How to Get the Best At-Home Coffee Aroma
Just like many people, I love starting my day with a warm full-to-the-brim cup of coffee. I don’t however, always want to head to my favorite coffee shop to get it. Some days, I just want to have a slower morning and stay in my pajamas as long as possible! So of course I knew I needed to learn how to make my delicious coffee at home without sacrificing any rich flavor, so I did!
So how do you get the best aroma coffee at home? In summary, you will want to follow these steps:
- Grind your beans fresh and coarse, not too fine and not too coarse.
- Use the proper amount of coffee for the amount of water you are using (1 heaping tablespoon for every 4 ounces). Stir or shake it vigorously right before you brew it.
- Make sure your water is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (just before steaming, not boiling) before pouring over the grounds to brew.
- Use clean equipment so you don’t get any residual flavors in your coffee.
- Use filtered, bottled, or spring water.
- Let your coffee brew for 4 minutes total (2 minutes in the French press).
- Enjoy as soon as possible for the best flavor!
It may take a few times of trial and error to perfect your coffee-making skills. However, following these steps and extra tips, you can feel more empowered and ready to give it a try. There is so much more to making amazing coffee than some people realize.
With a little extra time and dedication, you can have the best aroma coffee in the comfort of your home! Let’s take a closer look at the steps above and some other tips for making homemade coffee.
Start With Good Coffee Beans
We all know how important the beans are to a good cup of coffee. If you want to make amazing coffee at home then go for freshly ground beans with a coarse texture.
This is the only way to avoid getting grounds in your drink and will create the best flavor and smell.
If you use pre-ground coffee, skip any that have been sitting on a shelf for more than two weeks because they’re losing their oils.
This means fewer flavors being released into the water. When possible, grind the beans yourself right before brewing.
The Right Coffee to Water Ratio
To make sure your coffee is as rich and flavorful as it can be, measure out 1 heaping tablespoon of ground coffee per every 4 ounces of water you use. (That’s about 2 tablespoons per cup if you’re using a standard mug.)
If you have a coffee maker with a built-in grinder simply adjust the amount of ground coffee you use depending on how strong or weak you want your brew.
Make It Fresh
Now that you’ve got your beans and measurements set, make sure you thoroughly stir your grounds (also known as shaking the “bloom”) right before brewing.
This process, which takes only a few seconds, allows carbon dioxide to escape and oxygen to move in so that the water can come into contact with all those tasty coffee flavors.
This is also when you want to make sure your water is just right too!
Water Temperature
When choosing the best aroma coffee beans, you’ll want to use water that’s between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit – just before steaming!
This temperature range is ideal for bringing out the best in your coffee beans. Higher temperatures tend to produce strong bitter flavors while lower temperatures don’t get enough of the natural oils and acids that give coffee its rich flavor.
Using Clean Equipment
To get that perfect fresh cup of coffee, your equipment will need to be clean and free of any residual flavors.
So after each time you’ve brewed, go ahead and wash out anything that has touched the coffee inside and out so you don’t get any leftover tastes in your next cup!
Water Options
When choosing water for your homemade coffee, try to stay away from tap water if possible. It tends to give the coffee a bitter or just a little “off.” Instead opt for filtered, bottled, or spring water because they are free of chlorine and other minerals that can affect the taste of your coffee.
Brew Time
Now that the prep work is complete, it’s finally time to brew! Your homemade aroma coffee will hopefully smell amazing already but now it’s time for flavor payoff. Let all of those flavors out by brewing between 4 and 5 minutes or 2 minutes if you’re using a French press.
Any longer than that and the coffee will become more bitter and acidic rather than rich. Too short of a brew will leave you with a weak and watery coffee.
Drink Immediately
Since you’ve invested all of this time in creating a delicious cup of homemade aroma coffee, your last step is to enjoy it as soon as possible! By letting it sit on a hot plate or a warmer for a long period, these tasty flavors will evaporate and you’ll end up with a cup that has little flavor.
Which Coffee Machine Is Best?
Naturally, you are also probably wondering what coffee maker will help you produce the best aroma coffee at home. It is important to note that the individual machines vary and their functions will be different. Let’s take a look at the 3 most popular coffee machines and see which one is best for you!
French Press
A French Press coffee maker is probably the easiest of them all. This is because it can be as simple as just adding coarsely ground coffee, hot water, and then plunging!
To get a stronger flavor from your beans, you’ll want to let it steep for longer than usual (about 4 minutes). Other than that one drawback we’re looking at a really easy and simple way to make your coffee.
Then again, if you don’t want to deal with cleaning up all that powdery mess you can grab a reusable filter for it too. It’ll save you even more time and keep you from having to worry about the cleanup involved in French Press machines!
Aeropress
The Aeropress is the most popular pick for best aroma coffee beans because it combines simplicity with versatility.
This brewing device, which was invented in 2005, uses air pressure to brew your coffee instead of just hot water as many other types do. It’s also made up of two filters that are easy to rinse and reuse!
That’s right, this machine doesn’t require any paper filters. This saves you money in the long run and reduces waste that ends up in landfills.
Plus since it doesn’t need paper filters you can use any kind of coffee that you want. This gives you the freedom to experiment with different flavors and pick out your favorite! Finally, an Aeropress is easy enough for beginners but also powerful enough for pros.
Drip Coffee Maker
Last but not least, we have the drip coffee maker. This is probably the simplest and easiest type of machine to use and master so it’s a good choice for beginners.
The only downside is that this kind cannot make cold or iced coffee drinks very well because there isn’t usually enough room in the reservoir to hold ice cubes. If you’re just looking for the easiest and cheapest way to make a simple cup of hot coffee, I recommend giving this one a try!
Should I Add Anything To My Coffee?
To get the best cup of aroma coffee at home, you may wonder if there’s anything special you should add at the end. This is a personal preference but there are some common ingredients that you can find in most pantries today. This includes sugar, almond milk, coconut milk, or even just cream and/or water.
If you’re looking for something to add that doesn’t change the flavor, then I recommend sugar because it’s the easiest way to add sweetness.
If you’re looking for something that will change the flavor though, I would suggest getting some coconut oil because it will give your coffee a rich and creamy texture!
There are also some other tried and true combinations that you can use to make your signature blend of coffee at home. These include adding chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cocoa powder, orange zest, peppermint extract, lavender buds, and more. Experiment until you find your perfect recipe!
Enjoy Your Coffee!
Now that I’ve shared all my best tips, I hope you feel excited and ready to start making the best aroma coffee at home! It all starts with using fresh quality beans, the perfect water temperature, a good brew time, and a trusted machine. Then after adding whatever ingredients you like, sit back to enjoy!
Just remember that there’s no such thing as a bad cup of coffee, only different flavors and combinations that some people like and others don’t. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to go out, get yourself a coffee machine, and start enjoying your delicious cup of joe at home!
Looking to learn more about brewing a perfect cup of joe? Find more coffee tips here!
