Brewing methods for specialty coffee at home

A lot of people have said to me, that they just don’t have time to do a pour over in the morning and that’s ok, pour over is not the only method you can use to enjoy your specialty coffee.  I prefer a chemex pour over because it allows me to brew multiple cups of coffee at once while maintaining control over water quality, temperature and dispersement but, that’s just me.  There are other ways to enjoy your specialty coffee that take less time so you can slot it right into your morning ritual without compromising on the flavor. 

Cold Brew

Since summer has just left and I don’t want to depress everyone too much, let’s get this one out of the way asap.  Although, I know there are some weirdos that drink cold coffee throughout the winter, it’s just…bizarre.  Making cold brew at home is so simple, coarsely grind your preferred coffee, pack it into the filter of your cold brew system (there are tons out there, you could even use a mason jar and a nut milk bag), add (cold) water and let steep for 18 hours. After that, remove the filter and there you have it, about 1.1 Liters of smooth brew right in your fridge.  Cold brew is one of the most simple brewing methods out there, in other words its hard to screw it up. 

French Press

Coarsely Grind coffee, filter, add water, steep, pour.  Pretty simple, really.  The only tricky part is knowing how much the coffee to water ratio is for the size of French press that you have.  Your French press should come with instructions but if not, go here for guidelines.

Aeropress

This method comes with a scoop so measuring is super easy ;)  The aeropress provides an espresso like cup and brews a perfect single coffee.  It’s light weight, inexpensive, easy clean up and small enough to travel with. 

Pods

They now have reusable pods that you can pack yourself! Ahhh!  Get yours here.  I use to be so against these devices because you know, climate change (do not get me started on “but the pods are recyclable”, just NO) but I understand how convenient they are which makes them so appealing.  Just like with filter coffee, you have to be sure your water reservoir is clean and bonus if you are using filtered water.   

Filtered coffee

Had to include this one because, well, it’s one of the most common brewing methods used in America.  A couple hints to improve upon your morning cuppa with this method would be water quality and filter used.  You want to make sure your water reservoir is clean and that you are using water that has been filtered whether you have an at home reverse osmosis water filter or you buy a bottle of distilled water from the store, it makes a huge difference than just using tap water.  For filters you’ll want to buy non bleached organic bc, no chemicals to alter the flavor.

The ritual you establish for your morning sets the tone for your day.  Period. I think most would agree that planning on waking up and doing xy and z makes you feel much better than snoozing your alarm, over sleeping and then having to rush out the door, amiright?!  Taking the time and effort to brew and enjoy my coffee is one of the pillars of my morning ritual and really starts my day off right.