How to Make a Coffee Taste Delicious!

Most people know how to make a coffee drink in the morning, but not everyone knows how to get the best cup of coffee possible. It's not difficult to make great coffee but it does require three factors:

1. choosing both quality coffee beans;

2. buying the best coffee makers; and

3. knowing how to make coffee properly.

This short article shows the basics on learning how to make a really good cup of coffee, what coffee equipment and supplies you really need, and what recipes to follow. So bookmark this site, and then read on!

The finest quality coffee beans

The most important part of how to make a coffee drink of the finest quality is the coffee bean itself. You'll notice a huge difference in your coffee when you grind the beans at home yourself. The fresher the beans are ground, the more taste you will notice in your cup!

But the coffee beans have to be fresh: freshly roasted, that is. You should try to buy the coffee beans as close to their roasting date as possible.

Soon but not too soon!

When you can buy them at your grocery store or straight from the roaster; be sure they are at least three days old but no older than ten. This is to allow the beans time to release the gas created by the roasting process. After ten days the roasted beans will begin to lose their freshness, leading to a significant loss in the flavor. For extended periods, the beans just go stale. You certainly won't figure out how to make a coffee taste great, if the coffee beans are past their best.

Roast Your Own.

You may even want to roast your own beans at home. You can do this with a heavy skillet, a gas oven, a crank-style stovetop popcorn popper or you can buy a commercial roaster.

Roasting your own beans gives you a lot of control over quality as well as quantity. Since you can roast beans anytime you wish you'll always have the freshest, most flavorful beans available.

It's in the coffee grinder

A good grinder is also needed if you want to know how to make a coffee taste great! You can get a blade grinder but it will produce very inconsistent granules of varying sizes. And many experts believe that the coffee flavors are affected by the heat generated as the beans are sliced to pieces.

So to get the most flavor out of your beans you need a burr grinder, which grinds the beans consistently finely and is much quieter than a blade grinder. The burr grinders also generate less friction on the beans and, from my own taste tests, do seem to produce a much richer flavor. Burr grinders start at about $50 and will last for years.

Let's get brewing coffee

Now that you've insured you have the best and freshest beans and control over the grinding, it's time to look at four of the most popular brewing methods: French press, percolators, drip coffee makers, and espresso machines.

French Presses

Many people like coffee made with a French press but that produces only one or two cups at a time unless you have a very large one. The coffee made with these press pots is meant to be poured and consumed immediately, which can be a problem for people who like to linger over a pot of coffee. It is a very flexible coffee maker, and will last years. It's also maintenance free, apart from rinsing.

Percolators

Percolators were popular for years but unfortunately the heat required by these coffee posts ends up burning the coffee grounds and can make the coffee taste bitter. The water temperature used to brew coffee should be no more than 205°, just below boiling. Worse, the water is brewed several times in the process of making the coffee, which tends to stew the coffee's delicate aromas.

Drip Coffee Makers

Drip coffee makers are still one of the most common types of coffee makers. They control the temperature of the water very well but leaving your pot of coffee on the warming plate will cause it to taste rancid after about 20 minutes. It's best to pour the unused coffee into an insulated carafe if you're going to take a while to enjoy it.

Espresso Machines

Espresso machines are also popular and have come down a lot in price in the past couple of years. You can learn how to make a coffee drink of all varieties if you have an espresso machine! Espressos, café mocha, cappuccinos and all sorts of drinks can be made when you have an espresso machine. There are a variety of more affordable espresso machines that you can purchase, but it's important to do your research first so that you don't end up being disappointed.

Coffee Notes: Roasting Grades

If you like to try different types of roasts from light to dark, you may find that the French press offers you most flexibility of all. Drip Coffee Makers can also handle a variety of roast types, from Hawaiian light roast to dark roasted Sumatran; but Espresso Makers tend to only make good coffee with medium-dark to dark roast coffee beans. So it's worth bearing in mind what kind of coffee you prefer before you buy.

Coffee Notes: Grinding Grades

Pay attention to the type of coffee grind you need to make when you use different machines: French presses and percolators do seem to need a rougher grind than drip coffee makers. And espresso makers require quite a fine grind. If you don't grind your coffee properly you may end up with a watery coffee drink or sludge at the bottom of your cup.

You know how to make a coffee! Enjoy!

Now you know how to make a coffee drink that is the simply the best coffee you've ever had. You'll notice and love the difference! Perhaps you'll even wonder what you've been drinking all these years.

And finally...

Wherever you are, remember "Only Coffee Beans Make Great Coffee"! And enjoy that cup of coffee!

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