How To Make Good Coffee: 12 Tips To Brew Like The Pros

Despite what you believe, a barista-brewed coffee doesn’t taste so good because of the barista’s training or any special equipment. They just happen to know the tips and tricks of the trade. And I’m about to spill their secrets. Read on to learn how to make better coffee at home with 12 key tips from the experts.

The Foundation Of Great Coffee Is Consistency

Making amazing coffee is like a science experiment. If you think of brewing coffee through the eyes of a scientist, it’s all about optimizing variables – the grind size, water temperature, brew time, etc. 

The key to the best cup of coffee is to explore one variable at a time until you unlock the combination that yields the rich and aromatic morning coffee you crave. Once you find that ultimate brew, you want to know you can repeat it. That’s consistency. And that’s what coffee shops have mastered that home coffee brewers often overlook.

The tips below are all geared towards helping you make the perfect cup of coffee time after time. They’re presented in chronological brewing order, so you can follow along as you make your mug or pot of coffee.

1. Buy Good Quality Coffee Beans

You can’t make great-tasting coffee without good coffee beans. But don’t let the local Third Wave cafe trick you into thinking “good” only means some exotic light roast single origin. When I say good quality, what I really mean is fresh coffee.

Whole bean coffee peaks within 3 to 7 days of roasting and begins to go noticeably stale after a month (1). Steer clear of coffees that have been sitting on the grocery store shelf for weeks, and buy directly from a local or online roaster. Only buy as much as you plan to drink within the next several weeks, and store coffee away from heat, light, and moisture.

2. Keep A Coffee Journal

I know this sounds desperately nerdy, but hear me out. Once you start experimenting with brewing variables, you need a place to track what works and what doesn’t. Nothing is more frustrating than brewing a perfect cup of joe and forgetting how you got there – or accidentally brewing the same bad coffee twice in a row. 

A coffee journal will spare you heartache. It can be as simple as a paper notepad, or there are dedicated logs and apps available for coffee lovers.

3. Use A Scale

Nothing introduces more inconsistency into your brewing process than measuring your coffee by volume rather than weight. Let me demonstrate this with a quick experiment since we’re thinking like scientists today.

I weighed one scoop each of medium-ground dark and light roast coffee (about 2 tablespoons of coffee). The dark roast weighed 9.2 grams, and the light roast weighed 11.4 grams. I rest my case. Incidentally, this is why people often think light roasts have more caffeine; they’re just using more coffee.

A simple digital coffee scale is one of the best ways to upgrade your brew – along with being one of the cheapest and easiest.

4. Invest In A Burr Grinder

A burr grinder isn’t as affordable as a scale, but it’s worth it if you’re serious about delicious coffee. Pre-ground coffee quickly goes stale, and a cheap blade grinder just chops your coffee beans into unevenly sized pieces. 

A burr grinder crushes your coffee beans to a uniform (some might say consistent) grind size, ensuring even extraction and clean flavors.

Expensive coffee grinders help you brew great coffee, but you don’t have to break the bank if you’re just starting your coffee journey. Even a $50 manual burr grinder is a HUGE step up, and your blade grinder can enjoy fulfilling retirement grinding spices.

5. Tailor Your Grind Size

Another good reason to grind your coffee is that different brewing methods and beans require different grind sizes. You probably know the basics, like using a finer grind for an espresso maker and coarser when making coffee using a French press. But your local barista knows it’s much more nuanced than that.

For example, I use a finer grind for a V60 pour over than a Chemex. I use a coarser grind extracting dark roast espresso versus light roast. 

Plan to experiment to find the ideal grind size, and don’t forget to note your results in that coffee journal!

6. Know How Much Coffee To Use

When we talk about “how much” coffee, we’re really talking about the ratio of coffee to water – one of the most important brewing variables. A higher ratio means strong coffee; a lower ratio, weaker coffee.

The Specialty Coffee Association recommends using 55 grams of coffee for every liter of water, a ratio of about 1:18 (2). That’s a good starting point for filter coffee, but you can (and should) experiment. I use the SCA guideline for complex single origins but a ratio of 1:15 for dark roast blends. And different brewing methods use different ratios entirely!

Try decreasing the amount of coffee if your brew tastes bitter or astringent. Increase the amount of grounds you use if it tastes weak or watery.

7. Use The Right Water

I won’t claim that the brewing water is as important as the coffee beans, but I will say it’s way more important than you think! After all, coffee and espresso are mostly water. It can easily be the taste difference between your home coffee and the local coffee shop.

There’s a whole book on the topic of water for coffee, but let’s keep things simple here (3). My advice is to use filtered water, like from a tap-mounted filter or filter pitcher. Don’t be tempted to use distilled water, as some mineral content is crucial for extraction and flavor. 

Want to level up? Brands like Third Wave Water sell mineral packets designed to be mixed with distilled water, yielding the ideal water to make coffee taste better.

8. Make Sure Your Water Is The Right Temperature

So, how hot should your coffee be? Coffee is best when the brew temperature is between 195 and 205 F, according to the Specialty Coffee Association (4). And if you’re not using an automatic machine, the brew temperature is a factor you control. 

Your best bet is to use a variable temperature kettle or a thermometer to ensure your brew water is in the correct range. I typically aim for the hotter end with light roasts and the cooler end with dark roasts. 

You’ll know if your water is too hot because your coffee will taste burnt (looking at you, Starbucks). If the water is too cool, the brew will be sour, weak, and under-extracted.

9. Keep Everything Hot (Or Cold)

When brewing hot coffee, preheat everything that will contact your coffee. Rinse your coffee filter and brewing device with hot water. Do the same to warm up your mug and carafe. If you’re making espresso, pull a shot with just water to pre-heat the portafilter and demitasse. 

Do the opposite if you’re serving iced coffee or cold brew. Chilling your mugs will keep your drinks cool and refreshing for longer.

10. Don’t Forget The Bloom

The bloom phase is incredibly important to ensure even extraction. Roasted coffee beans release carbon dioxide gas, so you’ll notice bubbling when you add hot water to ground coffee (5). That’s the gas bubbling out, and those bubbles prevent the grounds from being evenly saturated. The bloom is an initial wetting that replaces the gas with hot water and fully saturates the coffee grounds so they extract evenly.

Freshly roasted coffee has more CO2, making the bloom particularly important. If you bloom your coffee and don’t see any bubbles, it indicates that your beans are stale.

The pre-wetting stage for espresso is called pre-infusion. Hot water saturates the grounds in the portafilter before the high pressure. The principle is similar. Pre-infusion settles the grounds into a uniform puck to promote an even extraction.

11. Know Your Brew Time

The importance of brew time varies between coffee brewing methods.

When preparing filter coffee, Moka pot, or espresso, the brew time is a consequence of the other variables (like grind size and coffee dose). It’s an important indicator rather than something to control directly. For example, an espresso shot should take about 30 seconds. If yours takes 45 seconds, consider a coarser grind or lower dose.

For infusion brewing methods, like cold brew, Aeropress, or French press coffee, you dictate the brew time; it’s another variable to optimize. If your coffee tastes bitter, it suggests you’ve brewed too long. If it tastes weak or sour, try steeping longer.

12. Keep Experimenting, And Have Fun!

Now that you know the secrets of how to brew better coffee at home, it’s time to experiment. This is the fun part! Try a new brewing method, explore a new origin or type of coffee, or test out a different roast level. Even failed experiments will expand your palate and skillset, helping you grow as a barista.

Your Road Map To Coffee Heaven

This might seem like a lot to think about when making at-home coffee, but I promise that once you’ve mastered these tips, they’ll flow seamlessly into your morning routine. 

Don’t underestimate the power of small tweaks when it comes to the flavor of your coffee. When dialing in the best way to make coffee at home, the little things are the big things. It’s about finding the sweet spot with every element and then repeating it consistently. This is the secret to coffee shop-level coffee at home.

Now, that you know how to make good coffee, don’t forget to share your experience with us!