Brewing coffee
How to make great coffee at home
You can make great coffee at home with your freshly roasted beans. You don’t need any fancy equipment. A great way to make quality coffee at home is French press or plunger style brew.
I have a fantastic coffee machine which I use to make, cafe lattes and the odd espresso. But there are times when I prefer French press style brew.
My favourite bean for this brewing style is lightly roasted Indian Monsoon Mallabar AA aged for 11 days in a one way valve bag, my second preference is Ethiopian Yigacaffee.
Steeping coffee in a plunder of french press and pouring into a cup
1. Fresh beans
2. Grind the beans just before brewing as this maximises the aroma and flavour. Ground coffee deteriorates quickly when exposed to air and moisture. Grind medium-coarse You will need about two tablespoons of ground coffee for every cup of water.
3. Add hot water about 90c/194F just off the boil. Pour in rapidly to mix up the coffee grounds with the water. Put the lid on but don’t push the plunger down, this keeps the heat in while steeping.
4. Wait 4 minutes steep time.
Steeping coffee refers to soaking the grounds in water to release its qualities such as flavour and aroma into the water.
5. Press down the plunger slowly, if the plunger is hard to press down grind coarser or if too easy/quick grind finer.
6. Pour, enjoy.
You should experiment with the amount of coffee, grind size and steep time to brew the coffee to you exact liking.