| Have you recently purchased a quality coffee maker | | | | Grinder: Many will tell you that it is ok to use pre-ground |
| for your home, but still find yourself running to the local | | | | breans, but I whole-heatedly disagree. The oils in |
| coffee shop for that "special" tasting cup of brew? If | | | | pre-ground coffee beans tend to evaporate, causing |
| so, you're probably wasting a ton of money! Let me | | | | them to lose some of their flavor. Make the |
| give you the best advice on making gourmet coffee at | | | | investment and get a good grinder. For many |
| home! | | | | aficionados,grinding beans is an art form - and as with |
| Coffee: The first step in making that coffee house | | | | any art, the artist is only as good as the tools he uses. |
| style is brew found in the perfect coffee bean. Yes, I | | | | You may be tempted to get one of the smaller (and |
| hate to break it to you - but if you really want gourmet | | | | cheaper) push down grinders - if that's all that's in your |
| - you should start by grinding your own beans. Now, | | | | budget, be prepared to practice - a LOT! You do not |
| before we jump ahead to grinding your beans, you | | | | want to over grind because it makes the coffee bitter. |
| have to buy the best quality to start with. There is a | | | | It is better to use a little more bean than to risk over |
| wide variety of beans available on the market, from | | | | grinding. The Kitchenaid Coffee Burr is a great grinder |
| Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to brands not known on | | | | and worth the investment (search for sales and deals |
| a national scale. I personally suggest beans from The | | | | online to soften the blow to the wallet) |
| Roasterie in Kansas City Missouri. Their line includesa | | | | Bean Storage: You'll likely find yourself storing your |
| ton of flavors, but what they are most widely known | | | | beans in the fridge or the freezer, but keep in mind that |
| for is the fact that they air roast their beans which | | | | in order for the flavors to truly come forward - they |
| leads to a more pure, better taste and aroma. | | | | have to be at room temperature. If you have more |
| Water: You'd be surprised to know that the water you | | | | beans than you'll use - keep them in an air tight |
| use really does make a huge difference in the taste of | | | | container and place them in the freezer. When you |
| the final product. Most coffee makers have filters built | | | | remove them from the freezer for use, it is best to let |
| in, so be sure to change yours on a regular basis. If | | | | them sit and "thaw" out for a minimum of 30 minutes. |
| your coffee machine does not have one built in, use | | | | Now these are just my personal tips from my very |
| filtered water instead of tap water. This should be | | | | own kitchen, but you'll need to really play around with |
| done whether you are using a $300 machine or a | | | | your own recipes and understand your particulars |
| generic $20 unit. | | | | when it comes to taste. |