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Tired of drinking the same old coffee at home? That’s quite understandable.
Coffee is the nectar of the gods, so they say, so it would be a shame to spend your days drinking black coffee, or the same old coffee every day.
That’s why we’ve created this list with ten ways to make your coffee better. At home, with ingredients you probably already have. Ready?
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Ten Ways to Make Coffee at Home Better
Grind your own coffee
If you ask any barista a tip on how to make better coffee, this is the first thing they’ll tell you.
The taste of coffee improves a lot when it’s freshly ground—it can be the difference between good coffee and great coffee.
Grinding your own coffee can be done in two ways: you either get a coffee grinder, which is electric and grinds a lot of coffee like it’s no big deal, or a manual grinder.
Manual grinders are much cheaper and are a really good option if you’re on a budget, or don’t want yet another kitchen appliance taking up a lot of space.
Spice it up!
Using spices might not seem like the idea of the century, but you’d be surprised by just how much you can add to coffee.
Cinnamon and pumpkin spice are the obvious choices, but there’s a whole world that many people might not be exploring.
For example, in the Middle East, where coffee has been a thing for longer than anywhere else on the planet, they take their coffee with cinnamon, ground ginger, and cardamom.
That’s a simple combination that you can try at home.
Beyond that: get creative! There are recipes out there that use cayenne pepper, for example.
The world of flavor is vast—don’t be afraid to explore it!
Make your own ingredients
Homemade tastes better. You know that better than anyone because you make coffee at home. Just the difference between something so simple as black coffee is abysmal.
So it follows that you’d want to make ingredients at home.
A good idea is to make flavored syrup at home. Starbucks uses this kind of syrup to flavor all of their coffee, and it’s rather easy to make. Here’s a recipe to make mint syrup, which goes great with holiday coffee!
Get the right tools
Brewing coffee is an art. And like with any art, you need the proper tools to do it right.
A scale is crucial, as are other things like a milk pitcher, a thermometer, and even a timer.
Beyond these tools, if you don’t own any coffee brewing methods beyond a drip coffee machine or a French press, you’d benefit from a few others. An Aeropress or a Hario V60 are very cheap and will help you make really good coffee with little effort.
Make it sweet(er)
Coffee and sugar go hand in hand, there’s no denying it. But it doesn’t have to be sugar: there are other ways of sweetening coffee that can add an extra layer of flavor to make your morning coffee even more delicious.
Cubans famously use panela, a type of caramelized raw sugar that has a very complex flavor and makes for a super delicious drink.
You can also use agave, dates, and other such sweeteners.
Filter the water
Coffee is roughly 99% water. True! So when making coffee, the water you use is actually very important.
Baristas around the world know this: in coffee competitions, you see them use all sorts of filtered and expensive bottled water.
Tap water is taboo.
This is mostly because tap water has certain minerals and chemicals, like chlorine, that can kill aroma.
So one of the best things you can do for your coffee is to use filtered or even bottled water.
You’ll notice the difference right away.
Follow the recipe
Winging it feels great. But if you’re unhappy with the results, then it may be time to go search for an actual recipe.
And actually following the recipe to the letter.
After you’ve mastered a few recipes —and there are quite a lot of recipes on the internet— then you can go on to create your own masterpieces.
And trust me, coffee tastes twice as good when your recipe is your own.
Try new things
Sticking to what you know is a good strategy, but what if you’re missing out by playing it safe?
A good way to find new favorite beverages is to try new things.
Experiment in the kitchen, try new things.
They won’t all be a hit, but hey, you might just create a new masterpiece—even if totally by accident!
Join the coffee community
The coffee community has a presence on all sorts of social media. Instagram, Facebook and Reddit all have a lot of content and discussion on coffee.
You may find tips and tricks for making certain things at home, as well as recipes. This is how the West discovered Dalgona coffee, a Korean coffee that is super easy to make at home, and absolutely delicious, too!
Try single origin
Ultimately: what if it isn’t you, but the actual coffee itself?
You may either be getting below average coffee or maybe, just maybe your palate is craving some gourmet-level coffee.
Single origin coffee might just be the answer.
Single origin means that the coffee comes from just one country, as opposed to the norm which is beans from up to 6 different countries.
Single origin has a much more subtle flavor profile and is hailed as the best quality coffee there is.
Some of the most desirable countries to get single origin are Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.
When in doubt, ask your local barista where he gets his beans from!
Making better coffee at home is, actually, possible. You just need to get creative.
With these simple ten ideas you should be on your way to making great coffee at home, without the need to go out or spend a lot of money.
Photo: Craig.