Behold, Our Best Coffee Making Hacks

Coffee! We all know and care about it so much that I couldn’t even think of a proper lede to write about it. In fact, I’m sipping my delightful morning brew while writing this post. It’s the only way to start the day.

Since it’s such an integral part of our routine, we rounded up the best tricks for making the perfect cup o’ joe. And, of course, it all starts with the beans.

Buy whole bean coffee and store it in an air-tight opaque container in a cool, dry place, away from the heat of the stove. Use your beans within two weeks of buying it for maximum flavor.

For grinding, get a burr grinder. Yes, they take up more counter space and are a bit more expensive, but you can taste the difference. (Trust me, I recently made the switch from blade-to-burr and wow, the improvement is noticeable.) Don’t throw out your old blade grinder though, you can still use it as a spice mill.

Next up is the water. Use filtered water for the best flavor, and if you’re brewing in a drip maker right away, heat up the water somewhere from 195-205ºF before pouring into the machine.

If pour-over is more your style, invest in reusable filters. The one I got is stainless steel and dishwasher safe. It pays for itself after just a few uses. You can make a more flavorful pour-over iced coffee by doubling the amount of grounds and brewing directly over ice. That way, the ice won’t water down the finished product, and it will end up less bitter.

Finally, if you have coffee that has cooled down, don’t put it in the microwave (this will bring out the bitter compounds). Instead, pour the cooled coffee over ice and turn it into a summer afternoon treat. For all these tips and more, check out the video above.