Does your coffee need cream & sugar? Did you know that with a couple of tweaks you won’t even want to add anything to it?
When properly prepared, your coffee won’t need any additives. You wouldn’t put ketchup on an A5 Wagyu, would you?? There’s no need to don flannel & tattoos and move to Brooklyn to become a hipster barista in order to brew a delicious cup. A cup so smooth you’d never consider ruining it with cream or sugar. Or ketchup.
You only need a few tweaks. (And note that buying expensive beans isn’t one them.)
Use a machine certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Coffee needs to be brewed between 195 and 205°F (90.5 - 96.1°C) for about 4 minutes. The vast majority of consumer machines on the market achieve neither the proper temperature, nor the proper timing.
This list from the SCA are the machines they’ve certified to brew properly. Brew with any one of these and I promise that you’ll taste the difference.
If you’re looking for a recommendation, I prefer Technivorm. America’s Test Kitchen found that Technivorms not only get the temperature right, but also have superior temperature stability. They’re pricey, but are often on sale.
Alternatively, get yourself a thermometer, a kettle, a scale, and any of these fantastic and relatively inexpensive brewers: Aeropress, Clever, Chemex, or V60.
- Heat your water to 195 to 205°F (90.5 - 96.1°C), or to just before boiling if not using a thermometer.
- Weigh your beans (and water)! Start with brewing a 15:1 water-to-coffee ratio using any of the brewers listed above for about 4 mins. For a single cup I use 18-20g of beans.
- See Diagnose your cup with the coffee compass below for how to zero-in on the exact ratio and timing.
Use a burr grinder
Whatever you do, please don’t buy pre-ground coffee. Or grind it at the store. Once ground, the oils in the beans will start oxidizing within minutes. Oxidized coffee will taste bitter.
You’ll also want to avoid blade grinders. They create inconsistent particle sizes, causing an uneven extraction. You’ll need an even extraction to produce a smooth and balanced cup of coffee.
You don’t need anything fancy. A $90 Bodum Bistro is perfect. I did a blind taste test with a Baratza Encore, and genuinely cannot taste the difference.
Alternatively, a hand burr grinder is another delicious option. I use this Hario when I’m traveling.
Beans
Ok, I lied. Sort of. You really don’t need fancy beans to enjoy your cup free of cream and sugar. But if what you’re drinking is…uninspiring…you should consider trying freshly-roasted light-to-medium beans.
I know, you don’t like weak coffee. But hear me out! We’ve been conditioned to associate coffee with dark & bitter. Not because that’s the best way to roast, but because it’s the most consistent way. Starbucks and most mass producers want their product to taste the same no matter where or when you drink it. The easiest (only?) way to achieve that is to roast out any variation. What you’re tasting is the roasting process, not the bean.
Are you now thinking “Okay, fine — not dark. But why left of medium?” If you buy a fresh roast from a good roaster, this is how they’ll prepare it. They won’t even ask; you literally cannot specify a roast level. They roast to light-to-medium to allow the flavor of the bean to shine through. Coffee is like fine wine: bean varietals, harvest methods, countries, regions, and even the specific farm — they all play a role in how the coffee tastes. (This is why Starbucks roasts so dark — there’s so many variables!) Only when you can taste the bean then can you enjoy the perfect full, rich, smooth, and balanced cup.
Check out any of these roasting companies if you’re interested in trying a premium bean. Again — this is totally unnecessary. If you’re enjoying whatever you’re currently drinking, then by definition what you’re doing is perfect.
Diagnose your cup with the coffee compass
Even if you’re not using cream or sugar, can still adjust the flavor of your coffee!
If you’re not loving your cup, use the compass below to tweak it. I find that I generally need to adjust my grind with every new bag of coffee (and can sometimes take a couple of iterations to get it dialed-in).
A Word on Espresso
Much of what I said above is specific to drip coffee. In particular, if you want to pull espresso shots like a pro and eventually achieve a consistent God Shot, your grinder will be the most important piece of equipment in your arsenal.
If you’re interested in dipping your toe into the amazing world of espresso, reach out!