji ghost teeth 3~3.5.

French Press, Tea Infuser

Many people use the French Press to brew coffee because it is very simple and does not require too much attention to details. It is most suitable for lazy French people. Since they often forget to time the brewing time, it will exceed 5 minutes. Therefore, the French Press is suitable for coarse grinding, such as the small Fuji ghost tooth 7.5~8.

Siphon pot, AeroPress

People who usually use syphons (or siphons) can be said to be experts in brewing their own coffee. Aeropress is a new coffee brewing tool in recent years. It looks a bit like a large syringe and can use brute force to shorten the extraction time of coffee. It usually uses medium grinding, with small Fuji teeth of 3.5~4.

Italian coffee machine

Italian coffee is the most popular, and many people want to buy one at home, but they don't know how to use it. Suggestion: Since you have already spent a lot of money, why not invest a little more and buy a special grinder that is suitable for the fineness of Italian coffee grinding. The Italian coffee made by a good grinder can make you go to heaven. The Italian coffee ground by a bad grinder will make you cry.

Grinding scale: The finest grinder of the Fuji coffee grinder may not be fine enough, so a special Italian grinder is recommended.

So, as for the coffee bean chopper, I suggest you put away the propeller-type electric coffee bean chopper that you get as a gift when you swipe your credit card, or give it to your mother to grind pepper, mung bean powder, and spices. The coffee bean chopper is a crushing method, which cannot be called grinding. The disadvantage is that the coffee particles that are chopped to death have a huge difference in fineness and cannot be controlled.

When you grind too much, the heat generated by the machine will consume all the aroma of the coffee. If you are thrifty, you will also remove the fine powder that is statically adsorbed on the wall one by one and brew it. This powder, as fine as flour, is the reason why your coffee flavor is particularly "complex".

4. How to store coffee

The climate in summer is relatively humid and hot, so coffee beans must be strictly protected from heat or moisture. The best way is to store them in sealed cans in a cool cabinet that is not exposed to the sun. The best way to store coffee is to drink it quickly after brewing. It is recommended to choose coffee beans roasted by freshly roasted coffee shops when purchasing coffee beans. Buying in small quantities can ensure freshness. Self-baked shops on the market often advertise extremely fresh roasting and emphasize drinking freshly roasted coffee. In fact, the freshest coffee beans are not necessarily the best tasting. The best time to drink coffee is usually 7 to 15 days after roasting.

The coffee beans are packaged in bags with one-way airtight valves. If you store them properly, you will be surprised that the coffee beans can be stored longer than you think. You should drink them as soon as possible after opening them. Of course, you can also drink them slowly and feel the rise and fall of the coffee flavor, which is also a kind of fun.

5. I want to drink coffee but I am afraid I can’t sleep

Buy decaffeinated beans

What should I do if I want to drink coffee at night but I am afraid that I can't sleep? The first method is to choose low-caffeine coffee beans. In addition to the fact that they are naturally low in caffeine due to the variety, there are many post-processing methods now, which are not chemical, but water washing or steam treatment, which will not harm the body. This is called Decaf, or Decaffeinated Coffee. If necessary, you can ask the store for information on this.

Choose premium grade beans

If it is a specialty coffee bean, the caffeine content of the specialty coffee bean will be lower than that of commercial beans with too many defects. Although it is more expensive, you can buy it with peace of mind, because commercial beans that are too cheap are most likely produced in large quantities in a way that is very unfriendly to the environment to keep costs down.

Choose lighter roasted beans

If you drink specialty coffee but still have trouble falling asleep, in addition to diluting it, you can consider choosing lighter roasted coffee beans. Lightly roasted beans have a stronger fruit flavor and are suitable for entry-level coffee lovers. Lightly roasted beans have more flavor substances, so even if you dilute them, they won't be too tasteless.

Tips for light roasted beans

If you want a lighter roast to be more sour: raise the water temperature to 90-95 degrees. Then brew it slowly, so that you can get more aroma and emphasize the sourness of the beans. If you don't want to drink too much sourness, lower the water temperature to 86-90 degrees, brew it a little faster, and you will feel obvious sweetness and fruity aroma.

It tastes better when you let it cool down. It won't be so sour enough to sting your throat, and the floral and fruity aromas are more obvious. The sour and sweet light roast is very suitable for hot summer mornings. The clear acidity like a bell can sweep away the damp and sticky mood when you wake up.

What if I have already drunk it?

If you have already taken too much caffeine but have to go to bed quickly, then you should drink plenty of water, or a sports drink rich in electrolytes mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio. After drinking it, you will want to go to the toilet immediately. Caffeine is water-soluble and can be metabolized faster through urine.

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