4 Mistakes To Avoid When Making Coffee At Home

The wrong coffee maker, the wrong ratio of coffee to water, letting it sit too long before drinking, and not having a proper grinder are all crucial mistakes that happen when you're trying to make coffee at home. These common goofs will leave your morning cup tasting off or stale. You can avoid these four mistakes by getting them right the first time.

1. The Wrong Coffee Maker

If you're using a standard coffee machine, there's a good chance it isn't delivering the optimal flavor or temperature of your morning cup. Traditional coffee makers work by sending hot water through the ground coffee and letting it drip out into your mug. But since water must travel through the grounds to get to your cup, this process can leave behind some stale flavors and unwanted oils that don't end up in your cup. A more advanced alternative is a pour-over machine. It works like traditional coffee makers but has no reservoir where water sits and gets stale: instead, you use a carafe with fresh, cold filtered H2O and control the flow of liquid over time with a precisely adjustable valve at the base of the carafe. Another popular option for coffee lovers is a Prosumer espresso machine. It offers the convenience of a home espresso machine with features that compare favorably to professional units. With settings that let you adjust temperature and pressure, exact grind size control, and other customizations, these machines can help you create cafe-style espresso drinks at home.

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2. The Wrong Ratio Of Coffee To Water

Water makes up the bulk of every cup of coffee, so using too little can lead to a weak and watery drink, whereas pouring too much can make it bitter and unpalatable. Pour-over machines typically require less coffee because their drip mechanism delivers more flavor and extracts more caffeine than traditional coffee makers: Aim for 1 tablespoon (5-6g) of finely ground coffee per cup of cold filtered H20. And if you're making a pour-over pot, the general rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons (12-14 g) for every 32 ounces (1 liter) of water.

3. Letting It Sit Too Long Before Drinking

It can be tempting to let your first cup sit while you finish getting ready for work or eat a quick breakfast, but coffee tends to become bitter and lose its flavor as it sits on a hot plate, since some 60% of its organic acids will seep into the H2O after about 15 minutes. Instead, make enough for one serving at a time and immediately transfer any leftovers from the cup to a thermos, which will retain the coffee's flavor and warm temperatures for up to two hours.

4. Not Having A Grinder

Using pre-ground beans can lead to a weaker cup of coffee than you'd get if you ground your own just before brewing: Coffee releases its most essential oils within 15 minutes of being ground. If that's not enough time to finish your morning cup, invest in a small conical burr grinder, so you can grind beans as you need them and ensure one fresh cup after another. Using whole beans is also more economical over the long run since pre-ground coffee tends to lose its aroma and flavor exponentially with exposure to air and light — which makes it far less satisfying than freshly ground beans. Coffee can be beneficial for you, and the way you make it is also very important.

By avoiding these four mistakes when making coffee at home, you'll be able to enjoy a fresh and flavorful cup in the morning with little effort. Use filtered H20, opt for pour-over brewers, keep your coffee fresh by transferring leftovers to an insulated carafe or urn after brewing, and grind your beans right before you brew them for the fullest flavor.