So, you like coffee.
If your day doesn't end without having your favourite cup of coffee, you’ve come to the right place. You may be a coffee drinker because you need that caffeine to function, or you like instant coffee or like exploring coffee places around town or even a coffee nerd who has all the equipment at your place. Whichever type you fall into, let’s talk about how you can take your coffee-drinking experience to another level.
The coffee-for-caffeine drinker.
You don’t worry about the kind of coffee you’re drinking, as long as the caffeine kicks in to get your stuff done. It may be your office coffee, instant coffee at home, or getting a cup of coffee from a café delivered. You could also be found at a nearby Starbucks.
Up your coffee game — how?
Specialty coffee is your answer! You don’t have to necessarily brew your coffee yourself. Whichever kind of coffee you’re drinking, try a cup of specialty coffee - a coffee that is a result of various processes that a coffee bean undergoes to make the most out of it.
As against the coffees that you may be familiar with, specialty coffee is a result of carefully growing, processing, roasting (on-demand, just for you) and brewing so that the cup in your hand is completely traceable to its origin, growing conditions and processing types. The resulting coffee will have its unique taste notes that come out during this whole crop-to-cup process. Such coffees are not inherently bitter; some tend to be fruity, citrusy, chocolaty, or even like some wines! Yes, all of this without adding any flavours, but because of the processing!
So, the next time you’re thinking about getting a coffee, try a specialty coffee. Get some instant specialty coffee, order your cup from a specialty coffee shop, or work for the day from a specialty café.
If you’re into black coffees — order filter-based coffees (look into the menu for Pour overs, French press, Aeropress, Cold Brews or Americanos). These black coffees won’t be as bitter as you’re used to. Try without sugar or sweeteners.
If you’d rather prefer milk in it — Try a cappuccino, latte, flat white, cortado or their specials without any flavours and without sugar. Completely worth it!
The instant coffee drinker.
You like that your coffee making is simple and quick. Add the instant coffee to your milk/water and you’re done. You like instant coffee maybe because you like it to your own taste — you have control. How do you go up from here?
Let’s first understand the difference between instant coffee and brewed coffee.
Instant coffee: Coffee beans are roasted, ground and brewed in bigger batches. The brewed liquid is usually freeze-dried (dehydrated) to remove water from the brew, resulting in crystallized solids of extremely fine powder. This fine powder (instant coffee) is dissolvable in nature.
FYI : when you add hot water/milk to instant coffee, you are essentially cooking (brewing) the coffee twice; because as we discussed, the coffee was already brewed.
Brewed coffee: Freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee beans are used to brew coffee — be it filter-based (black coffee) or espresso-based, making the cup of coffee fresh with the best aroma and taste that it could have. Here the coffee grounds have to be discarded after brewing.
How do you level up from instant coffee?
While suggesting specialty instant coffee is the obvious answer, why not take this a level further? Brew your own coffee at home!
You can start brewing fresh coffee using Dip Bags (similar to teabags) and Drip Bags (Teabags with holders that attach to the cup). Many roasters sell these nowadays, already filled with ground coffee and tightly sealed for freshness. Once you like what you’re doing, you can move further.
We talked about coffee being freshly roasted and freshly ground. To be fair, grinding coffee freshly at home is not an option for everyone. Grinding coffee requires a special kind of grinder called as burr grinder.
Therefore, buying pre-ground coffee is a good way to start, provided that the roast is fresh. A basic coffee brewing setup (Pour over) will not cost you more than INR 600–700 or USD 7–8.
The coffee pot-head.
You have a coffee pot machine at home and you buy coffee grounds already. Starting your day with coffee and having coffee stored for the whole day, wow! What’s more?
Upgrade as a pot-head?
Firstly, check your coffee bag. Does it have lots of coffee information like the roast date (and that it is not more than 2 weeks old), origin, ‘above sea-level’ of growing, type of coffee processing (washed or naturals or fermentations), taste notes? If not, time to switch to specialty coffee!
This tiny change will definitely uplift your cup of coffee. Also if you can, freshly grind the beans at home, right before brewing.
A pour-over coffee setup is very similar to pot coffee, giving you more control over the whole process right from the weight of the grounds, the weight of the water, the water temperature and a lot more! Consider brewing your coffee fresh every time, you’ll notice the difference in your cup.
The coffee nerd.
You already know your coffee. You have been experimenting for a while now with all the ‘fancy’ equipment you have gathered over time, qualifying to be a coffee nerd, oops, connoisseur!
Your coffee collection might already have a couple of pour-overs (V60, Kalita, Origami), an Aeropress, a good old French Press, a weighing scale, a coffee grinder, and a gooseneck kettle. What more could you do?
What’s more to it?
Espresso is your answer. Yes, espresso machines are a bit expensive. But if you can save up for a while, getting a home espresso machine and more importantly an espresso grinder will take your coffee to just another level. You’ll learn so much about the components of this tiny amount of coffee!
Milk steaming, understanding milk texture, tasting your espresso, dialling in your espresso, latte art and so much more. You’ll have a home café of your own! Isn't that something?
But rationally, not everyone can afford everything. You can still do so much with the equipment you already have. Developing your own recipes, playing with ratios, understanding your palate, cupping new coffees and also participating in coffee events like Aeropress championships! There’s no stopping. You should definitely visit roasteries around you, to know how your coffee gets roasted, they will be more than happy to show their roastery around.
Some final thoughts.
It is not at all important to know stuff about coffee. Sipping it, while reading your favourite book, watching something you like or just enjoying it for itself — that’s what coffee is. It doesn't always have to be a science, it's an emotion!
There are a few who would want to explore and dig deep. And for those, there’s a fun part ahead, a long and interesting journey.
Stay caffeinated!