Most adults enjoy a good cup of coffee every now and then, but constantly stopping by your local coffee shop can be quite expensive in the long term. Making your own coffee on the other hand, is not quite as easy as it sounds. Even choosing the right type can be difficult for many. The following article will help you determine what type of coffee you are most likely to enjoy.
Consider using Stevia instead of sugar in your coffee if you’re watching your weight or suffer from diabetes. Stevia is completely natural and comes from plants; therefore, it can sweeten your coffee without the added glucose that can impact your weight. Most supermarkets and niche health stores offer Stevia.
Store coffee inside of an airtight container. Prolonged exposure to air will weaken your beans, giving them a stale and weak flavor. Don’t use the square bags that feature one-way valves, as the seal is going to break. These bags should only be used if you plan to brew and drink all the coffee immediately.
If you like a delicate flavor in your coffee, try adding some right to the pot while it’s brewing. A pinch of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla will add flavor to the brew. Flavoring your coffee this way will keep the flavor from being too overwhelming, and you won’t need cream or milk.
Always perform a trial run with any new coffee maker. Run a cycle with just water through the machine. This helps remove foul smells and any dirt or dust that may have collected inside the machine when it was sitting on the shelf in the store.
When you brew your coffee at home, do not throw out the used grounds. These coffee grounds might not be good for another cup of coffee, but they are excellent for many other purposes. They are great for composting, exfoliating, cleaning, and quite a few other uses. Don’t throw them away!
Do not freeze all of your coffee in one large container. This is a good way for your coffee to become spoiled easily. Every time you thaw out coffee, it will have some moisture in it. Refreezing it constantly will kill the quality. Use small storage bags to freeze it in batches.
Rinse off your coffee filter before placing it inside of the coffee maker. The coffee filters may have fibers or plastic on them when you take them out of the plastic packaging. If you leave these items on the filter, they will end up in your coffee when it brews.
Make sure you are patient whenever you are creating lattes. The best lattes are those that are created with due care. Be careful when pouring the milk, and use extreme caution when creating the design. Don’t just rush into it, and if you need some ideas on designs, check out Flickr.
Use your used coffee grounds in your compost pile! Coffee grounds offer many beneficial ingredients to a compost pile including pest control. Coffee grounds contain caffeine which helps prohibit the growth of fungus that can quickly destroy your vegetable garden. The next time you brew a fresh pot of joe don’t throw away those grounds; add them to your compost pile!
Take advantage of any repeat customer program that your local coffee house runs. Even a single-unit independent place might have a punchcard system where you get a free cup of coffee for every five that you buy. Never throw these away, even for places you do not frequent much. They can still add up to free cups of joe over time.
When you are looking for a coffee grinder, do not purchase one that uses blades. Instead, look for one that has cone shaped or grinding burrs to reduce the beans. You will obtain a more consistent cut. Also, the flat blades have a tendency to overheat and can give your coffee a scorched flavor.
You shouldn’t store coffee near an oven. The heat will just destroy your coffee. So make sure you don’t keep your coffee in any cabinets or counter-space that’s too close to your stove.
When you are storing coffee, try not to store it in containers that are made out of glass. While there may seem to be airtight, the reality is that they are not, and a lot of air will be able to reach the coffee. This will negatively affect the taste.
Drinking fair trade coffee will provide an excellent taste while helping out countries that are still developing. While it’s a little more pricey, it tastes better. In addition, you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are helping a small farm in a developing country compete with the big corporations.
Make sure that you are using quality cream and sugar each time you are making coffee. In addition to the coffee being fresh, you will also want the things that you put into that drink to be fresh as well. This will help to improve the overall taste of your coffee each time you drink.
For great coffee at home, it is essential to make sure your coffee maker has been thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis. By running hot water cycles every so often and using a bit of lemon juice routinely to remove deposits, it is possible to have a fresh, tasty pot of coffee every single time.
Make it a habit to only grind enough coffee for your immediate use. When you grind a whole bag of coffee, you are speeding up the flavor shelf life. Those grounds will lose flavor within a couple of days, where the fresh beans would have held out a little longer.
Determining what types of coffee to purchase can be a pretty difficult decision. However, when you use the tips and tricks mentioned in the article above, you are well on your way towards making an informed decision that is sure to result in a wonderful cup of joe time and time again.
