Why Your Drip Coffee Is Never Café-Quality
Fans of drip coffee often make the assumption that a simple home coffeemaker can’t possibly produce café-quality results. In many instances, this is true - the cheapest and nastiest devices on the market loaded with all manner of questionable plastics don’t tend to make for inspiring results.
Nevertheless, step up to a good drip coffee maker, such as the Moccamaster, and there’s nothing to stop you creating café-quality results at home, every time. That is, just as long as you avoid the mistakes outlined below - each of which is guaranteed to compromise the quality of your DIY drip coffee:
1) Failing To Log Your Brew
First things first, it is essential to acknowledge the fact that quality coffee is a product of consistency. Coffee is more like baking than cooking - it’s a fine art where grinding coarseness, ratio coffee/water, temperature and timing are everything. Hence, just as would be the case with your favorite cake or bread recipe, you also need to come up with a pinpoint precise coffee recipe you love.
This can be done by logging your brew and keeping track of what works for you and what doesn’t. Write down what you use, how much of it you use and so on - you’ll soon be knocking on the door of perfection.
2) Using a Low-End Electric Coffee Grinder
The biggest issue with cheap electric coffee grinders is their distinct lack of consistency. A push of a button and you end up with a mishmash of fragments of all different shapes and sizes. Something that is not conducive with consistently good coffee and is guaranteed to affect the final result.
Just because you are using a relatively simple drip coffee maker does not mean you cannot and will not benefit from a high-quality burr grinder, like the Comandante. You will…and you definitely won’t regret investing in one.
3) Not Keeping the Filter Clean
Even if you are using paper filters, the ‘nest’ they sit in still needs to be rinsed before every use and properly cleaned on a regular basis. Otherwise, all manner of grease and grime will accumulate faster than you’d imagine and compromise the quality of your coffee.
Rinsing regularly is far easier than tackling an accumulated build-up after several weeks or months, so it is a habit worth getting into.
4) Choosing the Wrong Roast Level For Your Brewing Method
Last up, roast level is purely a case of personal preference - some like their coffee intense, others prefer it light and refreshing. Nevertheless, it is generally recommended (though by no means mandatory) to go for medium roast with drip coffee.
If lighter roasts are your thing, you’ll probably come up with better results using a French press. If you like things on the darker side, you could try the pour over method or invest in a decent espresso coffee maker. It’s not to say you can’t make great drip coffee with different types of roasts, but medium roast coffee is generally the more consistent option.
At Hayman’s online store you can find legendary coffees, including Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, the best Kona coffee Hawaii, and Panama Geisha coffee beans (also called Gesha coffee), which are all excellent as drip coffee! Last but not least, we offer free worldwide shipping – click here to order today!
