Can you remember when you’ve had one of the best cups of coffee? Maybe it was a cup you made or one you purchased from a shop. There are as many ways to make coffee as there are types. Keep reading to get some great advice about buying coffee going forward.
If you are a heavy coffee drinker make lunch you last cup. Drinking caffeine in the afternoon and evening can seriously effect your ability to sleep soundly. As long as you don’t load your coffee up with too many calories it is just fine to have several cups during the morning hours.
Use a French press to brew coffee that has a rich, robust flavor. Coffee’s bold, rich flavor comes from the oils that occurs naturally in coffee beans. Unfortunately, much of these natural oils are filtered out by the paper filters used in automatic drip coffee makers. A French Press doesn’t use a filter, instead uses a plunger to keep the ground beans out of your coffee. The oils remain in the brew, lending a richer flavor.
Does your coffee get stale because you cannot drink it fast enough? You should store it in an airtight container. Put your weekly dose of coffee into a smaller container and keep it in your freezer so it stays fresh. Store the rest of your coffee in a larger airtight container and open it only when you need to refill your smaller container.
If you drink your coffee cold, think past just traditional cream and sugar. Mix entire fruits into your coffee. You can add foods like oranges, cherries and strawberries for interesting additions to the flavor. Even think about spicing things up with cinnamon or cardamom. The possibilities for you are nearly endless!
When you brew your coffee at home, do not throw out the used grounds. These coffee grounds might not be good for another cup of coffee, but they are excellent for many other purposes. They are great for composting, exfoliating, cleaning, and quite a few other uses. Don’t throw them away!
Rinse off your coffee filter before placing it inside of the coffee maker. The coffee filters may have fibers or plastic on them when you take them out of the plastic packaging. If you leave these items on the filter, they will end up in your coffee when it brews.
You do not need to tip the barista at a coffee shop the same percentage as you do a waitress or a hairdresser. Your hairdresser has to understand precisely what you want and then do it, and a waitress has multiple tables to keep up with exactly everyone’s order. Your barista mixes up one cup at a time, so do not feel guilty for tipping him or her less. Still, do throw a few coins in the tip jar frequently.
Do not use hot water to make your coffee. Many people think this is the best way to make their coffee hot; the truth is that the only thing this does is diminish its flavor. You should be using water that is not only cold, but charcoal filtered if possible.
Don’t throw away your old coffee grounds. They can serve a wide variety of useful purposes in your home. They can help clean your dishes and get rid of backyard pests. In addition, they can be used as compost in your garden. Finally, they even have some beauty uses! It’s amazing what these old coffee grounds can do.
Avoid using pre-flavored and packaged coffee beans. These beans are sprayed with extra oils that are very difficult to clean out of grinders and coffee machines. That oil stays in the machines and mixes with later batches causing strange-tasting coffee. They also tend to make the coffee smell better than it tastes.
Coffee starts to lose flavor about six hours after it is initially roasted. This is why you should do everything you can to keep your coffee from getting a lot of air. When you store your coffee, use an airtight container so you can keep the quality of each cup at a high level.
When brewing coffee that will end up iced, make it extra-strong. Use up to two tablespoons of ground coffee for every four ounces of water. This ensures that your coffee will not taste diluted or watered-down once you pour it over the ice. Never pour hot coffee into a cold glass, however; allow it to cool first.
If you’re using a model of drip coffee brewer, make sure the water you put into it is cold. Avoid using hot water in this type of machine. The reason for this is that your machine is designed to heat the water during the brewing process. If you brew coffee with hot water, your coffee grounds will get burnt. Your coffee simply won’t taste good.
If you have strong smells on your hands that will not come out, you should try wetting your hands and then scrubbing them with some used coffee grounds. They will absorb any odors on your hands and have them smelling fresh and clean in no time. Make sure that you rinse them well after you are done.
Try a new variety or blend of coffee every week. This can be a great idea for a lot of reasons. You can try new tastes of course, and that helps you avoid getting bored with one flavor, but there is also an opportunity for you to buy a new favorite.
For the perfect cup of coffee, you need the best machine for the job. Keep in mind that a French press produces the strongest flavor, while glass carafes cannot retain the freshness of coffee for very long. If no one else in your home drinks coffee, you may want a brewer that makes a single cup.
You must now see, after reading, that you have a lot more great choices than you may have ever thought of. Are you craving coffee right now? Keep these tips in mind the next time you go shopping for coffee. Start enjoying coffee!
