Improving Your Coffee Making Skills: How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee!

Most people cannot even get out of bed without their morning cup of coffee, in spite of that many coffee fans have yet to master the simple art of home brewing. With your local coffee shop dishing it out for anywhere from 3 dollars to 5 dollars a cup, learning the proper way to percolate your own is a smart financial move. Follow the steps in the guide below and you'll be on your way to perky perfection in no time flat.

Know your roasts. Green coffee beans are odorless and tasteless. It is the process of roasting that brings out both the characteristic flavor and the bouquet of the beans. Lighter roasted coffees have a sweeter flavor while darker roasting leads to a more robust, but bitterer brew.

Acquaint yourself with the three main coffee beans: Robusta, Arabica and Kona. Robusta is used to give blended coffee's their kick, as it has the most caffeine, however it is also the most acidic of the three. Arabica has 30 percent less caffeine and a much mellower flavor. Kona is the most popular of the three having both a pleasing flavor and a reasonable amount of caffeine, but it is also the most expensive.

Look at where the beans come from. The fruity undertones of Colombian beans have long been a favorite of the masses but, the chocolate taste and smoky flavor characteristic of Indonesian beans also has a loyal following. Coffee from Brazil tends to be lighter overall than coffees from other countries while Kenya beans are darker with a hint of wild berries.

Get the right equipment. One of the best choices for home coffee brewing is the French Press. They are inexpensive, easy to use and they look nice when sitting on the table. Alternatively, brew drip machines can produce a pleasant infusion and can be found in department stores across the globe. If you want to get really fancy about it, stove top models such as the Bialetti come as close as possible to recreating the perfect espresso drink at home without spending thousands of dollars on a machine.

Use the right grind. Once you have selected your equipment, look at the grind of beans you're using. The coffee for a French Press is very coarse, like bread crumbs, while the grind for the stove top model resembles a fine powder. The drip brew model uses something that is between these two that resembles grains of sand. Using the wrong grind will either over or under-brew your coffee and the results will be unpalatable.

Use your coffee as soon as possible once it has been ground, or once a bag or can has been opened. Try to buy a package you can use within a week's time- at most.

Get the portions right. For the perfect cup of coffee, use 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every six fluid ounces of water. If you're not sure how strong you like you're morning cuppa, start at the lower end and work your way up until you find the brew that suits you.

Switch to whole milk. That's right- the one with all the fat in it. Add a couple of tablespoons to your cup once the coffee's brewed and give it a swirl.

Tips

The best results often come from grinding you beans at home.

Switch to bottled or filtered water if your coffee has an off taste or if you see a layer of film floating on the top of the cup.

Warnings

Do not purchase beans that say the grind is 'for use in all coffee makers' as this is not truly possible.

Do not stick your cold cup of coffee in the microwave. Reheating will only result in a bitter, unpleasant beverage.

Sources: - personal knowledge

Wikipedia