Do you want to learn how to make coffee at home? let me show you how step-by-step.
There's something luxurious about sipping on a perfect cup of coffee - especially when you've made it yourself.
You don't need to be a barista to do it - follow these tips, and we'll show you exactly how to make a coffee at home - cafe-style!
Storing Coffee
Before we get into the 'making', you need to know how to store ground coffee properly.
Why? Well if coffee goes stale, then unfortunately you'll never make a great coffee at home, One of the best ways to ensure that your coffee stays fresh and delicious is by storing it properly.
At Balance Coffee, we recommend buying whole coffee beans whenever possible.
Why? Sadly, ground coffee begins to lose its freshness within a couple of hours when exposed to oxygen, which means after a few days, the freshest flavours will disappear from your morning brew.
We therefore recommend upgrading to a coffee grinder for maximum freshness.
However, that's not always possible, so here are our tips for keeping ground coffee as fresh as possible, so here are our top tips:
Storing Ground Coffee
- Keep it in an airtight container away from any direct sunlight. According to Hand Ground, reducing the time your coffee is exposed to oxygen is crucial for keeping it in good condition. This is because coffee oxidises when exposed to air, which in turn makes it lose its lovely aroma and flavour.
- Avoid steam and moisture. Like oxygen, humidity can also affect the flavour of your grounds. So a cool, dry cupboard is the best place for your ground coffee.
- Could you not keep it in the fridge? It is a common myth meant to help preserve your coffee, but it will actually do the opposite. Coffee will absorb moisture and any aromas in your fridge—and nobody wants a cup of garlic coffee.
What container should you store ground coffee in?
There are many ways to store ground coffee at home. One of the best options is a glass jar with a suction lid.
You know the ones you keep cereal or pasta inside of? You can use any container or tin with a seal that prevents oxygen from seeping in.
Keeping coffee and the airtight container out of direct sunlight is another sure-fire way to secure those coffee flavours.
Espresso
The base ingredient for many coffee drinks—including flat whites, lattes, and cappuccinos—is espresso. Enjoyed worldwide, this method of brewing produces a small, extremely concentrated cup of coffee.
Espresso machines do this by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee at enormous pressure. Read my article on the best ground coffee in the UK, if you want only the best.
The fine coffee grinds slow the hot water, increasing the pressure needed to push the water through the filter.
This process sounds complicated, but as long as you have very fine coffee grounds and an Aeropress, you can make an equivalent shot of coffee that will work extremely well in any coffee drink. Here's how to do it:
- 28g of finely ground coffee (Get organic coffee for that here).
- 100ml of filtered water
- Brew time 1min
- Extraction 30s
- Rinse your filter with hot water. This will remove the papery flavour and preheat your brewing gear. Discard the water before brewing.
- Put your coffee into the Aeropress. Pour all the water straight in and give it a good stir to make sure all the coffee grounds are soaked. Put the cap on and wait for 1 minute. Your brewing time starts as soon as water hits the coffee grounds.
- After 1min, flip your AeroPress into your container/cup and press it down hard for 30 sec until it is empty. The harder the pressure, the better your coffee shot will be.
- Transfer your espresso into your coffee cup and enjoy!
Steaming Milk
Much like making espresso shots, steaming milk for a latte or flat white can sound complicated, but in practice, it's pretty easy.
You just need to know what type you're aiming for—do you want a mound of fluffy foam or silky microbubbles? You can create both foam and microbubbles using a milk frother.
There are lots of options, ranging from inexpensive frothing wands to very fancy models you can control remotely with your phone.
How much you want to spend really is up to you, but a machine with a steam wand will give the best results.
While simple frothers will add air, a steam wand will also heat and move the milk.
This reduces the chance of making a thick head of foam, which is nice to drink but won't make a proper latte.
If you're looking for a simple froth, you can also use a French press. Measure your heated milk (which should be around 65C) into your French press.
Please make sure the milk level is higher than the steel filter at its lowest point. Pump the plunger up and down quickly to create air bubbles in the heated milk.
Latte Art
To pour latte art, you'll need to master steaming milk, and even then, it takes a lot of practice to make it look good.
A basic design can be created by pouring an espresso into the bottom of a round cup and then adding a small amount of steamed milk.
Swirl the espresso and milk together. Pour more of your milk slowly and evenly from fairly high, and then move the milk closer to the cup as you finish. Here's a video of our founder James creating some gorgeous latte art: As you can see, this is a pretty difficult technique to master. Here are some tips that might help you create that perfect pour:
- Pay attention to the temperature of your milk. You'll want it to be between 55 - 62 °C. In contrast, you can go as low as 50 °C, but never go above 70 °C. This will boil the milk, destroying any microbubbles.
- Pour into the centre of the espresso. You'll want to have as large a canvas as possible, and hitting the sides of the cup will immediately destroy any design.
- Plan! What design do you want to create? We recommend starting with a simple heart, and then moving on to a leaf or rosetta pattern.
- If everything goes wrong, that's okay! If you've followed our advice, you'll still have a great-tasting coffee. And if the design really matters, use a stencil and add a light dusting of chocolate powder.
There you have it - by using these tips and some good quality coffee, you'll easily be able to create cafe-style coffee at home. Enjoy this article?
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