Coffee Crush: The Best Home Brew for You
Make your coffee ritual even more rapturous with a set-up designed for ease and enjoyment
If there’s a finer way to start the day than with a cup of perfectly brewed coffee, I don’t know what it is. What I do know is that coffee has become such an essential part of modern life that there’s even an International Coffee Day to celebrate the bitter brew. And it’s today, October 1 – how fun! Special tastings, roastings and dozens of other events are scheduled to take place around the world and, in Sydney, there’s even a launch party for a new album made entirely with sounds sampled from a coffee machine. The album is, of course, called ‘The Grinds’.
We’re all different in how we like our coffee made – some hang out to savour it at their favourite cafe before work, others make it at home any number of ways. Some would say the luckiest caffeine addicts have a steaming hot cup made for them before they’ve even hopped out of bed; others enjoy making the coffee almost as much as drinking it. See if any of these ideas will change the way you do your morning coffee.
We’re all different in how we like our coffee made – some hang out to savour it at their favourite cafe before work, others make it at home any number of ways. Some would say the luckiest caffeine addicts have a steaming hot cup made for them before they’ve even hopped out of bed; others enjoy making the coffee almost as much as drinking it. See if any of these ideas will change the way you do your morning coffee.
Serious coffee lovers will happily spend thousands on a coffee maker, but which ones make the best brew is definitely up for debate.
Fans of stovetop Moka pots say the flavour of the coffee made in them just gets better after years of use. And the process of making the coffee in one of these iconic Italian coffee makers can be just as rewarding as the end result. Commonly found in kitchens across Europe and South America, these much-loved coffee pots have been around since the 1930s.
Brew your heart out at home
Brew your heart out at home
Contemporary kitchens are all sleek lines and smooth surfaces, so building a coffee machine into the cabinetry makes sense.
Some built-in machines even have an integrated drawer to warm up your cups. This Miele model switches the warming drawer on half an hour before the programmed switch-on time, to ensure your coffee stays warmer for longer once it’s poured.
Others are willing to allow their coffee maker to take up valuable real estate on the benchtop.
A butler’s pantry solves the bench space issue, of course …
… as does an open nook that allows easy access to the coffee machine without taking up kitchen prep space.
Browse more contemporary kitchen layouts
Browse more contemporary kitchen layouts
If your kitchen is too tight to accommodate a coffee machine on the bench, that space under the stairs could be given a new purpose. This coffee and tea station puts everything you need right where you need it.
Whether you buy your beans ready-ground or grind them yourself is another subjective decision. Self-confessed coffee snobs say the taste is far fresher with just-ground beans.
Whether they dare admit it out loud or not, many coffee lovers are still content to drink – shock, horror – instant. How else do you explain the rows upon rows of instant coffee available for purchase at the supermarket?
Whether they dare admit it out loud or not, many coffee lovers are still content to drink – shock, horror – instant. How else do you explain the rows upon rows of instant coffee available for purchase at the supermarket?
Single-serve coffee pod machines have made percolators and drip coffee makers all but redundant, at least in Australia and New Zealand – the speed, convenience and variety of these machines is hard to resist. The downside with them becoming so popular, though, is the mountains of waste they’re directing to landfills.
Fortunately, there are solutions. Recycling company TerraCycle has drop-off points at florists and garden centres around Australia and New Zealand for used pods. Nespresso has also just started selling pre-paid Australia Post satchels so consumers can send up to 130 capsules at a time back for recycling. Refillable and biodegradable pods are being developed to tackle growing environmental concerns too.
Where do you stand on coffee pod machines? Vote in our poll
Where do you stand on coffee pod machines? Vote in our poll
Coffee plungers negate the need for those pesky pods, but is the brew as good? You tell us. The French press continues to have its devotees, and the AeroPress has gained a cult following over the past 10 years.
Once you’ve brewed your coffee of choice, the only decision left is where to enjoy it. A sunny spot by the window is a nice choice …
… or go back to bed and relish it with a good book.
Just because you can brew your coffee at home doesn’t mean you always want to drink it right there and then. Keep insulated keep-cups at the ready for those days when you’re running out the door and need to drink your coffee on the go.
YOUR SAY
What’s your morning brew-tine? Convince us about the best way to brew coffee in the Comments.
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Read more life-style stories on Houzz
YOUR SAY
What’s your morning brew-tine? Convince us about the best way to brew coffee in the Comments.
MORE
Read more life-style stories on Houzz