How to Make a Great Pot of Coffee at Home

How do Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts get their coffee to taste so great every time, cup after cup and your coffee at home tastes more like dirty dishwater than a great cup of java? There are ways to make sure your home brew tastes as great as the coffee served in those big chain coffee houses;

1.
Invest in a French Press: A French Press is a tall stainless steel lidded cylinder with a pump system. Using a French press produces the richest coffee possible, and is what the baristas at Starbucks use on a daily basis. A good French press will cost you about $25, less than the average drip coffee maker. However, if you are not a fan of strong coffee, an automatic drip coffeemaker might be a better choice for you.

2.
If you are using a drip coffee maker, do so with an all natural filter, which are readily available in most supermarkets. The chlorine bleached variety of paper filters often gives your home brewed coffee a tinny, bitter taste. If you can, choose a reusable gold filter. These days many auto drip coffee makers come with one of these as a standard feature out of the box.

3.
Pick the right coffee and store it correctly: There are many varieties of coffee available, so it may require some extensive experimentation before you find tour favorite. The best coffee will come from whole beans, blended right before you brew. A coffee bean grinder is cheap and easy to use. Whether you choose whole bean or ground coffee do not fall for one of the biggest coffee myths out there: coffee should not be stored in the freezer, under any circumstances. Store your java in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard, away from bright light.

4.
Start with the Right Water: If your tap water tastes fine to you, by all means use it to brew your morning coffee. However often domestic tap water has a metallic taste that makes for a very poor cup of coffee. Filtered water makes for a better brew. Avoid "vitamin enhanced" water, as some of the ingredients react with the coffee producing a sour, unpleasant taste. For those who use a French press, which uses boiled water, the perfect temperature is around 205 degrees F, just under boiling point.

5.
Drink it fast: Coffee does not stay fresh for long once brewed. Twenty minutes is about all a pot has before it starts to take on that "stewed" taste that is so unappealing. If you want to extend the life of your brew invest in an insulated coffee carafe, which keeps coffee fresh and drinkable for a few hours.