Coffee is one of the beverages that you will find in many homes around the globe. In America, it is a daily ritual and served in various aspects depending on the coffee type and expertise level. Research shows that 7 out of 10 people in America consume coffee every week, and most of them take more than three cups daily. If you are a regular drinker, you should look for the right type and balance on the intake. You can buy coffee online and follow the expert’s procedure about preparation. Surprisingly, brewing a cup of coffee may seem an easy process, but it is about the technique to get the intended taste.
If you wonder why your homemade cup of coffee tastes differently from the coffee shop across the road, here are mistakes you should avoid.
- Your coffee beans are not fresh
Don’t settle for a good cup of coffee; instead, learn the process and enjoy a great cup of coffee. First things first, your beans need to be fresh to make a rich cup. Always purchase well-dried coffee beans and make sure they are fresh and roasted properly. Secondly, store your beans where they’ll maintain their freshness all through. It may seem like a tedious process, but a good cup is determined by how the beans are roasted, their storage process, and the brewing stage. According to experts, the lesser time you take to prepare, the richer and tastier the flavor.
When you purchase the beans, ensure you enquire about their roasting date. If you plan to upgrade your brewing process, check the roasting date to determine their freshness level. The roasting date is indicated at the top, bottom, or sideways and only chooses the most recent ones for a good result.
- Using water that is not hot enough
You’ll find that most commercial drip brewers rarely heat water to the acceptable temperature (195 – 205 degrees) for a tasty cup of coffee. If the water is not hot enough, it can’t extract the entire flavor from the beans. You can switch to pour-over-method or French press where water is poured over the ground beans and steeped for a few minutes. Both pour-over-method and French press are affordable for coffee enthusiasts who love a good taste as they are low-priced than the average electric brewer.
Click here – Every Remote Work Tip to Make Work From Home More Comfortable
- Grinding the coffee beans before you brew them
After you grind the coffee beans, they start to degas immediately. According to a barista expert, it is advisable to brew after grinding the beans. Once the grind is done, it takes 30 to 60 minutes for freshness to diminish. Therefore, you have to brew before the freshness is all gone.
- Pouring into a cold cup
If you pour your coffee in a cold cup, it may lose the hot tasty part. A cold cup lowers the temperature by some degrees, and within minutes, the hotness will not be there anymore. The best approach is to warm the cup by pouring boiling water to keep it at the same temperature level as the hot coffee you are about to pour. Allow the cup to stay with the hot water for some time while the coffee is brewing. And empty the cup before you fill it with coffee. Also, you should rinse pour-over or French press with hot water before putting the grounds inside.
- You’re not using chemical-free water
According to a Coffee expert, using tap water may not give you the intended result. Water coming from public supplies is said to contain contaminants that may interfere with your brewing process. One big culprit of such pollutants is chlorine which is added in most cities to control bacterial growth. It makes sense viewing the idea from a public health perspective, but the chemical present in your coffee cup may change both flavor and taste. So, before you brew your coffee, get rid of any chemical from tap water. The idea is to use a jug of filtered water or under sink filters to give you long-term service.
- You’re using the wrong coffee cup
You probably have a set of cups you use at home and never thought of why your coffee fails to achieve the desired flavor. If you use a plastic cup to pour your hot coffee, it may change the flavor or contain Bisphenol (BPA). Bisphenol (BPA) is used to make plastic products, and health professionals advise its use may contribute to health problems even though the study is ongoing to ascertain that. For the right result and good flavor, use heavy cups that are ceramic designed or high-quality glass. If you are on the move, use stainless steel mugs, and they keep your coffee hot and tasty for many hours.
Click here – Must Do Activities for Your Beach Adventures
- You’re not upgrading your sugar and milk
The brewing process of coffee may be similar to many people, but whether to use milk or sugar is a matter of personal choice. However, it is recommended to add some additives to enhance the flavor. For instance, if you are a sugar user putting raw (turbinado sugar) instead of white sugar may give you a better taste. On the other hand, use rice milk, cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk for plant-based plants. For animal milk, it is advisable to use whole milk to attain the preferred flavor. And that’s why baristas use whole milk as its default choice.
- You’re using the wrong coffee-to-water ratio
Two things may happen with an incorrect ratio. You may either make your coffee taste highly concentrated or taste weak. The first scenario is whereby you guess the amount of water to put or water and end up using too much coffee, and the second one is adding too much water than expected. Most coffee experts agree to two tablespoons of coffee for every cup and then adjust your brews in the future to fit what you prefer.
There are many mistakes people make when preparing their favorite cup of coffee. And if the mistake you make is not in the list above, then you may not even know what you like. But whether you are a regular user or an amateur in the coffee preparation process, you can identify where you are doing it wrong until you get it right.
