How can I make better coffee at home?

Lots of customers have wondered why coffee tastes better at the café, even when they brew the same coffee at home with the same kind of coffee maker. The reason can be surprisingly small things. For many of us the most familiar brewer is the classic filter coffee maker, most often a Moccamaster or a Wilfa. But many of us make common little slip-ups with our home brewer, which means a) the coffee doesn't taste as good as it could and b) the coffee maker gets dirty more easily, which in turn means the coffee starts to taste unpleasant over time. So let's dig into how to brew filter coffee properly!

1. Fresh water, fresh coffee maker, fresh coffee

Who's going to admit to pouring water into the coffee maker with a dirty coffee pot? That's a big no-no. Even if you always rinse the pot after use, coffee oils always stay in the pot, and over time they end up in the water tank and from there in the inner parts of the coffee maker, clogging it and causing unwanted off-flavours in your coffee. Fresh water always goes straight from the tap into the tank, or use a clean container.

2. Rinse the filter paper before use

Why on earth? When you rinse the filter paper before use, the taste of the paper doesn't end up in your coffee, the coffee extracts more evenly and its own aromas come through better. A wet filter paper also stays in place better. Filter papers differ too, so it's a good idea to choose a quality filter paper in the right size for your coffee maker.

3. Whole beans are always better

You always get the freshest-tasting coffee by grinding the beans just before brewing. But if you don't have a grinder at home (yet), filter ground coffee works perfectly well too. Just make sure you don't accidentally use coffee that's ground too coarse or too fine, so your coffee doesn't end up weak or, on the other hand, bitter.

4. Measure and weigh

A common misconception about brewing coffee is that the more grounds you add, the stronger the result. Actually, the strong coffee lover is just wasting coffee here. You can get a bold flavour with the right proportions too. The right coffee to water ratio is about 60 g of ground coffee per litre of water. Coffee scoops at home vary in size, but typically one scoop holds about 7 g of coffee, which is enough for one small cup. If you have kitchen scales at home, it's a good idea to weigh your coffee at least at first, so you learn the right ratio!

5. Stir the coffee bed

A good extra trick for a more even coffee flavour is to stir the coffee bed in the middle of brewing. So when some water has already run over the grounds, give them a confident stir a few times with a spoon so the water spreads evenly through the grounds. Not essential, but a good way to get even better coffee!

6. Keep your coffee maker clean

You can't get good coffee with dirty equipment. Clean your coffee maker regularly, even just with baking soda and vinegar. You don't necessarily need expensive descalers, as you can clean the coffee maker with ordinary household supplies. Of course you can find different cleaners in the shops, and you can use those too. The main thing is not to let your coffee maker get grimy, and give it a wash at least during your spring and Christmas cleaning.

7. Choose a quality coffee that suits your taste

And one more important thing! Choose a quality coffee that's roasted by hand in small batches and suits your taste. Whether you love light roasts or darker coffee, you're sure to find a coffee in our range that's just right for you. What could be better than starting the day with your favourite coffee!

We hope you found something new for your own coffee moments in these tips! You can also find a video with the same tips from a few years ago on our YouTube channel. Even though the video is old, luckily the tips haven't gone out of date! Watch the video here.