It’s not always possible to get out of the house to buy a barista-made coffee. So what does a person need to make a fantastic cup of cafe-style coffee at home?
There are a lot of different ways of brewing coffee these days, and many different formats to choose from, from espresso, filter coffee, drip bag coffee, coffee pods or coffee concentrate to name a few. The two most common brewing methods to get high-quality coffee at home would be filter coffee via a pour over method or Aeropress, or espresso via an Espresso machine.
However, the best starting place for most brewing methods is four things:
1/ High Quality Specialty Coffee - putting poor quality coffee in will never yield good quality coffee out, no matter what you do. You should source high-quality, and ideally sustainable speciality coffee, from a trusted coffee roaster.
2/ Fresh Coffee - As they say, fresh is best. If you’re buying whole beans you should always aim to buy coffee that has a roast date printed on the bag. As a general rule of thumb you’re aiming to start to drink the coffee around 2 weeks from the roasted date and if the coffee is stored correctly (in an airtight container away from direct sunlight) up to 30 days from roast should still give you a tasty cup. If you’ve sourced speciality coffee pods or drip bags (Pourtables) from a reputable coffee roaster, these formats will typically have a longer shelf life as their freshness is locked in.
3/ Good Quality Grinder - Unfortunately a lot of folks invest in a quality espresso machine thinking that’ll have the biggest impact on their coffee quality at home. But that’s only half the story, investing in a great quality grinder with either ceramic or steel with flat or conical burrs (the parts that grind the coffee) will make all the difference. A quality manual (hand grinder) or powered grinder will ensure you can adjust your grind size accurately, it’ll ensure your ground particles are even and consistent in size to ensure a balanced and tasty extraction.
4/ Weighing scale - A weighing scale can help bring consistency and ease to your brewing routine.
If someone prefers quick, convenient and simple (yet delicious) coffee, then drip bags (Pourtables), specialty pods or coffee concentrate are great options.
What’s the one mistake people should avoid?
The most important this is to start with the end mind: what kind of beverage (or beverages) do you want to be able to make at home and how much time, money and effort are you willing to invest. Making this decision first will allow you to invest in the right brew setup that you can enjoy at home.
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What does your company offer customers to help them make the perfect brew at home?
We offer a range of coffee formats as we want to make it as easy as possible to enjoy delicious and ethical speciality coffee at home. The perfect brew at home (or anywhere really) can be achieved with our new Pourtables - our take on drip bag coffee. This has to be the easiest way to get a delicious coffee at home without any equipment. And if cold coffee is your jam, our coffee concentrate is like liquid gold, just add ice and milk or your favourite non-dairy alternative and you’ve got the easiest iced coffee ever.
On the other hand, if you want to get as close to a specialty flat white or latte as possible, then an Espresso machine is the best. We like the Breville range of Espresso machines for home. We also have a lot of videos on how to make espresso based coffees at home. Check out our Youtube channel.
What other advice would you offer customers when it comes to brewing coffee at home?
Enjoy the process and take the time to find what works best for you. The daily ritual of making a delicious coffee can be a very rewarding thing. At the same time, our specialty cafes are a key pillar of the world leading coffee culture we have in Australia. We see coffee at home as a compliment and not an alternative to specialty cafes. Specialty cafes not only brew some of the most delicious and well crafted beverages, but they elevate the beverage by pairing it with amazing ambience, service and experience. We hope brewing coffee at home will increase the appreciation and support all of us offer to our specialty cafes and baristas.
If you want to improve your at home coffee brewing setup, click here to explore the full range of Breville espresso machines. P&R is an affiliate of Breville.com/au
