Coffee 101: Brewing Coffee at Home

Does a day ever start without a cup of coffee? The answer to that question is no. There are a lot of ways on properly starting our day pre-pandemic. There are drive-thrus or you can just make a quick stop at the nearest coffee shop from your work. Although nowadays, a lot less people are required to report to their offices daily and less people are actually going out of their homes due to the pandemic. However, not everyone has enough knowledge about coffee to make a good enough coffee and most of the time, 3-in-1 coffees just do not cut it. So, another question that pops out of this topic is, how do we make our coffees at home? Here are some of the frequently asked questions on brewing coffee at home.

Benefits of brewed coffee
Generally, coffee is one of the most well-known beverages all over the world and boasts a lot of health benefits to its consumers. Not only does it help you boost your energy and metabolism, but it also lowers the risk of several health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Best coffee beans to buy
This depends on the drinker’s preference. Some might like it neutral or strong, raw or nutty, etc. You might want to do your own research on this, but there are 2 primary and mostly used coffee bean by coffee enthusiasts and even coffee shops – Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica beans are delicate. It requires cool tropical climates, lots of moisture, rich soil, shade and sun. Arabicas have a wider range of taste. They can range from sweet and soft, and sharp and tangy. Their unroasted smell is mostly compared to blueberries. Their roasted smell is fragrant with fruit and sugary tones.
Robusta beans are harder plants with the capability of growing properly at low altitudes and less likely to be attacked by pests. Robusta’s range of taste goes from neutral to harsh and are often described as tasting grain-like, oatmeally. Their unroasted smell is often described as raw and peanutty. Their roasted smell is often likened to burnt rubber.

Coffee bean roasting
A coffee bean starts as a dense, hard, green seed. During the roasting process, it loses moisture and density at the same time as its natural sugars are caramelizing. Heating the coffee seed changes its color and chemical composition, ultimately dehydrating it to a point that it can be easily dissolved for coffee brewing. It is easier to over-extract darker-roast coffees. Lighter roast coffees, which are less dehydrated than darker roasted coffees, might need a little more work for extraction.

Storing coffee
Coffee beans should be kept inside an air-tight container since air and moisture are coffee’s major enemies. Preferably an air-tight glass container so it will not retain the smell of the bean and its oils, which could possibly contaminate the beans that will be stored in the container. Also make sure to avoid direct access to sunlight as it has been said to lessen the bean’s freshness.
You might or might not know this, but coffee beans can be stored inside a freezer to retain its freshness. Although, it is still better to store your coffee beans in room temperature and it is always best to use whole beans instead of grinded, if it is going to be stored for a long period of time.

Grinding coffee beans
For convenience, some of us pregrind their beans at the store, but that has been proven to be a sure way for your coffee to be stale. You do not need to have expensive machines to grind your coffee beans, but you can start with the classic way of doing it – with mortar and pestle.

Importance of grind size
Grind size matter because it will greatly impact the flavor of your cup. When you combine it with other variables such as the amount of water, water temperature, the water-to-coffee ratio, length of brewing, etc., it will affect the amount of the dissolved solids from the beans you get in a cup of coffee. Best example would be if you have used a finely grinded beans in a French Press and brewed it for at least 4 minutes, it's going to be too bitter.

Best way of brewing coffee at home
The best way of brewing coffee at home is subjective. The coffee experience is a personal experience. It solely depends on someone’s personal preference and each one of us have different taste buds, flavor receptors, and other familial preferences that is based on their past experiences that they might look for in a cup of coffee.
Instead of the best way of brewing your coffee, here are the most frequently used ways of brewing coffee at home. First method is the Drip Pot method. This is a method that automatically heats and distributes hot water over the ground coffee and is normally made in small batches. Second method is the Manual Brew Method such as using an Aeropress or a French Press, in which you can control nearly all variables that impact the coffee flavor, such as grind-size, coffee to water ratio, etc. Last method is the use of a Keurig or pod brewing which is the most used process out of all the ways stated because of the convenience it offers. Put the pod in the machine, press a button, then wait for a few minutes and you have yourself a cup of coffee.

Best water temperature for brewed coffee
The preferred water temperature for brewed coffee is 95°C to 98°C. Colder water does not extract enough caffeine or the essential oils from the beans, and hot water that exceeds the preferred temperature the increases the acidity wildly.

Make your coffee less bitter
There are a lot of variables, most of which are those you cannot control such as ambiance. But there are variables that can be controlled such as grind-size, water to coffee ratio, water temperature, water quality, brewing method, water delivery method, whether you stir during the brewing process or not, coffee roast level, grind-size consistency, and brew time. To help lessen the bitterness of your coffee, start with checking your water temperature and grind-size first. If your coffee is too finely ground, it can create a bitter cup. Also, water that is too hot will over-extract the coffee, leaving it bitter. Water should not be boiling. Your water temperature should be between 95°C to 98°C.

In conclusion, there are a lot of things to be considered in brewing a cup of coffee. If you are looking for a specific taste in your cup of coffee, you can try experimenting with different beans, grind-size, brewing time, etc. At the end of the day, coffee is still coffee and possibly could be the best beverage ever.
There is never a bad time for coffee. Order a cup of coffee now! Satisfy your coffee cravings at https://shop.coffeeproject.com.ph. Start you brewed coffee journey now and buy coffee beans at https://shop.coffeeproject.com.ph/collections/beans-menu. The Coffee Project branches are also open from 8:00 AM up to 7:00 PM (store hours may vary per store) available for takeout and deliveries so you can bring the Coffee Project experience to your homes. You can also send us a message through our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/coffeeprojectofficial, or give us a call at the following numbers: 09666290203, 09666336662, or 09175353315. You can also find us on our delivery channels such as GrabFood, Foodpanda, Mangan, Pandalivery, Lalamove, Pickaroo, Ride Eat, 188 Express, Joyride, HappyMove, Papa PH, Food Trip, KartHero, Gapan Grabb, and Pabili Express Gapan!

Join our community group at Viber - COFFEE PROJECT MARKETPLACE – just click the link provided: https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBolwavNdj3LktLw7EF9I3OG%2F%2FHYlb2iurTnluWccA54grAUcmW3PbxZkxZbLG6 on Viber