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Making better coffee at home
Good coffee at home comes down to a handful of habits, not expensive gear. Start with beans that are properly fresh, a grinder you can adjust, and a kitchen scale.
Get those basics right and you're most of the way there. Everything else, from your kettle to your favourite mug, is just personal taste.
Weigh, don't guess
A kitchen scale changes everything. Scoops vary depending on grind size and how hard you tamp the spoon, but grams don't lie. Try 18 grams of coffee to roughly 300ml of water and adjust from there to suit your taste.
The best coffee is the one you'll actually make again tomorrow. Consistency matters more than any gadget.
Water that's too hot scorches the grounds and makes your coffee taste bitter and flat. Water that's too cool won't pull out enough flavour at all. Aim for just off the boil, about a minute after the kettle clicks off, for the best balance. Water temperature is one of the easiest things to get right once you know it matters.
Match the grind to the method
A coarse grind for a French press, a medium grind for pour over, a fine grind for espresso. Using the wrong one is the most common reason home coffee tastes off.
Keep your grinder and kettle clean
Old coffee oils build up in grinders, French presses and kettles, and they turn rancid fast, giving fresh coffee a stale, bitter edge. A quick rinse and dry after each use keeps that taste out of your cup.
None of this needs to be complicated or expensive. Start small, get your grind and ratio right first, and build up from there as you find what you enjoy drinking most.
