“Tasty” is a relative term, but it is universally acknowledged that fresh coffee tastes the best. The entire Starbucks coffee chain store type industry is based on the premise of fresh coffee based beverages.
That rules out all kinds of instant coffees. One would think that this difference would be plain obvious to people in a fresh tea drinking country like India but it’s inexplicably ignored. So if you prefer freshly brewed tea over instant tea powders, then chances are that you will also find fresh coffee to be the tastiest.
Now how does one go about making fresh, tasty coffee at home ? Start with buying freshly roasted coffee beans (ideally the roast date should be within a month or two at best).
There are many simple methods to brew coffee at home - like the French Press:
Image:The Chambord French press by Bodum
or the stove top Moka Pot:
Image: The Moka Pot Express by Bialetti
or a Pour Over kit:
Image: The V60 pour over kit by Hario
Get hold of any one which seems convenient and locally available you to you. Just keep one thing in mind - buy a good quality, globally acclaimed unit from original equioment manufacturer even if it appears to cost more than local options to you. There is a very good reason why these companies and products have existed for decades. Cheap, poor quality copies of it will likely end up as substandard results in your brewed cup.
To prepare fresh coffee, use a chutney maker (or masala grinder) attachment from your kitchen mixer to grind a small amount of coffee. You can move up to a coffee grinder as your coffee tastes evolve.
Tasty coffee is all about correct coffee grounds to water ratios and brew water temperatures. Use a weighing scale if available. Handy tip: a tablespoon will hold about 10–12gm of coffee beans, use that as a measure. we are looking at targeting a ratio of about 1:15 per cup, regardless of brewing method. Ideal brewing water temperature is between 92 to 96 deg C. So boil water and wait a couple of minutes before using it for your brew.
To find out the best options to buy great quality coffee brewing gear check out our Brewing Gear Recommendation page.
We’ll leave you with some YouTube video guides to prepare French Press, Moka Pot, and Pour Over coffee from our favourite coffee expert James Hoffmann.
Choose any method, optionally add milk, sugar etc to taste and enjoy delicious freshly brewed coffee at home!