How to Brew Your Own Coffee at Home and Cut Costs

With the promotion of the concept of specialty coffee, it is not difficult to find high-quality coffee beans on the market. Pay attention to the origin of coffee beans. Coffee beans with clear traceability information can help you find your favorite type of coffee more easily.

If you are sure that you have completely avoided the pitfalls mentioned in the previous articles, then congratulations, no matter how bad your coffee is, it won't be that bad. Next, I will share a few simple, practical and low-cost tips to quickly improve the quality of your coffee!

Simple, practical and low-cost tips to improve quality:

1. Flush and refill the water tank every day

Many people use small coffee machines such as American coffee machines and fully automatic coffee machines to make coffee at home. So before using it every day, it is a step that cannot be ignored to quickly rinse the water tank and refill it with drinking water. Even if the capacity of the water tank is large enough, it is not necessary to fill it all at once, just fill it with enough for daily use. Whether you use filtered water or bottled water, drinking water, like coffee beans, also needs to be kept fresh and clean.

2. Keep the filter and filter cup clean

In order to get a clean and fresh cup of coffee, you must keep the coffee brewing equipment clean. Clean the residue and dirt in time after each use. Glassware and metal filters can be cleaned with mild detergent and then drained.

If your coffee tastes burnt, bitter or oily, it may be a problem of residual oil. The screen in the filter is the most likely place for residual oil, especially the reusable filter cloth and metal filter. All parts that come into contact with coffee should be cleaned and descaled regularly.

3. Descale the machine regularly

Depending on the amount of water used and the quality of the water, it is recommended to descale every 3 to 4 months. The filter element in the water filter, the scale on the inner wall of the kettle, the scale on the boiler and pipes of the coffee machine. Purified water is not suitable for brewing coffee, which will inevitably cause scale to form in all water containers over time. Regular descaling can prevent the accumulation of minerals inside the machine and reduce its performance, while extending the service life of the machine.

4. Preheat the coffee cup with hot water

If the coffee you brew is not very hot and you don't plan to finish it in a few sips, you might as well try preheating the coffee cup. Just put some hot water in it and soak it for a few seconds before pouring it out. This seemingly simple step can significantly affect the aroma experience of the coffee, and it can also help with the taste (as long as it is not too hot), and it can also keep the coffee warm for a longer time in the winter when the temperature is low.

5. Choose the right roasting degree

Choosing the right roasting degree when buying coffee beans is the most practical strategy to improve your coffee experience. Whether you are buying specialty coffee beans or ordinary daily rations, choosing the right roasting degree of coffee beans will allow you to brew coffee that suits your taste.

If you like a strong and bitter taste, you might as well choose dark roasted coffee beans; if you like a balanced and mild coffee flavor, you can choose medium roasted coffee beans; if you like bright and strong floral and fruity acidity, lightly roasted coffee is perfect. Especially when buying a brand of coffee beans for the first time, it is most practical to choose the degree of coffee roasting you like. In fact, as long as you follow the practical tips above and master some basic brewing techniques, it is not particularly difficult to brew a delicious cup of coffee at home. Don't think that only experienced and skilled baristas can brew good coffee. As long as you are careful enough, you can do it too!