Not everyone has the time or money to visit their local cafe whenever they want a perfect cup of coffee or tea. Although the cost of a mug of your favourite drink may seem like a small expense, over time it can really add up – so why not try and make it yourself at home?
But, making the perfect home-brewed coffee or tea is a little more complex than using instant grounds, hot water, and a splash of milk. There are a lot of different brewing techniques that promise to create the perfect cup, but we’re here to share some top tips that will kill the temptation to spend money at a cafe ever again.
1. Buy Better Coffee Beans
You could be following all of the popular coffee brewing methods, but if can’t recreate the delicious coffee flavor from your favorite cafe, the problem may lie in the coffee beans.
Most cafes will have their own speciality beans that create quality coffee every single time, much better than the typical beans you can buy in the supermarket. If you like the beans that your cafe uses, buy them for yourself!
Using quality beans alongside the best coffee equipment will guarantee a delicious cup of coffee every time, so it’s well worth the investment.
2. Spice Up Your Recipes
Some people are more than happy drinking straight black coffee every morning, but we prefer to get a bit more creative with our recipes.
Taking your humble cup of coffee or tea to the next level is as simple as adding in flavoured syrup, experimenting with different coffee brewing time options to alter the taste of the coffee grind, or pouring your coffee over ice with whipped cream for a refreshing summertime concoction.
There are plenty of recipes that you can find for different and seasonal coffee or tea drinks. All it takes is a quick Google search and you’ll be faced with a whole range of recipes you can use to create speciality drinks like you’d find in a hip coffee joint.
3. Try Making Your Own Syrups
Syrups are an extremely popular addition to any coffee-based drink, whether it’s a simple vanilla flavor to add sweetness to a bitter brew, or seasonal pumpkin spice for the perfect Fall drink. Whatever way you prefer it, syrup can elevate a basic cup of coffee and satisfy your sweet tooth.
Buying your own coffee syrups can set you back a few dollars, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that they’re incredibly easy to make yourself.
For a simple sugar syrup, combine equal parts of sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil so everything combines. Once it’s cooled down, pour the syrup into a bottle or mason jar for your next cup of coffee.
You can also add different flavours to the syrup, like vanilla extract, cinnamon, hazelnut, cocoa powder, or peppermint to add something a little bit different to your coffee or tea.
4. Use Filtered Water
If you’re getting serious about following the best coffee and tea tips, you should be just as serious about the water you use. Most people agree that filtered water is the gold standard for a good cup of coffee or tea, this is because filtered water contains all the important minerals and compounds that really bring out the coffee and tea flavor.
If you’ve gone through the effort to get the best water possible, you’ll also want to get a good quality kettle to boil it in. We’d recommend something like the Paris Rhône Electric Gooseneck Kettle EK005, which gives you enhanced control over the temperature of the water. This way, you can boil your water to the perfect temperature to enhance the flavor of your coffee or tea, without burning it.
5. Use a Milk Frother For Creamy Coffee
When you get a latte or cappuccino from a cafe, they often come with a generous amount of froth on top that makes the coffee much more creamy and delicious. Although this froth is normally created from industry-standard machinery, you can recreate this at home with the help of a milk frother.
A good milk frother, like the Paris Rhône 4-In-1 Electric Milk Frother, will cost around $40 but perfectly froths up your milk, ready to be poured back over your tea or coffee. To use, simply pour some milk into the machine, press the button to choose your froth level, wait, and pour it over your drink – you could even try and practice your latte art while you’re at it.
6. Get Creative With Your Tea
When you think about tea, a lot of people conjure up ideas of boring black tea taken with milk and sugar, but you can very easily take it to a whole new level by getting creative with your tea brewing methods and the varieties of tea leaves you use.
The simple option is the bagged teas, but if you want to have more control over the flavour of your drink, try using your own mixture of loose-leaf tea leaves. You can also adjust the brewing temperature, tea steeping time, and tea accessories to create a totally unique cup of tea.
From light and fresh white teas to fruity herbal teas, there’s definitely a tea infusion for every occasion. Also, don’t think that your milk frother can only be used with a cup of tea, it works just as well to make a delicious, creamy tea as well!
Make Your Perfect Home-Brewed Coffee and Tea Today
If you’ve followed all of the tea and coffee tips we outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to making the perfect cup of tea or coffee to wake you up in the morning.
So, what are you waiting for? Get the kettle on and start brewing the perfect drink right now!
