A Beginners Guide on How to Make Coffee at Home

Coffee, to some it is a commodity, to others it is a bean on a pedestal, to many it is the only way they make it through their hectic schedule every day. Coffee has a well-travelled and well-documented past. Oddly enough however there are a number of people out there that do not even know how to make a cup of coffee at home of their own. That, to me, is a problem.   This article is long overdue.

Coffee Equipment Options:

From diners to the home, the most common way coffee is made today is in a drip coffee maker. Over the past twenty years or so however coffee has evolved from a commodity item to keep our proverbial engines running into somewhat of a prized beverage. Possibly because of this moka pots, percolators, french presses and espresso makers all provide different ways to make a cup of coffee, each with their own characteristics.

The Drip Coffee Maker:

Still the number one way of producing a cup of coffee at home and in the service industry, this method involves a simple pour over and collection structure that is the most efficient way to produce a large volume of coffee. There is a water chamber, a coffee filter basket, a carafe, and a heating element.

The water chamber, or reservoir, is where water is placed. The water is heated and sent upwards towards the filter basket where it is dripped over the coffee grounds and then collected underneath in the carafe. The filter basket is where, using a coffee filter the ground coffee is placed and where the extraction of the coffee takes place. The water runs through the coffee and is then collected in a carafe, or pot, directly below the basket. The heating element is used to keep the coffee hot for a period of time. Most drip coffee makers today will have a shut off timer as a safety mechanism set to somewhere between one and three hours.

The French Press:

The French Press has been receiving a lot of press lately.   Being the most popular machine to use true immersion to extract the coffee it is an economical way to improve your coffee game.

How this works is by pouring your desired quantity of ground coffee into the container and then effectively bathing the grounds in hot water from a kettle or other heat source, for anywhere from two to five minutes.   The top to this contraption has a reusable filter system made up of metal disks and either a metal or mesh screen on a metal pole which is then plunged into the coffee at a slow rate in order to effectively strain the coffee grounds. The prepared coffee is then poured from the top into your mug of choice.

The Percolator:

Percolator machines were the first real improvement in coffee production from boiling your coffee in a pot. This type of system has a water chamber, and an elevated and perforated basket where the ground coffee is placed. Once heated the water will slowly flow in and out of the basket infusing the coffee characteristics into the water. Percolators are generally going to be either electric, similar to a kettle or a stovetop style. At least with the stovetop ones they typically have a glass or transparent dome so that as the coffee bubbles you can visually see the colour of the coffee at any point.

Moka Pots & Espresso Makers:

How to make coffee in an espresso maker or a moka pot is still a relatively simple process. These two methods are grouped together because these are the two methods that utilize pressure. In the espresso maker there is a cup that is filled and tamped with fine ground coffee and water is forced through the cup with an ideal extraction time of approximately thirty seconds. The moka pot on the other hand uses a stovetop method where water is heated, sent through a small opening upwards through the grinds and forced farther towards the collection chamber.

Roasting Coffee:

Beyond the equipment options the next headache most newcomers to coffee will face is the number of options in the grocery store. While perusing my local store I have come across dark roast, medium roast, espresso, breakfast blend and a host of other varieties from which to choose. To understand what these terms mean you need to be armed with a little information on how coffee is actually produced.

Coffee is grown, harvested, processed and then roasted. The roasting process offers roasters the ability to put their own mark on their blend based upon the time in which the green coffee beans are exposed to heat. As you can most likely guess the longer the coffee is roasted, the darker the roast.

Lighter blends, like breakfast blends, are often a mild roast. As you may guess the lighter roasts offer a lighter cup of coffee. The advantage of a mild roast, or light roast is it allows for the natural nuances of the beans flavour to shine through. If you have ever had a cup of coffee that tasted “fruity” it was most likely a light or mild roast. As the roast darkens it begins to loose some of its subtleties and begins to take on more of a sweeter, caramel component from the sugars caramelizing. A dark roast is generally a very rich cup of coffee with a strong concentration of flavours. Most traditional coffees are roasted to a medium roast for the simple fact that the majority of consumers have come to know and expect a medium roast. Historically this was the blend to please the masses. It was only after the coffee explosion (or nerdation) of the 1990’s when North America really started to explore all the corners of coffee.

Which Grind Size of Coffee is best?

Beyond the mechanics and the roasts varieties of coffee the last thing that a beginner should be aware of is grind size. Most coffees today are ground to a medium grind; the best grind for the typical drip coffee maker and can be useful in immersion techniques as well. There are also fine grind and course grinds on the grocery shelf and they too have their place. Fine grinds are generally reserved for those machines that use pressure in the brewing process. These machines are typically espresso makers, or for the more modest homes (such as myself) there is the moka pot. Course ground coffee is mostly reserved for two things; french presses and cold brewed coffee. The reason for this is simple, the coarser the grind, the more time it takes to extract the excellence from the beans. In a French press the coffee is left to immerse itself for up to five minutes in hot water, and in the case of my cold brew, I leave mine overnight. These methods allow the coffee to slowly permeate into the water and therefore do not require the quick extraction time of their coffee counterparts.

While there is a lot more that could be said on the topic of coffee, this should give you enough information to start your coffee journey. Decide on what brewing method best suits you, what roast suits you and you’re off to the store for supplies. I hope this article has proven of value to you. All the best and happy brewing!