If you are going to be making good coffee at home there are a few things that you should keep in mind to make the brewing better.

After the coffee beans have been roasted it is vital to keep track of the time since they were roasted as they will start to lose flavour after about two weeks.

When you are using pre ground coffee, keep in mind that the freshness of the coffee is sealed inside the bag and when you open the bag the coffee will maintain its best flavor for only a week when stored properly.

It is recommended to have aa good grinder for most of the methods in this guide. The burr grinder gives you the control you need to get the ground the way you like it. Get good scales as well so you can measure out exactly the right amount of ground needed to make that perfect cup of coffee.

To avoid getting odd flavours from chemicals and minerals in your coffee, the best practice when making coffee is to use a water filter. The optimal water temperature should between 195 °F to 205 °F. If the water is to hot it can scorch the ground and if it´s not hot enough it won’t extract the flavors and the brew will be weak.
A method to get the right temperature is to bring the water to a boil and let it sit for about 30 seconds off the heat before you brew the coffee.

When pouring the hot water over the grounds it´s good to use a gooseneck kettle as they give you better control over pouring.

There are different sizes of grinds used for different kinds of coffee. When you use course grounds the flavors are extracted more slowly, resulting in a mellow taste. Flavor is extracted more quickly from finer grinds giving you a stronger and perhaps a bitter flavour.

Burr grinders often come with a guide on how fine or coarse you should grind your coffee beans depending on the brewing method.

Some coffee makers work better if they are primed. You simply pour hot water over the filter and into the coffee maker itself.

A rule of thumb to get a strong cup of coffee is to use two tablespoons of coffee for each cup of water. There can be some exceptions to this rule, for example when making Turkish coffee or espresso.

This method of making coffee is one of the easiest ways to brew a pot of coffee and coffee can be quite good when using this method if you observe certain methods while making the coffee. When making coffee with a drip coffee maker you can expect the brew to be ready in 4 to 15 minutes all depending on how many cups you are making.

The best grind for this type of coffee is fine to medium.

Directions

1. Grind your favorite coffee to a fine-medium size.
2. All drip coffee maker have a filter basket where you place you paper filter.
3. Rule of thumb is to add one tablespoon of coffee for every cup of water, the cup measuring about 6oz.
4. Add cold water to the water reservoir, 6oz for every cup you are going to make.
6. Press the start button to begin brewing.

Making your coffee better

If for some reason you have not been happy with the results making coffee with your drip maker you can try the following.

1. Get yourself a good quality Burr grinder.
2. Instead of using a spoon to measure the coffee into the filter use a gram scale. A good measure is to use 15 grams of coffee for every 225 grams of water.
3. It is better to use a thermal carafe instead of the class one on the hot plate. When you use the hot plate of the coffee maker the coffee will turn bitter after a short while.

On of the more iconic methods to make a good coffee is with the french press and it is the method of choice for many coffee lovers. Although it is often associated with France it is of Italian origin and was patented there almost a hundred years ago.

The French press is fairly easy and straight forward to operate as it simply involves hot water, a beaker, plunger and of course your favorite coffee. When using a French press you will get the coffee more flavorsome then if you would make it with the more traditional way of using a filter.

Directions

1. Heat the water to around boiling point, which is 195-205 °F.
2. Preheat the French press by pouring hot water in it and let sit to warm up.
3. Add a medium coarse freshly ground quality coffee into the press.
4. Add hot water so it flows just over the ground coffee and give it a light stir. Let it sit for about 30 seconds.
5. Next you add the rest of the water, give it a gentle stir and then let it sit for a while, 3-4 minutes. Time depends on how strong you like your coffee.
6. Add the plunger and then push it all the way to the bottom.
7. Enjoy!!!

Note: After you have made the coffee it is best to decant it, because if you let it sit it will keep extracting and the coffee will become bitter.

When you want to make coffee using a pour over coffee maker it will take a bit more time and effort. While making coffee using this method you have much more control over the whole brewing process and you are able to adjust the coffee to your preferences.

There are a lot of ways to make coffee this way and the brewers come in all shapes and sizes. You can get devices that you place over your favorite mug or if your having friends over use a bigger device over a carafe.

When you make coffee this way you want to do it again and again because it´s so good.

Directions

1. Heat water to 200° F. Bring the water to the boil, then let it stand for about 30 seconds.
2. Place the pour over coffee maker on your carafe and add the paper filter, prime the carafe by pouring hot water into it and let it sit while you grind your coffee. Discard water when finished. Place the carafe on a scale.
3. Measure the freshly roasted medium ground coffee beans (5 tablespoons) and place them in the filter.
4. Add about 50 gr. of water to soak the grounds, wait 30 seconds afterwards.
5. Pour the water into the carafe, about 400 gr. and let it sit for 2 minutes. It´s best to start the pour in a spiral pattern and then straight down keeping the grounds saturated for the duration.
6. Enjoy.

Cold brew coffee is not to be mistaken for iced coffee, since it´s not. It´s not just adding ice cubes to coffee but extracting the coffee in cold filtered water and a much longer steep time, but it is actually very simple to make.

Directions

1. First you need to coarsely grind you freshly roasted coffee beans.
2. Measure 1 part coffee to four parts water.
3. Find your carafe and add the grinds.
4. Pour the cold filtered water to fully saturate the coffee grinds. Give the blend a gentle stir.
5. Cover the carafe and place it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Covering will avoid absorbing of aromas in the fridge.
5. When the brewing process is complete, you can refrigerate the coffee for up to two weeks.

Note: You can dilute the coffee with water or milk before drinking, also consider to spice it up a bit with  some spices of flavorings.

Needless to say perhaps but the popularity of Iced coffee surges during the summer months. The ingredients to make iced coffee are very straight forward and simple as they aren’t that many of them.

It goes without saying that coffee is needed as-well as ice cubes, milk, (or cream) sugar or a sweetener of choice (for those with a bit of a sweet tooth). You need two containers, one to let the coffee cool in and one for serving.

How to make iced coffee with cold brew.

If you still have some of that cold brew you made earlier, you can make yourself some iced coffee right away. Simply add a little water to dilute the coffee, then add some ice cubes followed by sugar, cream or flavoring to your taste. If you don´t have any cold brew simply follow method four here above.

How to make iced coffee with hot brew.

It is also possible to make iced coffee from a normal brew of hot coffee. When you make iced coffee that way you have to remember that the key to the taste is to cool the coffee as fast as possible, otherwise it can become bitter. Simply pour the coffee over the ice cubes, but only if you have thermal shock resistant glasses as the sudden mixture of hot and cold might shatter a normal class.

You can use an infuser to make coffee pretty much the same way as you would use it to make tea. While the amount of coffee you use in the infuser is of-course all based on your personal taste the general rule of thumb is one to two tablespoons to a cup of water.

Directions

1. Boil some water, remove form heat and let it rest for about 30 seconds to cool down.
2. Add the medium grind coffee to the infuser.
3. Find your favorite mug and place the infuser in it.
4. Slowly pour the water until the mug is full.
5. Leave for three to four minutes while the coffee infuses in the water.
6. Enjoy.

Listed as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Turkey, the Turkish coffee has been around for a very long time. The coffee is made in a pot called cezve by pouring hot water onto very powdery fine grounds, to make a strong black and aromatic brew.

First you are going to need a cezve pot and your coffee grinder will have to be able to grind the coffee very fine. Usually a medium roast coffee is used.  When measuring the water using this method the actual cups that you will be drinking from are used to measure the amount of water.

Again the amount of coffee used is based on taste, but the rule thumb is to measure one tablespoon for each serving, adjusting in accordance to your taste. During the making of the coffee the sugar is added so be sure to ask your guests before making the coffee how they take their coffee.

Directions

1. Add the finely ground coffee to the cezve and sugar (for those who want sugar) and combine.
2. Add the filtered water and place the cezve on a stovetop.
3. Bring to a boil on a medium heat, which will take around three to four minutes so you need to watch over the process.
4. As the coffee warms, a dark foam, which is important when serving Turkish coffee, starts to build up.
5. When getting closer to boil, use a teaspoon and transfer some of the foam to the individual cups and the return the pot to the stovetop.
6. When the coffee boils pour half the coffee into the cups and then return it to the stove to boil the remaining coffe for 15-20 seconds.
7. Pour the rest of the coffee into the cups.

Note: Turkish coffee is served with a glass of water and Turkish delights or other sweet treats.

See our detailed guide on how to make Turkish coffee.

One of the more popular ways to make coffee is with the Chemex coffee maker. The filters in the Chemex are thick, bonded filters and they slow the rate at which the water drips through them giving you a very rich and full brew. Finding the perfect grind/water ratio for your taste will take a few tries. The Chemex makes around three to four cups and using it in conjunction with a timer and a thermometer is a good idea.

Directions

1. Heat your water to boiling and then let it sit for about 30 seconds.
2. Place the filter into the top of the brewer.
3. Add the coffee to the filter, best to use fine to medium ground. Usually 2 tbsp for each cup of water suits most tastes.
4. After setting the timer to 45 seconds, slowly pour the water in a circular motion onto the grinds to moisten them, which causes them to “bloom” creating a beautiful aroma.
5. Reset the timer for 2 minutes and pour the rest of the water into the filter in a circular pattern.
6. Wait while the coffee completely drains before removing the dripper.
7. Enjoy the rich coffee

Using a percolator to make coffee is something i remember from when i was younger, there was something pleasant about making coffee in a percolator. It is some of the richest best tasting coffee you´ll have. The aroma of the percolator brewing is something that is hard to beat.

Not everybody likes the percolator because they tend to burn the coffee, especially on the stove-top models. It requires some practice to get coffee done the right way using a percolator but when you get it right you are rewarded with a perfect brew everytime you make coffee

Directions

1. Fill the reservoir of the percolator with cold water.
2. Add the coarsely ground coffee to the filter basket, around a heaped tablespoon for every cup.
3. Watch the brewing process. On the percolator there is a glass bubble and when you start to see bubbles in the water it´s time to turn down the heat to avoid starting to boil the coffee and get a burnt flavor as a result. The ideal heat for the water is around 200 °F and you must allow steam pressure to build up in the stem and bubble over. Give each cup around a minute to brew.
5. Although the electric percolator models have a “Keep Warm” setting it is always best to avoid using that and just pour the freshly brewed coffee into your cup and the rest into a pre warmed thermo flask because the keep warm feature will always affect the taste of the coffee.

You can get close to the creamy texture and caffeine kick of an Espresso made by a professional Espresso machine which you find in coffee shops, but made at home in a Moka pot.

Directions

1. The top chamber is removed and the lower part is filled with water, the water should reach just below the valve.
2. Fill the filter basket with fresh finely ground coffee. You must make sure that there are no coffee grounds on the rim of the filter basket.
3. Screw the top chamber on to the lower chamber tightly.
4. Place the Moka pot on the stove and bring to boil. When the water boils the top chamber is filled with brewed coffee. When you hear steaming and bubbling sounds you know that the coffee is ready.
5. Remove the Moka pot from the stove.
6. Drink and enjoy.