Is making coffee at home something that we take for granted? I got to thinking about this one time.
Nowadays, spending time at the local coffee shop has become a part of people’s everyday routine – whether it’s a quick cup to go or treating themselves to one of the specialty drinks.
However, this shouldn’t deter us from enjoying a freshly brewed cup of coffee at home. It can even help us save money to allow us to keep a few extra dollars in our pocket. When it comes to my morning coffee, I no longer feel obligated to rush out and grab that quick cup after getting up. With the advent of single-serve coffee systems, espresso machines and other advanced coffee makers, I have the opportunity to make my morning coffee to my own liking and relish that first sip of the day.
Recipe for your morning coffee
The neat thing about making your own coffee from home is how simple and basic it is. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, or as complicated as what you may see and smell coming from one of the baristas in a fancy coffee chain.
All it takes is water, your favorite ground coffee, a machine for brewing, and of course, time. I tend to put my earphones on and have some soundtrack or classical music playing, as I’m slowly waking up for the day.
What I’ll need to brew coffee in a pot:
It only takes three things to brew a simple cup of coffee at home.
First – you’ll need filtered water. I’ve walked in on coworkers in the office break room many times and found them filling up the coffee pot with tap water, then pouring it straight into the coffee machine. I kind of understand their thinking, on how boiling hot water can kill the impurities, but I still prefer to have my water filtered first – just so that I can enjoy the true taste of the coffee.
The second thing that you’ll need is the right proportions of coffee to your amount of water. The standard measurements use two tablespoons of ground coffee per eight ounces of water (a regular cup size). You can always just tweak it from here, depending on how strong you want it.
And finally, you need the right grind. This amount can differ by each machine, but the rule of thumb is that the more time coffee grounds spend in contact with water, the courser the grind, and vice versa.
Do I need to own the best coffee maker?
I used to have this question in my mind years ago, thinking that I’m just making do with my simple coffee maker at home until I can afford better equipment.
Do I really need to own the fanciest, complicated Keurig or device on the market? No. Because it’s all a preference of my personal taste and choice. I’ve learned that it’s more about the process and the variables involved in making that great cup of coffee than the machine.
Different types of Coffee
What type of coffee do you like to drink? Myself – I’m more of a medium roast – though I can drink bold and lighter roasts. There are actually different machines with different wattage, depending on whether you prefer coffee that’s stronger and bolder, in contrast to weaker coffee.
The Amount of Coffee
How much coffee do you drink on a daily basis? Do you really need to make a full pot of coffee if you only drink one cup of coffee every morning and that’s it? Or do you go through the entire pot before noon?
I would easily invest in a Keurig machine if all I needed was the morning cup of coffee to wake me up, and that’s all I drink. And if I’m in the mood for a second cup after lunch, then I’ll pop in another pod to make a single cup and not worry about making a full pot of coffee.
Special Features
Different features – in my earliest recollection of coffee makers growing up – one of the neatest features was the built-in timer. I would see all of these Folger’s and Maxwell house commercials, where the timer would go off, with the couple waking up in the morning to come down and see the fresh, hot brewed coffee, waiting for them.
