So you’ve just started making coffee at home and you're not sure how to recreate the quality you’ve had in your favourite coffee shops. Fear not! Here we'll explain what you'll need to make barista quality coffee at home. We cover the most important variables and how to master each of these.
Let’s get brewing!
If I want to make barista quality coffee at home, where should I start?
The beauty of coffee is that each roast will have a unique flavour. If you've particularly enjoyed a brew at your favourite coffee shop, ask the barista questions about it - what beans did they use? What recipe did they follow? Most independent coffee shops will have a retail shelf with a good selection of different beans that they're using in store. If you like something they've made, you may be able to buy a fresh batch of the same beans.
Why are fresh beans important?
First and foremost, you’ll need fresh whole beans. It's vital that the beans are not pre-ground. Ground coffee spoils incredibly quickly.
The quality and freshness of your beans will determine how tasty and flavourful your brew can be.
To ensure the beans stay as fresh as they can, for as long as possible, store them in an airtight container at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
If you're buying fresh whole bean coffee then you'll need a grinder to prepare the coffee for brewing.
A good quality grinder that allows accurate control of the grind size is the most important piece of equipment in your brewing setup - it will allow you to grind coffee that's suitable for your chosen brewing method.
Why is the grinder so important for great coffee?
The rule is simple, freshly ground coffee gives fresher flavours, which is why we always recommend grinding your beans just before you brew your coffee.
However, if you use a poor quality grinder the consistency of the ground coffee is likely to be below the standard you need to offer an even flavour extraction during brewing. It can result in brews that are weak and watery, or gritty and harsh.
When considering a grinder there are effectively two things you need to choose:
- Blades or burrs
- Manually powered or electrical
Blades or burrs?
This is an easy decision if you're serious about improving your coffee at home. You should be looking to invest in a burr grinder over blades.
The blades action will cause the beans to fracture and results in inconsistent particle size. This makes brewing a great coffee very difficult and unpredictable - if you make a good coffee you want to be able to make it time and time again without hassle!
So you've made the decision to purchase a grinder that uses burrs. There are two types of burr options - conical or flat.
Conical burrs typically create a more varied grind size distribution. This results in more depth and a thicker mouthfeel. Conical burrs are typically more forgiving, which may be better for beginners. The Niche Zero uses a premium 63mm conical burr set.
Flat burrs produce a very consistent particle size and this typically results in a much cleaner cup profile and clarity of flavours. The Niche Duo uses two sets of professional grade 83mm flat burrs.
Manual or electric?
Manual hand grinders are generally cheaper than electric grinders but they require a reasonable amount of effort - particularly if you're using them to grind for espresso.
An electric grinder will do the work for you and make the process much quicker.
The next thing to consider is the grind size (and how it effects the overall brewing processes).
Basic rules of grinding
- The finer the grind size, the more you’ll extract from your coffee due to the greater surface area. However, if the grind is too fine then the hot water will struggle to penetrate the grounds and your brew will suffer from added bitterness. This is called over extraction.
- The coarser the grind size, the less extraction there will be. Under extracted coffee typically has a more sour flavour and watery/thin finish.
- Espresso will need a finer grind and pour over brews will require a coarser grind.
- Grind only what you need for your brew, as any leftover ground coffee will go stale very quickly!
- As with all brewing equipment, you want to keep it as clean as possible. You don’t want old grounds to contaminate the next brew you make.
Scales - weigh everything
As with cooking a delicious meal, you're more likely to consistently achieve the desired output if you follow a recipe. You can only do this if you accurately track the weight of the ingredients you use.
Coffee is the same. You need to understand how much coffee and water you're using. A recipe typically involves weighing out an amount of coffee that you will grind, then an amount of water that will be introduced and finally, the time in which that whole process takes.
Measuring in grams is typically best as it affords the required degree of accuracy. Many digital scales designed for coffee brewing will also have a timer built into them. If not you can just use your phone or a small digital timer.
How hot should your coffee be?
Most kettles will just heat water until boiling. However, using water straight off the boil is not recommended. It may over extract certain flavour compounds leading to heightened bitterness and/or burnt flavours.
Most espresso machines will heat and hold water around 91-96º, meaning you won't typically need to worry about the temperature of the water in the espresso machine.
However, if brewing a pour over or similar, we recommend using a kettle that allows you to control the temperature that the water is heated to.
The temperature of the water you brew with will affect how your coffee tastes. The recommended range is 90.5–96°C. However, the exact temperature depends on the coffee you’re using and your own personal preferences. This is where practice comes in, allowing you to experiment and establish the tastes you prefer.
Why is it important to time your brews?
Brew time has a large impact on how your coffee tastes. No matter the recipe, filter or espresso, you want to make sure you’re recording how long your brews take.
For a traditional espresso you should use 18g of ground coffee to produce 36g of liquid in the cup over 28-30 seconds.
As you start recording the time it takes for your brews to complete, you can then start to use this as a reference point to perfect your extraction.
Using either of the Niche grinders will allow you to grind your coffee consistently and produce cup after cup of the same result.
What equipment do you need to brew at home?
There is a huge range and variety of brewing devices and machines that you can explore, but to avoid confusion we’ll focus on the two main styles, filter and espresso.
For filter coffee, a few notable ones are V60, Chemex and Orea. These pour over methods tend to have a cleaner flavour profile than full immersion filter brewers.
A few notable immersion methods are AeroPress, French press and CleverDripper. These typically give a greater body when brewed.
To brew an espresso shot you’ll need an espresso machine. All espresso machines are a variation of the same idea, a machine that pushes hot water through a puck of finely ground coffee, at high pressure, creating a short, intense shot of coffee.
If you're interested in learning more about making espresso at home, check out our ultimate guide to making espresso at home.
I'm ready to make delicious coffee at home
Great coffee can be a rabbit hole of recipes, experiments and opinions. However, if you stick to the core principles described above you should be brewing barista quality beverages in no time!
Enjoy the journey of figuring out a few of your own recipes and tweaking the variables to discover what you like and what you don't. The choices are endless and, as a home barista, they are all yours!