Perfect Coffee Taste at Home: Tips for Brewing with a Regular Coffee Maker

Coffee, not unlike wine or tea, is a beverage whose subtle flavour is defined not only by the main ingredient itself but also the finer aspects of preparation. Even seemingly minor changes in the process can make a difference and bring you closer to that perfect coffee taste at home. Though Bunn or Braun will gladly sell you one, most Americans don’t operate a full espresso bar or $150 coffee maker in their kitchens; most folks just want good tasting drip coffee from a regular coffee maker.  Here are some tips for brewing at home.

Perfect Coffee Taste at Home: The Coffee Itself

You should always buy whole bean coffee and then grind it yourself at home. The sheer array of whole bean coffees available, even at a standard grocery store, should afford you plenty of choices. However, local coffee shops are usually happy to sell their beans too, especially if they’re roasted on site. Also, don’t freeze coffee. Although it allegedly stays “fresh” longer that way, the freezing and unfreezing can alter the eventual taste. Just as you buy milk and use it relatively quickly, you’ll want to buy coffee beans and use them before they get too stale.

Even though it adds a minute or two on the front end of the preparation, the freshness is worth the brief step of grinding. Once the beans are ground, the air begins to affect them chemically, and some of the magic is lost unless you brew immediately. Small coffee grinders are available for as little as $10 or $15 dollars, a relatively small investment in flavour.

Perfect Coffee Taste at Home: Water

Water quality. Most municipal tap water is riddled with substances for the sake of safety. Even though water is heated during the brewing process, these additives can change the taste of the coffee. And well water, even if you use a softener, is still pretty harsh. Consider using a charcoal water filter that attaches to your kitchen faucet or even using storebought jugs of springwater. I’m not saying you need to brew coffee with expensive bottles of Evian, but in general, bottled water and filtered water result in a better brew.