How to be your own barista at home

Here's a few of our favourite methods of making coffee that can be easily used at home.

FRENCH PRESS
The good ole' french press (or plunger or cafetiere) is a favourite of ours. It's so easy to make, yet so highly unrated. It creates a full flavoured coffee, hot and delicious ready to add a dash of milk or simply leave as is and have it black.

To Make: for an 8 cup french press (in realty an 8 cup will make 4 x 250ml cups of coffee). Preheat the plunger, just as you would warm a teapot in anticipation of a good brew.  Add 4 heaped dessert spoons of coarsely ground coffee and then fill with boiled water.
A blend is always good in the french press try our French Roast ground for perc/filter or try a single origin, as this is probably the best way to appreciate the intricate flavours of the single bean. Our Seasonal Organics never fail.

BODUM POUR OVER (1litre)
Pour-over is a method of drip coffee in which hot water is poured in a very steady and slow stream over a filter cone. There are many benefits to the method, but I especially love it because the coffee tastes bright and clean and fresh.  The Bodum pour over brew method features a fine mesh stainless steel filter that eliminates need for paper filters so no paper filter mean no waste!

To make: Add 80g coarse ground coffee into the reusable filter.  Pour a small amount of heated water in circular motion over the ground coffee making sure all the coffee is wet and soaked through.   

Slowly pour the remaining hot water into the filter as the coffee drips into the glass carafe. It will be ready to serve in about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the filter from the carafe before serving and enjoy!

We recommend for best brewing a Single Origin (Grind 156 for Perc/filter). Try: Seasonal Organics

ITALIAN STOVE TOP (MOKA)
You wont find the hipsters recommending this brew style - it's way too strong!
The stove top is simple to use, cheap and when used properly, will produce an espresso that easily matches any expensive machine.

Only use good coffee, this is important, and it should be ground fine. Follow these simple steps to get a decent espresso:

To make: Remove the coffee holder, use either filtered or fresh cold water from the tap and fill the bottom part of the pot with water to just below the safety valve.

Replace the coffee holder into the base of the pot and fill with fine ground coffee using a spoon.  Once the coffee holder is full, gently level it off. Don’t over fill or compress the coffee to much as the water will struggle to penetrate it properly.

Screw the top of the pot onto the base nice and tight. Place the pot onto the stove or hob.
The main thing to remember is that we are gently heating the water to the point where it just starts to boil and gently passes through the coffee and up into the top part of the pot.

Tropicana, Italian or Tazza D'oro coffees are the best.  If your unsure try our Euro Sampler.

COLD BREW
Cold-brewing is a simple technique of steeping ground coffee in room-temperature water creating a concentrated syrup with a smooth, sweet and mild flavour. Make a batch to store in the fridge then add milk or water and add ice for a flavoursome summer refreshment.

To Make: Combine 1½ heaped cups of medium to coarsely ground coffee with 4 cups of room-temperature water in a glass container. You can use a french press or Bodum pour over if you have one. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 12 hours. Strain through a mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or use the reusable Bodum filter. This mixture will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Makes 6 servings.

To serve: Combine half a cup of the coffee mixture with equal parts water or milk. Pour over ice.

We recommend a single origin for cold-brewing.  Seasonal Organics has new origins released on a seasonal basis.

There are many other coffee makers on the market such as AeroPress and Hario V60 but we like to keep coffee simple - it taste better that way.

Enjoy :-)