Ensuring that the espresso you make every morning at home or the office is consistently delicious can be difficult, but with the right tips in mind, you should be able to make a great cup of coffee every day
easily – and enjoy doing it! When you do something every day, you can sometimes get caught doing unnecessary habits without stepping back and considering why you do things in a certain way. This can happen with coffee too – we’re so used to the specific ways in which we make it without thinking about how we can alter simple things to make it taste much better. There is no “best” way to make an espresso or a coffee, but there are a number of things you can experiment with so that you can ultimately improve how your coffee tastes. Read on to hear some of our tips on making your morning coffee taste better.

1. Use a scale.

Baristas use scales to measure doses to put in the portafilter and also doses to put into a cup (the yield), so there’s no reason for why you can’t use a scale too at home or in the office. To take your morning espresso to a whole new level, get yourself a scale to weigh your coffee grounds. Some machines even use grinders that weigh your grounds for you.

2. Use better water for a better coffee.

Espresso is comprised of just two ingredients – coffee and water. So why don’t we place as much importance on the quality of the water than we do on the quality of the coffee beans? The flavour of water is an often overlooked factor when it comes to making a great cup, but it can have a huge influence on taste, especially since tap water varies greatly from area to area. If you find that your coffee just isn’t up to scratch, try using quality filtered water. You could use a water filtration system that can be installed under the kitchen counter or to your tap itself, or you can buy a water jug with an inbuilt filter from most supermarkets or department stores.

3. Warm up your coffee cups.

Coffee connoisseurs often argue about how much coffee cups should be heated and which part of the cup should be warm. There is however a general consensus that a warmed coffee cup is better than an unwarmed one. The temperature of your coffee influences its flavour profile, and even if you make the perfect shot, putting it into a cold cup can affect your coffee’s body and taste. This is why a lot of people like to drink their espressos straight away and why baristas mix in steamed milk right after brewing. There are different ways of heating your cups. One option is to store them on top of your espresso machine as often there’ll be a rack for cup storage and warming. If you don’t have this option, you can half fill your cups with hot water and then empty them. This method is great because it leaves the bottom warm for receiving the coffee, but leaves the rim at room temperature so that it’s not too hot to put the cup to your lips.

See more about coffee machine hire.

4. Grind only when you need to.

A lot of people may think this is an obvious way to get your coffee to taste better, but some still think that grinding in advance (or buying pre-ground coffee) is more convenient. The fresher the grind the better your coffee will taste, and this is the best way to avoid that stale taste you often get with pre-ground coffee. Coffee is its most fragrant when it is freshly ground, because as the natural oils in the coffee start to oxidise when they are ground, the flavour starts to change. While it may seem like an extra hassle to buy whole coffee beans and to grind them on demand, this extra step will pay off because you’ll have great coffee! There are a few coffees where you might want to grind in advance – such as cold brew – however this isn’t the case for the majority of coffees, especially espressos.

tags: coffee order, sweet espresso, flat white vs latte

PureBean has a great selection of coffee beans without the hefty price tag.

At PureBean, we only use premium quality Arabica beans and we roast our beans weekly to ensure you’re getting only the freshest goods. To begin your journey of making the perfect cup of coffee at home or in the office, check out our award-winning selection of coffee bean blends. With the best beans, anything is possible.