6 Ways To Brew Your Coffee At Home

Brewing coffee at home both produces quality coffee and provides creative and enjoyable coffee-making experiences. One can utilize many ways to produce coffee products manually based on personal tastes and preferences.

For over centuries, coffee has been part of the daily lives of people, from students to working adults and even for seniors. Exploring methods of producing cups of coffee in your own home can be more fun and fascinating. Making it hands-on for a loved one or significant other also appears to be very thoughtful and can serve as a simple way to express affection.

Pour Over Method

Most common types of Pour Over method in brewing coffee include Coffee Cones and Chemex.

Coffee Cone

Mostly made of plastic, glass or stainless steel, coffee cones have been one of the fastest and cheapest methods to brew coffee at home. Hot water is poured to the coffee grounds with the use of paper filters. After some time, the homemade brewed coffee will drip slowly and directly into the cup.

Most coffee beans used for coffee cones are medium-fine coarse beans. One serving may require up to 3 tablespoons of coffee.  It is highly recommended to rinse the filter first with hot water before use to make the best coffee out of cones. After the cone is filled with ground coffee, pour about 10% of total water volume across the coffee and time it to 30-45 seconds. Continue pouring water in a slow, circular, in-and-out motion up to one minute and 30 seconds. Brew your coffee for a maximum of three minutes.

Chemex

Chemex is another Pour Over method to make coffee at home that also uses a paper filter but is 20-30% heavier than the other filters. Similar to the coffee cone, hot water is also poured to the coffee grounds with the said filter and brewed coffee will drip directly into the cup after brewing for the maximum of 4 minutes.

Chemex uses medium-coarse coffee beans and requires 6 tablespoons of coffee. Because of a thicker filter paper, the advantage of this brewing method is that the output will depend less on the skill of the user but more on the parameters used.

Use of Plunger

Another category of brewing coffee at home is the use of a plunger. Most common types are French Press and AeroPress.

French Press

The French Press consists of a carafe and a metal mesh filter that is attached to a tall stem. In French Press, ground coffee is soaked to hot water and then pressed to the bottom of the carafe by the mesh filter.  This brewing method can provide flavorful coffee because essential oil content and caffeine are well diffused and preserved during the process.

Most coffee beans used in French Press are coarse. The quantity of ground coffee needed per serving is 2-2.5 tablespoons per cup. It can accommodate up to a total of 8 cups per brewing. Moreover, to brew your coffee fully, wait for up to 4 minutes.

AeroPress

AeroPress appears to be a piston-style brewer that pushes the coffee through a thin filter towards the cup. It can brew coffee for one cup at a time. To use it, the AeroPress is placed on top of a cup, filling it with water and coffee. After this, the cylindrical-shaped plunger is positioned on top and used to press the coffee and water down towards the cup below.

Coffee beans used in AeroPress is mostly fine-medium beans. Amount of ground coffee to be placed per serving is 2.5 tablespoon. Brew coffee at home for 1-2 minutes using this type of method.

Method of Percolation

Stovetop Moka Pot

Percolation takes place when a liquid passes slowly through a filter. The mechanism behind Stovetop Moka Pot is that steam pressure from boiled water in the bottom part of the pot is used to pass through coffee grounds in the intermediate chamber of the container. The brewed coffee product stays at the higher chamber.

The grind of beans used in Stovetop Moka Pot is fine medium coarse. It uses 2.5-3 tablespoons of coffee per serving. It takes a total of 5 minutes to brew coffee at home.

Use of Vacuum

Siphon

Use of siphon to brew your coffee is extra creative. Siphon uses vapor pressure to force hot water up as coffee grounds are added to the upper chamber to immerse the coffee. After the removal of heat, gravity allows the brewed coffee to flow towards the bottom chamber through the filter.

A total of 6 tablespoons of coffee is used per serving with this brewing method. Most coffee beans used are medium coarse. To make the best coffee at home, brew it for a total of 6 minutes.

Important Points To Remember

Aside from the methods of brewing coffee, there are other important points to remember to make the most flavorful coffee at home.

Coffee Beans

One must keep in mind about the coffee beans roast date; purchase beans that will only be consumed for the week. Beans must also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Scale

In every coffee you make, keep in mind the amount of coffee and volume of water used. Be knowledgeable in both weight and volume scales.

Temperature

The temperature of water for brewing coffee is critical. The recommended range is from 90.5-96 degrees Celsius. The higher the temperature, the better the coffee extraction. On the other note, this may still vary depending on one's preferences.

Time

The time to completely brew the coffee is significant to achieve the desired flavor. Make sure to record each time you brew your coffee to maintain its optimum taste and aroma.

Wrapping-Up

A cup of coffee made hands-on can help refresh one’s feelings and thoughts. Keep in mind the brewing method, quality of beans, scale, temperature, and time of brewing to make the best coffee. Utilize available resources to brew coffee at home and share it with family and friends.  

References

https://treescoffee.com/blog/2016/04/6-popular-methods-for-brewing-coffee-at-home/

https://handground.com/grind/ultimate-brew-down-aeropress-vs-french-press

https://prima-coffee.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-pour-over-coffee-brewing

https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/05/brew-coffee-home-beginners-guide/

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/03/12-ways-to-brew-coffee-at-home.html