When is the last time you had a cup of joe? Did you make it yourself or buy it from a restaurant or cafe? What’s the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had? It’s time to enjoy that fresh taste in the morning again. Consider the following helpful tips regarding your options with coffee.
If you tend to drink a lot of coffee, you should invest in a quality coffee machine and make your own coffee at home. Go to a coffee shop only occasionally, for instance on weekends or when you go out with some friends. This should help you save a lot.
Here is a great trick to try if you use softened or distilled water to brew your coffee. Just add a small pinch of salt to the pot after brewing. This may sound crazy, but the salt will add a lot of extra flavor to the coffee! Believe it or not!
Keep your automatic coffee maker clean with white vinegar. Run a brewing cycle with one part water to one part white vinegar. After allowing the carafe to soak in the vinegar for a while, run a cycle with plain water to rinse the machine. Clean your coffee maker once every week or two to remove rancid coffee oils, mold and other contaminants.
There are many health benefits that have been discovered from drinking coffee. Feel free to indulge in your morning cup without fear. You may want to switch to decaf if the caffeine in the coffee effects other medications you are taking. Reduce or eliminate creamer and sugar to maximize these benefits.
Do not reheat coffee if you desire to have it again. A better idea is to buy an insulating mug. This traps the heat inside the mug, which means the coffee will stay hot for much longer than normal. If that’s not possible, you can brew another pot for better taste.
To ensure that your coffee stays fresh as long as possible, avoid grinding all your beans at once. Once ground, heat and humidity will rob your coffee of the fragrant oils that provide much of its flavor. Instead, only grind the amount of coffee you will use for a day or two. Doing so will help you maximize the flavor of your beans.
Instead of drinking fruit drinks or sodas when you are preparing for your finals at school, try drinking a few cups of coffee. This will give you the amount of energy that you need to function well without the sugar, and is a great option to have for fall or winter nights when you are studying.
If you notice that you are buying the same type of coffee, try buying in bulk. This will help to maximize your investment, especially if you stick with a particular brand. Check online to see if you can buy a large bag or bucket of coffee beans, which will help reduce your expenses during the year.
Make sure that you refrain from combining coffee beans from different brands. Not only will the flavor be different, but you will also be combining two sets of coffees that have different expiration dates and levels of freshness. Stick with the same brand and the same bag of coffee beans each time.
If you like the taste of coffee, but you avoid it due to it giving you the jitters, you should switch to a brand of coffee that does not contain caffeine. You will be able to drink as much coffee as you want without worrying about getting a huge caffeine rush.
If you are among the people who enjoy iced coffee, there is a way to keep your brew from becoming diluted. Make a pot, allow it to cool. Then, pour it into ice cube trays. Use the frozen coffee to ice your fresh coffee. You will avoid the weak flavor that sometimes accompanies the end of a cup of iced coffee.
Do you want your coffee to taste sweet but you do not want to put sugar in it? Try adding some warm milk to your coffee. Using warm milk eliminates the need for heavy cream and imparts a subtle, naturally sweet flavor. It is also better for you than using sugar and creamer.
If you are tired of inferior cups of coffee from grocery store bought grounds, then it is time to do something about it. It is probably not very fresh due to slow sales. So instead of purchasing in a grocery store, try purchasing in a coffee shop.
Try not to drink coffee after 3 pm. While coffee may taste good, the caffeine in it can be quite a nuisance. It’s best that you don’t drink caffeinated coffee past 4 p.m., so that it doesn’t disrupt your normal sleep.
The size of your coffee grounds has a lot to do with the way your coffee tastes. A finer coffee grind will mean that more surface area of the bean is exposed to water while a coarser grind will mean less. No matter which grind you prefer, an even grind particle size is very important for a great cup of coffee.
If you grind your own coffee, bean storage is critical. You can use an airtight container for shorter term storage. For longer storage, like if you have bought in bulk, put in an airtight container and freeze. Keeping air away from your beans will keep them fresh and help preserve the flavor.
Try pre-wetting coffee filters. This helps heat glass and ceramic brewers, along with rinsing away extra flavors that dry paper filters may transfer into your cup. Start by opening up the filter, then placing it in your cone brewer with a pitcher or coffee mug underneath. Finish by pouring some near-boiling water through it in order to wet all of the sides.
Take the time out of your day to enjoy that refreshing cup of coffee in the morning. It is a pick me up that you don’t want to miss. So many flavors, so many choices, and you are free to explore your options. Next time you’re in the store, make out like a kid at a candy shop.
