Get the best results from your premium roasted coffee beans

The art of coffee is a beautiful thing. It's the perfect blend of science and art, and it's a form of expression that allows you to show off your skills. But it can be intimidating, too. When you're standing in front of the coffee grinder, trying to figure out how much coffee to put in, it can feel like there's no right answer.

The good news is that making great coffee doesn't have to be hard. With a few simple tips, you'll be on your way to becoming a coffee master in no time.

1. Grind it yourself

Stop buying pre-ground coffee if you want the best cup of coffee. Grinding your beans at home will ensure you get the most out of your brew. You can use a standard blade grinder or an electric burr grinder. Regardless of which type you choose, make sure it's not overloaded with beans, and make sure the grind size is right. A medium grind is best for drip coffee.

Bonus points if you invest in a burr grinder, because they produce a more consistent particle size compared to blade grinders. Burr grinders create a more even grind, which is important for creating a tastier cup of coffee. For best results, choose a burr grinder with a conical shape. See our Burr Grinders here

Using pre-ground beans is convenient, but will result in an inferior cup, because the oils in them have had time to oxidize before brewing begins -- so they won't taste as flavorful as freshly ground whole beans.

2. Use filtered water

In terms of the water you use, there are three main factors that affect the quality of your brew: chlorine/fluoride, hardness, and pH levels. You can remove chlorine and fluoride from tap water by using a carbon filter or reverse osmosis system. Chlorine, in particular, degrades the taste of a cup of coffee.

Hardness refers to dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals give your coffee a bitter taste if they're not balanced properly with other ingredients like acidity or alkalinity (i.e., pH). The minerals in hard water can also make your cup of coffee look cloudy. The minerals in the water affect the taste of coffee because they attach to the oils in your coffee grounds and change how they interact during brewing. However, it's important to strike a balance. Soft water, which contains few minerals, can taste flat. So it's best to use water somewhere in between.

One way to improve the taste of the coffee you brew at home is to use a countertop water filter that removes chlorine and impurities, like heavy metals, which degrade the quality of your coffee and aren't good for your health.

3. Store your coffee well

The next step is to store your coffee in a place that protects it from air and light. This means storing it in an airtight container away from sunlight and keeping it in a cool, dry place. If you have the space, keep your coffee away from the oven or anywhere else where heat sources are.

If you don't have room for this type of storage, consider purchasing a small drawer or cabinet for storing your coffee supplies (as well as anything else you may need). Avoid storing them near windows; this could expose them to harmful light and potentially lead them to become stale faster.

4. Measure carefully

The first step is to measure out the coffee. Please use a scale rather than a spoon, measuring cup, etc. Scooping is not consistent and weight varies greatly on different roasts and beans. This one seems obvious, but it's easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about the basics when trying to make great coffee. We find the following is the best scale for the price and all has a brew timer. Hario scale

Measure your water carefully, so that there isn't too much or too little in the cup when you pour it into the filter basket. If there is too much water, your coffee will taste weak; if there's too little water, it will taste bitter (not fun!). Also measure your ground coffee carefully, so that you don't over- or under-do things. This will ensure your brew tastes just right every time.

The most important thing to remember when making coffee is that it's all about the ratios. The water/coffee (ml/g) ratio should be about 16:1 which is about 2:1 in imperial units (cups/oz). For example, if you want to make 6cups of coffee (1400ml), use 3oz (88g) of coffee grounds. This will give you a proper cup of coffee. If the flavor appears way off, you likely need to adjust your grind size. If it's close, however maybe a bit strong you can reduce your grind weight slightly. If you don't measure properly and put too much or too little in, your brew will end up either too weak (sour) or too strong (bitter) for your taste.

5. Clean your coffee machine

Cleaning out the coffee machine can have a profound impact on the quality of the coffee you brew, the smell of your home, as well as the strength of the coffee you drink. The first step is to remove the coffee grounds from the filter. Then use a paper towel and rub the sides of the filter, which will loosen the grounds. Don't leave your grounds sit in basket overnight and then simply rinse with water, you need to remove the residual oils.

On occasion, add a little vinegar and water to clean the machine. Some people even add full-strength vinegar to the reservoir of the coffee maker. Let it stand for 20 minutes, and run the vinegar through a brewing cycle. Then repeat several times with water to eliminate the remaining vestiges of vinegar. By regularly cleaning your coffee machine, you'll notice a big improvement in the quality of the coffee you brew.

Try something different

If you're drinking a single-origin coffee, try something from a nearby region our country. Do you normally drink espresso? How about trying pour-over or cold brew? Do you go for a medium roast? What about a light roast?

Explore the world of beans and roasts. The type of bean (and specifically its origin) will vary in taste and body, so it's important to explore this range before settling on a favorite kind. Roasts can also affect how acidic or bitter your cup is -- and they can make even the same beans taste completely different, depending on how long they were roasted. Also, explore the world of cold coffee, many hot coffee drinkers rarely enjoy it iced.

Conclusion

We hope you're now more excited about making the perfect cup of coffee! These tips might seem like small things that can be overlooked, but they make a difference. With those five steps in mind, you can brew up the best cup of your life. Good luck!