There is really nothing quite like a good cup of coffee. Whether you enjoy making your own coffee at home, or you prefer to patronize a local coffee shop, the more you know about coffee, the more you will enjoy it. This article will share a few interesting tidbits about this most popular of drinks.
If you prefer to purchase whole coffee beans, do not grind the beans ahead of time. The flavor of the coffee will diminish shortly after it’s been ground up. Your coffee will have a weaker taste when the beans are ground far in advance.
If you want fancy latte decorations without a fancy latte price, you can try making your own. There are various guides online that can get you started. With some practice, you can make latte art as good as any barista using milk and melted chocolate. You will not only save money by creating beautiful latte designs, but you’ll impress your guests too.
Here is a great trick to try if you use softened or distilled water to brew your coffee. Just add a small pinch of salt to the pot after brewing. This may sound crazy, but the salt will add a lot of extra flavor to the coffee! Believe it or not!
Many people love coffee and enjoy it every morning; however, drinking a plain cup of coffee every day can become boring. To spice up your morning routine try making a beautiful, refreshing latte. Learn how to pour your milk slowly to create beautiful designs on top of your latte. The key to a beautiful latte is practice.
A great tip when brewing coffee is to always use the right water. You can’t just use any water when brewing coffee. If you’re using dirty tap water, you can probably expect an unpleasant tasting cup of coffee. Good water to use should have some minerals in it that will help to extract the best flavor.
To brew the best cup of coffee, your water temperature needs to be just under the boiling point. At this temperature, the water will extract the maximum amount of flavor from your beans. If your coffee does not taste good in the morning, run a thermometer in the water to ensure that it is heating to the right temperature.
Use coffee syrups if you like flavored coffee. These are great alternatives to creamers and flavored beans. They are made from quality ingredients that smell and taste great. They’re consistent, and you can control how much sweetness or flavor you want. They also won’t cause a mess in your equipment since you directly add them to your cup.
Keep your coffee in the refrigerator. The best coffee is fresh tasting coffee and keeping it cold is a great way to preserve the freshness of it. Simply store the coffee in the container you buy it in and put it in the fridge. This will ensure the freshest coffee.
When buying coffee, never buy in bulk. Buy enough coffee for the week and store at room temperature. Heat and light destroy the flavor of your coffee. If you have to, you can store your beans in an airtight container in the freezer, and they will last up to a month.
If you frequent a particular coffeehouse often, see if they will give you a discount for bringing in your own cup or mug. These cups can sometimes cost the shop a few pennies at a time, so they can save money too over time. They also get the chance to make a pro-environmental statement with you.
Take the coffee out of the coffee maker when it’s done brewing. The coffee will cook and its flavor will be ruined if you leave it on the maker. If you will not use all of it before it cools, transfer it into an insulated container to keep it warm.
If you drink a lot of coffee, purchase a quality coffee machine. Find out what each coffee related appliances does, and decide which one will work best for you. For singles, you may want to purchase a machine that only makes a cup or two at a time.
Purchase a coffee maker that brews into a thermal carafe or pot. If you are the type of person who likes to nurse your coffee, this allows you to enjoy hot coffee for as long as you want to spend drinking it. This also keeps the coffee tasting good and not losing its flavor.
Whenever you are brewing coffee at home, it is extremely important to brew it with good tasting filtered water. If your tap water tastes bad, then your coffee will also end up tasting poorly. Make sure to invest in a good filtration system so that you can get the best tasting coffee possible.
Avoid packaged and pre-flavored beans if you enjoy flavored coffee. Oils are sprayed on these beans which make it almost impossible for you to completely and properly clean your grinder and coffee machine. Additionally, the sprays might smell good, but they don’t really flavor the coffee all that well.
Those who like to brew their own coffee would be wise to grind their own coffee beans as well. Not only should you grind your own beans, but only grind what you need to make your next pot. Freshly ground beans have been proven to result in better tasting coffee.
Don’t assume that your cup of decaf is completely caffeine-free. Most decaffeinated brews contain a few milligrams of caffeine. Drinking several cups of decaf may deliver the same amount of the stimulant as a cup or two of regular. While this is low, it can be enough to cause problems if you must avoid caffeine for medical reasons.
Now that you have finished reading this article, you should have gained a new respect for your favorite beverage. If you need to know how to brew a better cup of coffee, or you just want to understand how coffee is grown, the information in this article should have helped you out.
