How to start with coffee
TIME FOR COFFEE
With the same powers of observation, we have also noticed the differences between coffee at home and that from the café. As we grew older, we eventually fell under its spell. Unlike our parents, today we have many options to get not only theinformation we need, but also theinstruments and tools for making coffee are now more accessible andmore varied. Perhaps we could call this time the golden era of home coffee preparation. It has never been easier to "bring" a coffee shop home. Of course, only in terms of technology, design or atmosphere. The preparation of the coffee is up to you, and it's up to you how much of an avid home barista you want to become.
HOW TO GET STARTED?
The gentleman in the story is clear. He's smitten with cappuccino. It's also hisfavourite drink and he drinks coffee exclusively with milk. So he'll probably get a home coffee machine and, depending on how much he wants to devote himself to making coffee, he'll decide whether to buy anautomatic machine that makes the coffee completely by itself, or to immerse himself completely in coffee making and get a semi-professional lever machine, turning his kitchen into a small café.
What drink appealed to you so much in the café that you want to be able to make it at home? Or do you love coffee in all its variations and want to break away from the "traditional turk" or "neska"? You want to find your way to properly prepared coffee at home because you have discovered thatcoffee is not just bitter. This journey starts with an awareness of what youexpect from coffee.
AN ADVENTUROUS QUEST FOR (WITH) COFFEE
Being a barista, whether at home or professional, means learning the craft. You can jump right in and buy the often expensive equipment, or you can get more comfortable by taking a coffee brewing course and then buying the necessary tools. If you're already a lover of smooth and fruity cups, seek out cafes with fine coffee and that's exactly the kind of coffee you want to brew yourself at home, and you're not afraid to experiment, check out the tutorials, tips and recipes on how to brew coffee at home on our blog.
FIRST STEPS
For those who love coffee with milk, for the budding adventurers who are slowly entering the path ofchoice coffee and for those who want to make their favourite cappuccino at home but don't want to buy a espresso machine(yet). For all of you , themocha pot was invented 87 years ago . All you need to prepare it is finely ground coffee and water. Moka pots are closer to espresso in their preparation . The way they work is that there is water at the bottom of the pot, which rises up to the top of the pot by pressure (from heating the water). Upwards, the water passes through the coffee, extracting flavours and aromas along the way. The principle of making coffee using this technique involves finely ground coffee, hot water and pressure, just as in espresso. However, the technology of this preparation does not allow the coffee to be extracted without burning it with boiling water. The pressure is also uneven and uncontrollable. The tamping of the coffee is omitted altogether. Therefore, coffee from a moka pot cannot be considered espresso. Although it resembles it, it is not even a lungo, but simply a mocha.
Why, you ask, are we actually writing about amethod of coffee preparation that always involves over-extraction and some high-temperature burning of the coffee? For the reason that mocha is themost common piece of coffee utensil in homes. It is at this teapot that people's thoughts towards and interest in choice coffeebegin to take shape. For example, they may use a more flavor-conservative blend of otherwise high-quality coffee for preparation , putting them on the path to buying their first coffee maker. Eventually, they find a liking for espresso made from single-origin selective coffees.
HOME ESPRESSO
For your first espresso, you need a home coffee machine. At this point, you'll be deciding whether to get a fully automatic machine or a lever machine like your (now best friend) barista at the local coffee shop has. Well, it won't be exactly like the one at the coffee shop, as you'll be choosing a home lever coffee maker for home conditions and, of course, for financial reasons . The most reliable thing to do is to buy a machine from a professional coffee maker that makes just the home versions of these machines. Such a machine is then a guarantee of quality, because the manufacturer really understands coffee.
We recommend not to be afraid to invest in acoffee machine. Buying a more expensive model, such as the Bianca from the Italian manufacturer Lelit or the Musica from the Nuova Simonelli portfolio , will pay off. The quality of materials, precision workmanship and cutting-edge technology guarantee that if you take proper care of your coffee machine, it could be your first and last. Amachine like this will lastwith you for ages. Because of its technical workmanship, making coffee with it will be fun and you won't want to replace it for anything. However, most beginners are scared of buying one, even though they know it is more economical in the long run.
For their first attempts with espresso, they look for cheap coffee makers. The cheapest ones can bring misery in the pursuit of the perfect espresso, which they are not technologically capable of or are very difficult to achieve. Often the coffee machine of choice for espresso beginners even without a big hit to the wallet is theGaggia. On this machine you will understand the principles and context of making your espresso. Once you've mastered thebasics of espresso preparation and have the desire to develop more and not be limited by the features of this basic model of home coffee machine, you'll start looking around for a Bianca.
COFFEE WITH A PICTURE
To create latte art, you need a base into which to pour the milk. Espresso is best suited for itshigh concentration of flavours that do not overlap with the milk, but on the contrary complement each other beautifully. Automatic coffee machines will make your cappuccino by themselves. Unfortunately, usually with a thicker froth and no picture. Semi-automatic or lever-operated ones have a nozzle to whip the milk. So the preparation is the same as in a coffee shop. However, milk can be whipped without a coffee machine. You pour the warm milk into the French Press and move the plunger up and down to froth it. This milk froth will be thicker and will quickly subside in the coffee. A battery-powered electric whisk can also be used, although with the same result. However, with a little practice and skill, you can draw a heart in your coffee with milk prepared in this way too.
A prerequisite for successful latte art, whichever method of milk whisking you use, is to understand the principles of frothing and stirring. Simply understanding howmilk behaves when whisked and when poured into coffee. It takes a lot of practice and training coffees to figure this out . We also recommend reading our how-to guide to help you understand latte art technique.
Just like in a professional setting, you can make a cappuccino at home with a picture of a teddy bear that will delight you as much as the café guest in the opening story. We've tried it ourselves on our home coffee machine and if you can whisk the milk, you can draw a picture.
THE FIRST FILTERED COFFEE
TheFrench Pressis considered the easiest tool for making filter coffee . You pour the coffee in, pour, wait, strain and drink. If you are starting out with filter coffee, start with theFrench Press. You can buy it for just a few crowns and you don't really need any additional special equipment.
The moment you crave a cleaner, more colourful coffee in a cup, you'll probably be drawn to theAeropress. A tool thatinspires you to experiment and explore the mysterious flavours of each bean. The plastic tube into which you also pour the ground coffee, pour, wait and strain is specific to this last step. The straining of the coffee takes place in the presence of pressure. You push the coffee inside the Aeropress through apaper filter. Thepressure developed gives the resulting coffee a completely different dimension, and you are again amazed by the cup of this magical drink, which is nowbrighter and purer thanks to the filtering through the paper .
We present this plastic "coffee machine" as an interesting companion for the preparation of filter coffee. The original goal of Alan Adler, the creator of the Aeropress, was to create an aid for making manual espresso, or a drink very similar to espresso. Check out this video of the inventor himself preparing the coffee.
DRIP COFFEE
You already know how to make filter coffee at home using two methods, but you're still on the lookout for that wonderfully shaped, stylish pot used in coffee shops. Until you finally decide you want one too. With the purchase of a gooseneck barista pot, it is decided that you have already fallen under the spell of coffee forever and are totally devoted to it for the rest of your life. Therefore, along with the purchase of acoffee pot, you will expand your collection with a Hario V60 (because it must be in every good coffee shop, even the home one), a Chemex, a Jizzeva, a Clever dripper and your kitchen with a coffee shelf will become a coffee shop with a small kitchenette .
HOME BATCH BREW
You can go the automation route when making filter coffee at home too. Enjoy your coffee in a cup prepared byan automatic coffee machine. Electric drip coffee makers are there for those coffee lovers who don't seek the fun of making coffee, or don't always have time for manual filter coffee. Just like in a coffee shop, you now have the option to make a great batch at home and refill your "bottomless" cup of coffee during the day.
BARISTA EQUIPMENT
The most important factor affecting the final coffee, whatever method you use to prepare it, is and always will be the grind. The quality and consistency of the grind determines the quality of the coffee in your cup. Choose the grinder that bestsuits you and your chosen method.
Water permeates the entire coffee brewing process. The coffee is extracted into the water and the resulting cup of coffee is, in turn, water that has been enriched with what the coffee has given it - the coffee's ingredients, its flavours and aromas that it has built upon. We are becoming more and more aware of how water affects the taste of coffee, so it is not a bad idea to invest in water filters or filter pots.
Weighing andmeasuring, a more accurate tamper, a decanter for coffee, lathers for precise pouring of milk, barista cloths and aprons and thick-walled porcelain are all items that make coffee preparation easier and more precise. You can't do without tools for cleaning coffee equipment, because the basis of good coffee is the cleanliness of the equipment and barista equipment. Milk residue on the nozzle, old coffee in the lever outlets or coffee oil deposits on the grinder stones. All this may not be visible at first glance, but only in your cup of coffee.
GATHER INFORMATION
You've already started with your coffee by reading this article. Start making coffee at home and let yourself be absorbed by this constantly surprising world. Find your own way of making it and, if coffee interests you more, gather information and broaden your horizons in this wonderful hobby that has become a lifestyle for many. You will also find plenty of information on our blog. Every day we bring you the latest information from the world of coffee.