Different Ways to Make Coffee at Home (6 unique ways)
Do you love coffee? Has coffee flavor become an obsession? Many coffee drinkers won’t settle for substandard coffee. How do you control it? You can make your own brew at home, using drip, pressurized, or immersion methods.
Drip, Drip, Drip, Drink!
Automatic Drip Coffeemaker
In many homes across the world, the automatic drip coffeemaker has replaced the old-time stovetop percolator and its electric successor. It’s the easiest and most convenient method to brew. An automatic drip coffeemaker can make enough cups for a family or a small dinner party, and some versions, including the popular K-cup and pod methods, can make one cup for one eager coffee drinker. Coffeemaker features often include setting the time of brew, keeping coffee warm, and modifying brew strength.
With medium to fine coffee grounds at the right amount in a quality coffeemaker and a good unbleached coffee filter, the taste will satisfy many everyday coffee fans who aren’t overly fussy about their brew.
2. Coffee Cone and Chemex
While electric automatic coffeemakers are drip methods, the coffee and Chemex methods are considered pour over drip methods. The coffee cone method involves placing ground in a paper filter that sits inside a cone made of glass or other materials. The materials and cone shapes vary by brand and affect the brewed flavor. The cone is placed in a coffee pot, generally made of glass, and the maker pours hot water over the grounds, carefully and evenly. Water in, coffee out. It’s simple and efficient.
Chemex refers to a specifically designed pour over drip method of brewing. The Chemex glass flask, sometimes described as resembling a vase, requires a special, heavier filter than the standard type. Once the grounds sit inside the filter that rests in the cone, pouring commences, followed by drips of deliciousness. The Chemex can produce more cups than the coffee cone, generally, while both methods allow for more control over the brew.
The pour over drip methods take medium-fine to medium-coarse grounds. The taste can be described as truer to the coffee, letting more flavor through with smooth, clean, and with sweet notes.
Under Pressure, Over the Top Flavor
3. Espresso Machine
Espresso machines can be daunting and expensive, yet some coffee drinkers won’t settle for anything less than the bold, sharp flavor of an espresso shot. The machine pressurizes added water, pushes it through a chamber of ground coffee beans and a filter to deliver the final punch for your taste buds. Espresso can be consumed straight up, made into an Americano by adding water, or complimented by frothing with milk.
Espresso makers use finely ground coffee beans to create an intense flavor bomb and it’s highly-caffeinated effects. No other type of coffee method produces the strong, concentrated coffee flavor of an espresso.
4. Aeropress
Can you take your coffee method with you? If you have an Aeropress, the answer could be “yes”. The Aeropress is compact, including a brew chamber, filter, and plunger. A funnel is helpful for pouring coffee grounds into the chamber. After a few minutes of steeping, putting pressure on the plunger forces the brewed coffee through the filter and into the cup of your choice. It’s great for use in a hotel room while traveling for business or pleasure. Hopefully, you’re traveling for a beach vacation!
The Aeropress performs well with fine-medium coffee grounds. The coffee shares a taste profile with espresso, but isn’t as strong and mighty. The coffee tastes sweet and bold.
Immersed in the Process
5. French Press
The most popular method of immersion brewing, the French press, simplifies coffee brewing to an art form, yet it requires a specific coarse grind done best in your own coffee grinder at home. French press offers another method that can travel with you on a trip, or to a friends’ houses, in case they don’t serve coffee. Maybe they aren’t such good friends if they don’t serve coffee! You begin by adding boiling water to the coffee pot for your press with the coffee grounds, about two tablespoons of aromatic goodness. Steep the brew for a few minutes, then use the plunger, making sure it goes all the way down. Pour the brew into your cup and enjoy. Adding more coffee and steamed milk turns the coffee into a café au lait, if you prefer it served this way, or if you like to use French words.
Remember to use a coarse grind. You’ll likely find a French press grind setting on your grinder. Coffee made in a French press comes out strong and rich, but you can adjust the amount of grounds or water to suit your needs. Long steeping times add caffeine and flavor, which you can alter in the amount of coffee grounds.
6. Cold Brew
In recent times, cold brew coffees have quenched the thirst of aficionados on many a hot, or not so hot, day. Cold brew made at home is often steeped in a jar for up to 24 hours to develop the right flavor. It can also be made through an immersion and drip method, but we’ll leave that to the pros. Pick up some mason jars and ground coffee and you’re ready to go.
Cold brew methods use a coarse grind of coffee. The resulting brew tastes strong and smooth and lacks the bitterness that coffee can have. No additives needed.
Hot and Cold, Smooth and Bold
Coffee tasters often turn into coffee makers. With all the possible methods to make coffee, every individual can find one that makes the flavor and intensity level desired. More methods exist than are mentioned here. If you like perfect coffee that much, you can try every method out there. That might indicate a true obsession but, hey, it’s coffee! Start simple, find your favorite way to make the best tasting coffee for you, and enjoy many happy coffee brewing days ahead!