A Coffee Lovers Guide To Making Better Coffee at Home

I’m a huuuuge coffee lover, but I’ll be honest, I run to Starbucks whenever I get the chance. There’s something about the aroma in their cafes, the taste, the environment, and all the options available to me that make me just love it.

If you’re a coffee lover like me, the chances are you probably prefer an expensive takeout one too. Or, perhaps your morning coffee ritual isn’t as relaxing and ambient as you’d like it to be, making you long for coffee shop breaks.

I know that Christmas is quite far away, but I was jotting down some ideas for gifts for some of my friends and family (I’m having a baby in January so I figured the earlier I get anything stressed prepared, the better) and I kept thinking about lovely ceramic mugs, espresso machines, flavoured syrups and all sorts for my friends who I regularly enjoy a hot beverage with. Us coffee lovers adore re-creating that coffee shop vibe at home, we just need a little extra helping getting there.

As a latte drinker myself, with a shot of caramel syrup and made with soya milk, I believe that coffee can be an art form itself. So with that, drinking coffee should be done in a nice, relaxing way, letting you enjoy spending time with yourself or your friends. The beauty of coffee too is that there are so many variations these days. You can have mochas which are laced with chocolate, and you can even get CBD coffee. The good thing about these are that you don’t have to head to your over-priced Starbucks to enjoy. You can get some really good sachet mochas in the supermarkets, and you can even buy wholesale cbd coffee online.

During the Summer months, everyone then flocks to iced coffees. You can now get incredible, extravagant versions of these, but if you look into the history of iced coffee, you’ll see it started off very different!

I’m no barista, but I know that there will be a lot of people in the same boat as me looking for gifts for coffee lovers of gifts for themselves, to help enhance that caffeine experience at home. Of course the main one is a professional looking coffee machine, that produces barista style coffee in the comfort of your own home. The more stylish looking the machine, the better! I love the look of some that I have seen.

Below are a few ideas to get you started:

Have a dedicated space to enjoy coffee

Everyone is different here, but I like to be in a nice bright space, with windows, perhaps perched on a stool near a counter top or in my home office with a clean white desk.

Perhaps you prefer to be snuggled into a comfy chair with the TV. Believe it or not, I really do feel like you should make your first coffee of the day an experience in itself, sat where your ‘happy place’ is, in an organised manner and where you can think quietly.

Have a look at your home and assess if you’re currently sipping your coffee in the best place to enjoy it.

Grind your own coffee beans

It’s all about taste at the end of the day. Try to unlock the maximum flavor possibly with freshly ground coffee beans, by grinding coffee right before use. Coffee bean grinders are highly available on the market out there, although they best quality ones do tend to be slightly more expensive.

Keep in mind that there are different textures of grinds that correlate to each method of coffee brewing. You can also get the freshest coffee result by storing your coffee grinds in an airtight container in a slightly dark space, away from bright light, and kept at room temperature.

Invest in the right equipment

You can’t say you have explored the best coffee drinking experience at home if you always reach for a jar of Nescafe granules. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but the equipment you choose to make your coffee can affect the taste of your drink. It can be the difference between a strong, creamy and professional cup, or a weak, tasteless version.

Think about the type of person you are, your life and the coffee you prefer when you enjoy it at coffee shops. Machines like Nespresso that work with a capsule are brilliant for ease, speed, and for those who enjoy creamy, strong coffees. The array of pods available mean you have endless choices for the flavours and textures of coffee.

Some people like to make their coffee using a french press coffee maker, which is a pot usually made of glass, containing a mesh plunger that separates the coarse ground coffee beans from the hot water. These are more affordable than Nespresso machines, and are said to be the most simplest way to enjoy tasty coffee full of bold flavor. You’ll want to make sure the coffee beans are ground coarse and evenly. .

Another option – and one I haven’t used myself so have no personal comment – is a Chemex. This comes as an hourglass-shape glass coffee maker that uses specially designed filters to produce clear, pure flavorful coffee. Chemex coffee maker styles range from their classic design, glass handle design and handblown glass design. The classic model comes with a wooden collar, which serves as an insulated handle. You’ll want a medium-coarse grind for your beans.

Understand your signature drink

We’re spoilt with coffee choices these days! And the best part of making better coffee at home is the drinking our very favourite coffee, tailored to us and our tastes. The options below are the main types of coffee that most of us enjoy. These can be altered to suit, and mine is most definitely a soya or oat milk latte with a bit of caramel syrup!

Americano: An Americano is espresso diluted with hot water.
Café Latte: A Café Latte is made with espresso and steamed milk. It’s mostly known as the drink with latte art.
Café au Lait: Simply, a Café au Lait is coffee with hot milk (not to be mistaken for coffee with cold milk or creamer)
Cappuccino: A Cappuccino is coffee made with frothy milk (the milk is steam pressurized)
Cortado: Cortados are made with espresso and a small amount of steamed milk and with milk foam on the top.
Espresso: An Espresso is coffee that’s brewed by forcing pressurized steam through finely grounded coffee beans.
Flat White: A Flat White is a shot of espresso with milk foam poured straight in the middle.
Machiatto: Machiattos contain espresso with frothy steamed milk.
Café Mocha: Also known as a mochaccino, a Café Mocha is a chocolate-flavored version of a café latte.

Not forgetting an ice coffee or a long tall black!

Lastly, remember that a real coffee lover will love to make their coffee at home as unique to them as possible, so if you’re looking for gifts for coffee lovers, consider new mugs, sweeteners, milk foamers, velvetisers and also syrups! Some people may even want to get into learning latte art. Come to think of it, I’d love that too.

You can also go crazy with sprinklings too, like cinnamon, chocolate or nutmeg. The coffee lover world is a wide one – it’s there for us to enjoy!

Image credits: https://coffeegeek.tv/