How To Make A Good Cup Of Coffee
As a mom, artist, blogger, and part-time chauffeur to a teen there is never-ending lists of things to do, places to go, and very early mornings. Mornings don’t come easy, as the polar opposite is the lifestyle of the creative person inside me who squeezes in every ounce of quiet time for writing, editing photos, and learning. This means we have some long days. I consider myself a huge coffee lover and it’s a part of our daily lifestyle. In the mornings I enjoy must have a good cup of coffee along with a little quite thinking before the day gets jump-started with all the buzzers blazing. Today I am sharing how to make good coffee.
Weekdays are a bit more hectic than weekends but, they are just as full and started the same with a freshly brewed coffee. There is something about the aromatic scents of fresh ground and brewed coffee that make mornings more tolerable.
The Recipe for the Perfect Brew
Luckily for me, I didn’t have to travel far to find three types of beans that I’ve been enjoying lately. There four basic fundamentals of brewing a good cup of joe. Do you know them? If not these fundamentals will help you! I’m not going all coffee snob on you here but, I’m sharing some tips I’ve learned.
Using these tips really will make a big difference when you are brewing coffee at home.
How To Make Good Coffee
How To Make Good Coffee At Home
Fundamentals of Brewing
-
Proportion – The ratio of coffee to water. The recipe for a great cup of coffee is 2 Tbsp. of ground coffee for every 6 oz. of water.
-
The ground right- The coffee grind is determined by the brewing method you make your coffee by.
-
Water – Start with cold fresh-water. The hot water temperature between 195*F and 205* for full extraction of the coffee’s flavor.
-
Freshness. Store your coffee in an opaque, airtight container
at room temperature. It’s best to buy what you will use up within a week.
at room temperature. It’s best to buy what you will use up within a week. What grind of coffee do you use to make a good cup of coffee?
-
Coarse ground for a french press
-
Medium for flat bottom
-
Fine for cone
-
Extra-fine for espresso
Pour Over Method
How to brew coffee using the pour-over method
Pick up whole beans or preground coffee from Latin America. Like this blend from Starbucks® Veranda blend 
that is mellow and soft.
I make my morning cup of joe with a pour-over brewer
, the pour-over method can be for a single cup or use a pour-over brewer
like this for more 6 cups using this method. There are many different styles and sizes of pour-over brewers. But, the method is the same! The pour-over method uses paper cone filters 
which is ideal for brewing the ground beans.
- Another fundamental of brewing is water.
The water should be fresh and clean especially since coffee is 98% water. Start with cold fresh-water then, you need to get the water temperature between 195*F and 205* for full extraction of the coffee’s flavor.
I get my water hot with a kettle
on the stove. Or you can use an electric kettle
. I wish you could smell the aroma.
Here I’m lifting off the pour-over brewer off the cup so you can see the brew drips straight into the cup.
- The drip system for the single pour-over sits on the cup when brewing.
Have you tried the pour-over brew method? Below you can see I’ve set the pour-over brewer on a plate until I’m ready to set it up for my next cup. I’ll toss the used filter and grounds into a compost bin
, then start fresh using the same steps!
- Lastly, the fourth fundamental is freshness. Store your coffee in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature. It’s best to use up your coffee within a week. If you are a coffee lover you’ll find this is easy! We go through 2-lbs. a week easily.
What we are grinding and brewing right now! 
I’m not a purist. I like a little soy, almond milk, or cream in my cup of joe. This is a typical morning routine in my house.
How did I learn the fundamentals? I used Starbucks® as my guide. Now I’m passing this onto you so that you can enjoy grinding and brewing at home!
I’m happy to be bringing you more updates, lifestyle posts, and Starbucks® news as I’ve been chosen to be one of the official Starbucks® bloggers. Whether I’m brewing at home or headed to Starbucks® to write a post I couldn’t be happier to share my love of coffee with you, along with all the great blends I’ll be trying. Be sure to subscribe! Never miss out!
Grab yourself a passport
/ journal and take notes of what you love
! That is just as important as the fundamentals. Do you enjoy grinding, brewing and tasting different flavored coffee beans? Sometimes I imagine I’m traveling to countries in search of the perfect morning brew. Other times I’m just sipping my freshly brewed cup. Pinning inspiring art, photography, and illustrations.
The pairings for these coffees are as follows
- Veranda goes well with chocolate chip cookies and pecan rolls.
- House blend goes well with morning buns and blueberry scones.
- Cafe Verona goes well with chocolate, chocolate croissant, and chocolate chips.
goes well with chocolate chip cookies and pecan rolls.
goes well with morning buns and blueberry scones. 
goes well with chocolate, chocolate croissant, and chocolate chips.- Are you new here? Be sure to Subscribe
- Pin it for Later
- Follow us on Pinterest
- Drink Recipes
- Coffee posts
My day doesn’t feel right if I don’t have a cup in the morning. I actually drink it for the experience and not the caffeine (I currently drink decaf.) I use an all-in-one coffee pot that does it all, so I don’t have to think about making the perfect cup — it does it for me! But great shots of making coffee 🙂
Hi Bev, We have an automatic brewer for when we are in a real hurry too but, enjoy freshly brewed.Using a great coffee beans makes a huge difference too.Thanks for the compliments on the photos.
I stopped drinking coffee two years ago, but with this blogging gig…I have started bak up a couple times a week. It’s baby steps for me and at the moment I am into their “blond” the lightest one they have I think. I’m sure I’ll be making my way up the ranks ..lol Gorgeous pictures!
Hi Sara, I love the lighter blends and they usually have more caffeine than the darkest blends. Thanks for the compliments on the photography. Have fun sipping!
Posts like this make me wish I liked coffee…it looks like such a peaceful way to start the day!
Hi Julie, It wasn’t until I had kids that I really started to enjoy coffee. Prior I probably felt like you. It’s also about finding the flavors that appeal to your palate.
Congrats on being a Starbucks blogger, how cool or should I say hot is that! I’ve never tried making coffee like this but it sure seems easy. Plus, there’s not much to clean up.
Thanks Stacie! It is very easy to make it this way and when your the only one at home drinking coffee because everyone is working or gone. Or you just want a great cup of coffee this is a must try. Thanks for stopping by!
I must have a cup of coffee in a morning. I am also blogger and mother of two.
Nice blog you have here.
Hugs,
Yelena
Hi Yelena, I enjoy visiting your blog thanks so much for stopping by! Yes, I agree I must have my coffee too. Hope to see you again soon.
Great post! I just switched from K-Cups to ground coffee. I still use the K-Cup brewer but have the filter. I found this is cost effective but I am struggling to find the perfect balance! I love this post because it inspires me to tinker a bit more to find that right ratio. I cannot function without at least 2 cups in the morning. It is the perfect way to start your creative day.
Hi Jeannine, Oh that’s super good you switched to ground coffee. Better for the environment not to mention it tastes better in my opinion. I’m the same way I enjoy 2 cups to start the day. Happy Brewing!
What about organising a Coffee tasting tour? I would sign up. #wineddown
Hi Mariet, I might have to do that. It would be fun! I’ll let you know if I set one up.
I am actually waiting for my coffee to brew. Your pictures made me so eager to have that first sip. Great pictures!
I have coffee daily and it’s one of the highlights of my morning. 🙂
Hi Emily, I agree definitely one of the highlights of my morning too! Thanks for the compliments! Enjoy.
I love fresh brewed coffee in the morning. I grind my own beans and have an auto drip coffee maker. I add about 1/8 tsp of cardamon seeds to the brew basket for 8 cups of coffee. And the I add a bit of coconut oil and soy milk to my cup. Lovely flavor!
I love the idea of adding cardamon I need to do that next time. I love that flavor! I never thought of using coconut oil. Thanks for stopping by & hope to see you again soon!
I love my coffee! Thanks for sharing this post; I learned some things here. One of the things we’ve been privileged to learn is how great-tasting freshly roasted coffee beans are! A friend buys quality green coffee beans in bulk and roasts them fresh. Oh my! Visiting you today from That Friday Blog Hop
Hi Cheryl, Thanks for the visit and glad you enjoyed the post. Hope to see you again soon.
My grandma used to roast raw coffee in her wood stove and then manually grind it. The fragrance would linger in her house all day and for me, the smell of coffee still evokes some favorite memories. Thank you for linking up at Thursday Favorite Things and hope to see you again!