Dreaming of making tasty barista-style coffee in the comforts of your home? Start by investing in better coffee equipment and brewing gear for your ‘work from home’ setups. Pick your favourite beans, learn basic techniques and in no time at all you will master a perfect cup – saving time time and money in the long run!
There are so many benefits to working from home – for instance, the stress of the daily commute is eliminated, and you don’t have to make random small talk with your work colleagues. Arguably, one of the best perks is the unlimited access to your own kitchen, at all hours of the working day. There is one thing I used to miss though, and that’s coffee drinks from speciality coffee shops. In fact, I would argue that it was the highlight of my office day! That’s until I learnt how to brew a perfect cup of coffee.
In this helpful guide you will find 5 essential steps to create that all-important barista coffee at home.
Things you will need:
- Good quality coffee beans
- Coffee grinder
- Your coffee brewing method of choice
- Paper filters
- Gooseneck kettle
- Filtered water
- Milk and frother (optional)
Step one: Pick the right beans
The coffee beans you choose are essential and you may want to do some research into the right type for you. The versatility of coffee beans is immense, and their flavours differ depending on the type of coffee plant, in which origin country and farm they are harvested, how they are processed, and finally on the roasting profile. Beans roasted medium-light retain more of their origin flavors and unique elements, reflecting the natural qualities of the coffee.
The first and most important step is to buy beans from a good coffee roaster. The best quality coffee beans are, of course, 100% Arabica. Sometimes, you can also find the coffee grading score written on the bag: only coffees scoring 80 points or above get the “specialty coffee” badge of honour! Don’t forget to check the roasting date before you buy – you don’t want anything older than 1-2 months.
Step two: Select your drink of choice
This is perhaps the easiest step – all you have to do is acquire the right ingredients for your favourite go-to drink. If it’s a flat white then you will need a double shot of espresso, if it’s a cortado you will need less milk. However, if it is a mocha for example, then you will need chocolate powder. You can browse online through all the different types of coffee recipes.
Step three: Grind your beans
There are two ways to grind your coffee beans – you can grind them manually with a mortar and pestle or use a blender. If you do not have either of these appliances, then another way is to crush them using a rolling pin on a chopping board.
However, we much prefer the easier option which is to invest in a coffee making machine – this automatically grinds and filters the beans for you – resulting in an extremely velvety espresso.
Step four: Brew your coffee
The water you use to brew your coffee is incredibly important, as tap water can ruin the natural flavour of the beans. This is why we recommend mixing your coffee grounds with a small amount of filtered water – before adding the rest of the boiling water. This step is called ‘coffee bloom’. If you are getting your espresso shot from a coffee machine, then you will not have to worry about this part of the process.
Brewing is a vital step to barista-style coffee making – your 1-cup filter coffee is brewed for around 4 minutes (from the start of the first pour) to capture the aromatic flavours of the coffee beans. To enhance these flavours, you should use a coffee paper filter (I prefer bleached white filters). All you have to do is pour hot water over coffee grinds, which sit in a filter over your dripper. The coffee will then drip out of the bottom of your filter and brew nicely. Tip: lightly rinse the paper filter with hot water before you pour the ground coffee in it, to avoid tasting papery notes in your cup.
Step five: Add milk
If you are making a filter or an espresso, then your job is done, and you can now enjoy your rich-tasting coffee. However, if you are creating a milk-based coffee recipe then you should add the amount of milk your recipe recommends. To create the luxury of a barista coffee, we highly recommend using a frothing device (like the steam wand in the Sage Bambino Plus espresso machine) to froth the milk before pouring it into your espresso base. This will add a creamy depth to your creation.
Et voilá! You have the perfect barista-style coffee made in the comfort of your very own home. We hope these tips give you the key to better coffee, you may even find that your saving so much more money when making your coffee from home.
