I want to start making coffee at home...?!
I want to start making coffee at home...?
I've never made coffee before in my life but I want to start making it at home. If someone could give me some basic info on how it works, like the different kinds of coffeemakers (is there one without filters, what is the "drip" coffeemaker) and some general tips, that's be great.
Answers: Get a French Press.
They are small, cost about $10 and will make the best coffee you've have.
No filters + no plastic tubing for your water to travel in.
You will need a separate hearing source eg. hotplate or stove. Don't get suckered by the more expensive brands of coffee makers. After making mediocre coffee with Braun and Krups machines, we went back to our old favorite, Mr. Coffee - $39 at Costco. I've always had better luck with paper filters than the metal baskets. Best way is to buy your beans whole and grind them yourself. Buy a drip coffeemaker and follow the instructions that you will find inside. A Krupps is a great coffee machine. Read the instructions first to find out what kind of filters you need to use. Don't start out with expensive coffees, just try a small can of the store brand. The secret is using the right measurement of coffee and the right amount of COLD water and keeping the machine clean. Buy a 10-12 cup coffee maker.
a can of regular coffee
use one filter at a time.
there should be some directions.
adjust amounts of coffee grounds till you find your preference. There are several type of coffee makers. The most common is the drip coffee makers. With these, they may or may not take filters. The ones that do not have a wire mesh that acts as the filter. Basically you put your ground coffee into the filter (or wire mesh), fill the maker with water, and turn them on. They heat the water, then drip it through the grounds and into the carafe.
If you don't want to make so much, but like strong rich coffee, I like my French press. Basically you put the grounds into the bottom of the carafe, add hot water, and let it sit a few minutes. Then the lid has a plunger device with a wire mesh on it that you push down through the brewed coffee, trapping the grounds at the bottom.
You might be able to find a percolator style maker, add water, the the grounds go into the top. Heat it up (on the stove, or it may have a plug for it's own heater). When the water boils it bubbles over the grounds and brews that way. This is generally considered only slightly better than instant.
If you want to get fancy then you could consider an espresso machine. They heat water and force it through the grounds. It makes really rich coffee (called espresso, obviously) that actually isn't all that high in caffeine since the grounds never get a chance to soak in the water.
For "normal" coffee, you will probably get the best results with a decent drip machine. Make sure you get decent coffee, the quality of the coffee grounds has a huge impact on the quality of the brewed coffee. "Good" coffee tends to start at around $6/pound, cheap coffee is much more affordable and may not be bad, but it's not exactly a pleasure to drink once you've gotten used to the good stuff. The best I've found was roasted locally and sells for about $12/pound.
Edit: Oh yeah, if you're going to grind your own on the cheap, get a round shaped grinder. They give a more even grind over the oval shaped ones. If you're feeling fancy, you can get a really nice grinder with grinding wheels instead of blades for $80-$100. When I first started making coffee, we used an electric percolator ... then they came out with 'drip' coffee makers, and then the fancier 'espresso makers' that can 'steam' the milk or cream for lattes. My husband and I use a 'French press' ...
Get GOOD 'medium roast' BEANS and a 'grinder' and spoon two tablespoons of beans into the grinder and grind them. Open the 'french press' and put the ground cofee into the bottom and then pour 'nearly boiling' water in to the top 'line' and insert the 'press' and put the 'lid' down so it's 'sealed' ... then press downward so the coffee can be 'pressed out' of the grounds and the water turns brown. Using a tablespoon, stir the coffee gently and then put the lid back on so it can be 'poured' through the 'grid' or 'grill' on the side. THAT is the 'best coffee' you can make ... drip makers are good, but they also tend to make the coffee too strong and if you use too much coffee it's 'nasty tasting' ... Once you have 'tasted' your french pressed coffee, you should be able to 'adjust' the amount of coffee you put in so you can get the 'taste' you like best. It's easiest, and it's also really very inexpensive ... the 'press' costs about $15, and the coffee costs between $7-12 a pound. The 'beans' come in 'flavors' and you can have a wonderful time trying them ... we love 'cinnamon hazelnut' when we can find it, but also drink just hazelnut, or occasionally a 'chocolate' or a 'mint' flavor. Buy no more than half a pound of coffee at first, which will last one person for two weeks, and store it in the freezer in a plastic container so it stays fresh ... and put it back before you 'grind' the beans you've taken out, so it doesn't 'thaw' and then re-freeze, if you want to have the 'BEST' tasting coffee. Most coffee makers these days are the steam drip kind, like Mr. Coffee. You can spend a little or a lot on the pot. I wouldn't invest a lot of money at first. Go to a garge sale and pick up one cheap until you decide what you like. To make the coffee, put the filter in the basket, add 1 scoop or tablespoon of coffee per 2 cups on the side of the pot...those marks are for 4 oz. cups, and will likely be too strong. I have a B&B, and get compliments everyday on my coffee. I get the store brand flavored coffees that you grind on their machines. I add two heaping scoops of flavored and two scoops of Folgers coffee for a 12 cup pot. Press the ON button and let it go.
Mellitta makes a coffee press which is different from the American coffee makers. You put the coffee in the bottom, same ratio, pour the boiling water over it, and depress the plunger slowly, squeezing the hot water past the plunger, leaving the grounds in the bottom. Pour the coffee out without removing the plunger until you re ready to empty it and make more or clean it up for the day. You have to have a seperate pot to boil the water in though. Europeans swear by theirs, as does my brother. They can be found in Whole Foods or maybe Bed, Bath and Beyond type stores.
Coffee is easy to make. It's just ground coffee and boiling water. Just don't boil the coffee grounds. There are coffee makers without filters I have one that doesn't use filters. A drip coffee maker makes coffee from the water you put in it and the coffee. I have a programable coffee maker that I set when I want to have coffee. You can either get a maker that uses filters or one that doesn't. It is up to you. I have a Hamiliton Beach maker. What you do is take a small scoop I use a one tbsp scoop and fill it with coffee. To your taste depending on how strong you want your coffee to be. and how many cups you want to make. For a 12 cup pot of coffee I would try using 4 or 5 scoops. Put the coffee in your filter or basket if it doesn't have a filter. Then take your coffee pot and fill it with cold water. I would fill it to the 12 cup mark. Next pour the water where the water should go. Go by the directions in your owner manual. Then turn it on. If you have a programmable maker you will need to set the time. Then you can program the coffee when you want it to come on. Oh yes, not trying to tell you what coffee to use but I use Maxwell House in the round tin. It says ground coffee. All coffee has different flavors and different strengths. And when your coffee is through brewing you can decide on whether to use creamer or not. They have all kinds of flavor for it too. I use Coffee Mate. Not bragging but I have been making coffee for several years. My husband and friends love my coffee. Good luck and happy brewing! and enjoy your Java! i disagree with the first poster as i use a Braun gold filter coffeemaker. i don't waste paper, don't consume whatever it is they use to bleach white filters, don't have to put up with the nasty taste of unbleached filters. i just works for me with my daily drip.
want really good coffee? find yourself a Bodum french press. they sell them at starbucks or better kichenware stores. also invest in a small coffee grinder and grind just before using. use filtered water. buy small batches of good quality coffee. follow these instuctions for quality coffee. if you prefer the kind of coffee you get in a gas station/convenience store, just get a mr coffee, bag of white filters, and a discounted can of folgers. look into getting a french press by Bodum . . . they make the best coffee I've ever had or made. All you do is put the grounds in the bottom, pour really hot water on it and push the plunger down. it's easy and no electricity required for it . . . all you have to do is heat water.