Do you know how to brew a great cup of coffee? Do you understand how to make many different kinds of coffee drinks? How much do you know about where your coffee comes from? If you are interested in learning how to answer these questions, keep reading the following article to find out more.
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.
When you buy whole coffee beans, make sure you do not grind them until just before you are ready to make a fresh pot. The reason is that when coffee is ground, it starts to lose flavor. If you grind your beans early, your coffee will not taste as good.
Put your coffee in the fridge. After you have exposed roasted coffee beans or grinds to fresh air, the flavor can deteriorate quickly. Actually, a large amount of flavor is lost within seven to ten days. Keeping your coffee in the fridge after you have opened the can keeps it fresh longer.
It is a bad idea to let coffee sit on a hot burner after brewing. Keeping the heat on will cause your coffee to “cook,” and will ruin its freshly-brewed flavor. Instead, unplug your coffee-maker or other appliance, or transfer the coffee to an insulated pot to keep it hot.
Always store your coffee beans or grinds in a dark, cool, airtight container. Even better, use a vacuum container. Storing your coffee in such a container helps keep your coffee smelling and tasting fresh for a long time. Store the container in the fridge or freezer to maximize freshness.
Use your used coffee grounds in your compost pile! Coffee grounds offer many beneficial ingredients to a compost pile including pest control. Coffee grounds contain caffeine which helps prohibit the growth of fungus that can quickly destroy your vegetable garden. The next time you brew a fresh pot of joe don’t throw away those grounds; add them to your compost pile!
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.
You can froth milk without a high-powered machine to save time and money. Heat your milk in microwaves to achieve this affect. After heating, set the whisk down into the cup of milk, and then repeatedly and rapidly roll the whisk between your palms to whisk the coffee. Keep going until the milk is foamy. Whole milk and cream will give you the best results.
If you are used to an independent coffee house, then be careful when ordering in Starbucks. They have a very different language for their products, as part of their distinct branding. The Caramel Macchiato you love back home is not going to taste at all the same in a Starbucks while on the road.
Pay attention to the soil the coffee beans were grown in. If you grind your own coffee, beans are important. The soil used to grow the beans you are using can make a huge difference in taste. Do a bit of research if you have particular tastes when it comes to coffee.
If you do not mind spending a few bucks more, you can join a coffee club which will deliver coffee to you at set intervals. There are multiple choices of the types of coffee you can order, either whole bean or your choice of ground coffee. Some of these companies also provide you with a free coffee maker.
Buy new coffee beans every two weeks. Once you open coffee beans, they usually don’t have a set expiration date. You can seal them in airtight containers to keep them fresh longer. You will, however, likely find that the quality of the taste starts to fade a bit after two weeks.
Coffee roasts determine the flavor of your coffee. Try different roasts and blends to find the best taste for you. Dark roasts typically have been roasted for a longer period of time. They usually have a stronger and more bitter taste than the lighter roasts. A blend can give you the perfect combination for the perfect cup.
A brewed pot of coffee needs to be removed from the burner in a coffee maker quickly. Leaving the coffee pot on the burner will ruin the flavor. If you won’t use it all before it cools, put it in a thermos.
If you love the great taste of freshly brewed coffee, stay away from the grocery store. The beans you can grind on the coffee aisle say “fresh,” but have been sitting there for quite some time. Instead, go directly to the roaster’s website. Many places will ship your beans within a day or two of roasting, giving you maximum freshness!
If you enjoy iced coffee, try storing your French press directly in the fridge. This helps the machine chill for several hours before the morning. Use this in combination with cold water and you should have coffee that tastes fresh and sweet.
If you have too much, you can freeze the coffee grinds. These coffee cubes can be added to iced coffee drinks to give a flavor boost as the ice dissolves. They can also be used for cocktails or used to cool especially hot coffee.
A great cup of coffee makes a delicious way to start the day or give yourself a bit of a pick-me-up in the middle of the afternoon. Once you know a bit more about the proper way to brew coffee, you can start to enjoy a truly amazing cup of coffee any time of day.
