With sound coffee-making tips, enjoying that perfect cup of coffee first thing in the morning is absolute bliss. It just seems to set the mood for a great day.

Our tips for making coffee are all you need for the perfect cup. Buying fresh, whole beans is essential, as well as grinding your beans just before brewing. You should also use filtered and boiled water, and full-fat milk to elevate your coffee. Blooming, using a reusable filter, and cleaning your machine regularly will also do wonders.

Brewing impeccable coffee might feel a little challenging in the beginning. But it doesn’t need to be difficult if you follow a few tricks and tips to make coffee.

I love brewing coffee every day, and I try to experiment with new ways to make the best home-brewed cup of coffee.

Here are a few coffee-making tips you can use, no matter how simple or fancy your coffee machine is.

Our Top 10 Coffee-making Tips

1. Always Buy Fresh, Whole Coffee Beans
2. Grind Your Beans a Few Minutes before Brewing Your Coffee
3. Always Use Filtered and Freshly Boiled Water
4. Bloom Your Coffee Grounds before Brewing
5. Use Full-Fat Milk for Your Coffee
6. Use a Reusable Filter for Your Coffee Instead of Paper Filters
7. Buy Your Beans from a Certified and Renowned Seller
8. Choose a Brewing Method That is to Your Taste
9. Clean Your Coffee Maker Regularly
10. Try Experimenting with Your Coffee Blends

1. Always Buy Fresh, Whole Coffee Beans

Fresh coffee beans are the first and the most crucial step to brewing a great-tasting cup of coffee. All the flavours of the coffee come from the oils found in the beans. But, as the coffee beans become stale, they lose these invaluable oils. And old, dry coffee beans result in a bland-tasting cup of coffee.

Buying whole coffee beans is just as vital. When the beans are ground, they become so small, making it easier for the oxygen to seep in and start the drying process. Due to this, the sweet aroma and natural sugars of the beans transform into a harsh bitterness.

Coffee beans can lose their flavour within 30 minutes of grinding. So, if you are buying pre-ground coffee from the market, there is a good chance that your coffee won't taste as good.

It would be best if you always store your coffee beans in an air-tight container, away from direct sunlight. Fresh, whole coffee beans usually come in a resealable bag with a one-way valve. The valve allows the carbon dioxide to escape from the pack but does not allow the oxygen to enter. This helps to keep your beans fresh and protects their natural flavour.

2. Grind Your Beans a Few Minutes before Brewing Your Coffee

Grinding all your coffee beans at once for future use is not advisable. Therefore, one of the vital coffee-making tips is to only grind what you need when you need it. This will help you preserve the natural oil and regional flavour of your beans.

The grind on the bean hugely affects the taste of your coffee, so we recommend using a burr grinder to grind your coffee beans. A burr grinder (automatic or manual) helps control your grind size and gives you an overall consistent grind.

Your brewing practice would decide the type of grind you need on your coffee beans. For instance, if you prefer a smooth-tasting Turkish coffee, you should have a fine grind on your beans. On the other hand, cold brew coffee requires an extra-coarse grind on the beans.

Have a look at our comprehensive guide to determine the perfect grind size for your brewing method.

3. Always Use Filtered and Freshly Boiled Water

The use of filtered water in brewing can significantly improve the taste of your coffee. It’s best to use soft water to brew your coffee, as hard water may give it a strong, bitter taste. It also results in a build-up of minerals inside your coffee machine.

On the other hand, soft water will adequately extract the flavour and colour from your roasted coffee beans. You can use water filters like those made by Brita to soften your water for the perfect tasting coffee.

Using freshly boiled water is also one of the key coffee-making tips which is often ignored. You should always boil your water a few minutes before pouring it into your machine.

The temperature of your water can significantly affect the end flavour of your coffee. The ideal water temperature should be between 195- and 205-degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, you can fully extract the coffee from your beans without the risk of overboiling.

4. Bloom Your Coffee Grounds before Brewing

Coffee blooming is one of our favourite coffee-making tips. This is the bubbling reaction caused by adding a small amount of hot water to freshly roasted and ground coffee beans. It draws out the trapped carbon dioxide from your roasted coffee beans and makes for a more enjoyable cup of coffee.

Blooming your coffee grounds before brewing them would help you extract the full flavour and aroma of the beans. All you must do is add a small amount of water to your ground coffee beans and let them infuse for 30 seconds. You should gently stir your coffee when the bubbles start appearing.

As the trapped CO2 escapes the coffee beans, it makes space for the water to seep through properly. Even though carbon dioxide does not have a significant smell, it can sour when mixed in high concentrations. With the help of blooming, you’ll prevent the gas from infusing into your coffee.

5. Use Full-Fat Milk for Your Coffee

The type of milk you use is essential, as the right kind adds a little sweetness to your coffee and reduces its intensity. This is one of the tips for making coffee that’s smooth and comforting.

Your cup of coffee will be at its best when using full-fat milk. Full-fat milk contains about 4% fat and adds optimal smoothness and richness to your coffee.

Skimmed milk has very little fat in it and can give your coffee a slightly watered-down taste.

You should not go overboard and add cream to your coffee. It has too little fat for your coffee and can overpower your coffee beans' aroma and regional flavour.

If you prefer not to use dairy milk in your coffee, you can substitute it with oat milk. The consistency and flavour of oat milk is something like full-fat milk and injects a caramel-like flavour into your coffee.

6. Use a Reusable Filter for Your Coffee Instead of Paper Filters

Believe it or not, the filter you use can make a massive difference, which is why it’s one of the essential coffee-making tips.

Despite common opinion, paper filters are not that great. They can absorb most of the flavour and aroma of your coffee.

Paper filters are very tightly woven, leading them to capture your coffee's essential natural oils and micro grounds. The absence of these oils and micro grounds results in a diluted coffee leaving you with a disappointing, tasteless cup of coffee.

On the other hand, reusable filters like a metal mesh filter do not have a finely weaved mesh, like paper. They, therefore, allow any oils or micro grounds to seep into your cup. This will give your coffee a fuller, richer taste, with all the natural flavours packed into it.

The downside is that when using a metal filter, you may be left with fine granules at the bottom of your cup. Some people enjoy drinking those granules. While others prefer not to. It’s entirely up to you.

7. Buy Your Beans from a Certified and Renowned Seller

The quality of your beans has a significant impact on the taste of your coffee. When your beans are of high quality, freshly roasted, and packed in an air-tight container, you’ll experience the best flavours after brewing.

One of the best tips to make coffee is to ensure that you buy your beans from a certified and renowned seller. When you decide to buy from a general, lesser-known coffee vendor, you might end up with stale coffee beans. Which could leave you with bitter or bland-tasting coffee.

Nusa Coffee Company is a specialist Canadian importer of exclusive coffee beans from Indonesia. We bring the taste of regional flavours to you by delivering premium beans directly from the farm to your cup.

Our coffee beans are 100% organic and freshly roasted. And we believe in transparency when dealing with our consumers. We, therefore, detail all relevant information regarding our coffees on our packaging.

8. Choose a Brewing Method That is to Your Taste

When it comes to brewing the perfect cup of coffee, there isn’t just one overall ideal method. It all comes down to your personal preference, and we all have a different palate. Each brewing practice requires a different type of bean and grind, all of which affect the taste.

If you like your coffee bold and strong and are always in a hurry, espresso coffee may be the best option. It only takes approximately 40 seconds to brew and has a slightly bitter but less acidic taste.

However, if brewing your coffee is a calming experience, and you have the time, you could opt for vacuum pot brewing. This brewing method will leave your coffee smooth, clean, crisp, full-bodied, and rich in flavour.

Irrespective of the brewing method you prefer, you should select the correct grind for that technique. Pick a brewing process to your taste is one of the most essential tips to make the perfect cup of coffee.

9. Clean Your Coffee Maker Regularly

Another one of the most integral coffee-making tips is to clean your coffee machine regularly.

It is recommended that you clean your coffee maker at least once a month to preserve the taste of your coffee. Brewing coffee regularly in a coffee maker leaves a bit of residue in the machine each time.

This residue can add a touch of bitterness to your coffee. And it may cause an intense and unpleasant smell. In extreme cases, the coffee residue might clog and block your machine, rendering the device unusable.

While cleaning your coffee maker, you should remove the baskets from the machine and soak them in a bowl of hot water and a cup of white vinegar. Cleaning your coffee maker every day would significantly improve the taste of your coffee.

10. Try Experimenting with Your Coffee Blends

Creating your own coffee blend is a great experience. It allows you to learn more about your palate and the flavour profiles of various coffee beans. You cannot go wrong in this area.

Experimenting with different coffee beans and customizing your blend allows you to create a unique, signature coffee just for you. There will obviously be some trial and error involved, but the reward will be great when you find a blend you love.

You’ll need to determine which coffee bean flavours you prefer and make use of those. You can grind and mix these beans in different ratios, brewing and testing until you strike the perfect blend.

There are hundreds of ways to blend different coffee beans, and each one of them would give you a new insight into your favourite coffees. By experimenting with varying blends of coffee, you’re able to make your coffee exactly the way you like.

Takeaway

Brewing coffee is more of an experience, and you get better with time. It might be hard to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home the first few times. But all you need to do is establish where you are going wrong and adjust accordingly.

By following our above coffee-making tips, your brewing skills are sure to improve with time. These tips to make coffee can significantly improve the overall flavour of your coffee and ensure the perfect cup every time.