A Good Cup of Coffee (See Jane Brew)
With coffee shops aplenty and a Starbucks at every corner, it seems that making your own coffee could be perceived as an obsolete art. However, I learned early on that nothing is better than drinking a cup of coffee perfectly prepared to your tastes. I started drinking it sporadically when I was a senior in high school and my parents always had a fresh pot that I could put in a to-go cup on my drive to school (my hometown didn’t have Starbucks in the early 2000s..gasp). Here are a few tips I use (learned mostly from my parents) to make coffee the perfect cup, every time.
- Buy the best coffee you can afford (per your tastes); it will still be cheaper than buying a cup from a coffee shop.
- Buy whole beans and grind them yourself (if your coffee pot doesn’t have an automatic grinder, you can buy a separate grinder for about $10)
- Put a dash of cinnamon in the grinder along with the beans
- Use 2 tablespoons of beans for every 6 ounces of water
- I take my coffee with half & half and a bit of sugar. Lately, I’ve been using an organic French Vanilla half & half that I found at Whole Foods and skipping sugar all together (it’s made with real sugar–nothing artificial).
- At home, I’ll top my coffee with a bit of whipped cream after using just a splash of half & half (again, earned from my parents).
Do you drink coffee? If so, how do you take it?
You're absolutely right about grinding the coffe at home! Not only does it taste better, but also makes the entire kitchen smell incredibly good… To be honest, I'm obsessed with the smell of freshly ground coffee… :o)
x
Yumm the last photo made me crave a cup of coffee! I'm going to have to try the whole foods half and half!
I lived about a year in Chicago and I LOVED the coffee from Intelligentsia. They served the best coffee in town.
Greetings from Germany
Caro
Do I drink coffee? Girrrrrrrllllll, I am addicted to it. LOL! I take mine with lots of cream and sugar. Also love it with a shot of caramel syrup:-)
That looks delicious. I'm borderline obsessed with coffee but I can only drink iced! It's an issue haha
We are huge coffee drinkers at our house!! In fact we just bought our first espresso machine and it will arrive any day now! I see you use intelligentsia coffee. We use that and counter culture. 🙂 It is also a good idea to make sure the roast is not over a month old. Great post!!
http://mereandthemr.blogspot.com/
This is such a lovely post -specifically love the crisp photos. I started drinking coffee as a young child because my grandmother would give us "coffee-milk" in my Pappy's espresso mugs 🙂 So needless to say, I have been hooked since the young age of 6 and have Gram to thank. I also like whipped cream in my coffee – such a simple thing, but it really feels like a luxurious treat! Have a great day.
I admittedly order coffee out just as often as I make it at home so this post is for me… I've been wanting to perfect my at home brewing! And I've been meaning to try your whipped cream in the coffee idea!
I really need to get a grinder, it does make a HUGE difference in a "fresher" taste when you grind your own coffee as opposed to buying the coffee already ground. I'm weird in the sense that it has to be really sweet for me to enjoy it – so it's either cream and a lot of sugar or a lot of flavored creamer.
I'm glad some people still have common sense enough to save their money by doing simple things like brewing coffee at home. I try to brew coffee at least 5 days a week and it ends up saving me $50 a month, so worth it!
I've learned to make my own coffee and it's great! The key to a great cup of coffee is a french press! Can't live without it. With living in a small town there is nowhere to go for a great cup of coffee.. no Starbucks for 2 hours! AHHH But I guess that saves me some money!
Melanie
iambornlippy.blogspot.com
I drink decaff with milk. One cup is enough for me. xoxo
I've never been a coffee drinker but I absolutely love the smell!
http://lindseyyoung.net
I love you coffee just the way you do….simple with a bit of half and half and sugar. My husband on the other hand is addicted to Venti Iced Carmel Macchiato :/ and yes, always a Venti…
-Trang
http://www.benjaminandtrang.com
that *smells* good!!! <3
im allergic to dairy so substitue cream for almond milk. yum!!
xo the egg out west.
I totally agree with you! We have a traditional coffee machine like they use in coffee shops and there is nothing better than an espresso with a little bit of sugar…
xx Olga
La Petite Olga
Ah thanks for posting this! I am a Starbucks junkie, and looking to save money! Your tips seem like making coffee at home yummy and cost effective!
Jane, what kind of coffee do you buy? I take mine black…iced or hot. No sugar, no nothing!
I love the darkest possible roast either black or with a dollop of real, thick, rich cream. Mmmmm
<3 Cambria
jupefashion.blogspot.com
hi @phoebe – I buy Intelligentsia which is local to Chicago!
We are a home brewing house & now my office is too. I think everyone I know drinks their coffee black, cream is such a nice treat though. Have you ever used the hand crank//grinder? Dying to try it.
I have no desire to grind coffee. It's just not my thing. But, I do make my own coffee at home. I found this amazing Creme Brulee blend at TJ Maxx, and I love it.
You are right in saying that making coffee at home tastes better than what you get at a chain. And, you don't have to wait in a long line in a very crowded cafe.
I put vanilla soy milk in mine…. Loveeeee coffee!!
I'm a total coffee addict. I'll have to try your whipped cream/splash of half & half trick. Yum!!
This is a great post! I follow the same steps as you (also learned from my parents) except I hadn't heard of adding a dash of cinnamon to the beans…I'm going to try it this week! I also buy intelligentsia beans if I can 😉
http://creativelystylish.wordpress.com/
One I went French press & self-ground beans I couldn't go back. I JUST got a similar French vanilla creamer from Trader Joe's that is amazing, no HFCS & replaces my sugar and cream too!
I noticed your Intelligentsia coffee bag and it put a smile on my face. As a brand new Chicagoan I've fallen in love with their yummy brew!
I've also recently become a half and half convert at home. It's so much better than the sweetened creamer (filled with corn syrup) on which I used to rely.
I'm a caffeine addict, so this post is brilliant. I love the tip of adding cinnamon, especially since I take mine black!
xo Josie
http://www.winksmilestyle.com
TOTALLY agree! My favorite is Stumptown!
http://josieblog.com/2012/01/02/oregon-holiday-recap/
YUM! Love your tips 🙂 I always grind my beans, add cinnamon (and sometimes vanilla extract too) and then I add organic whole milk & orange blossom honey. I love adding whipped cream sometimes too – it makes a simple cup of coffee so decadent! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your awesome blog! More power!
I love the darkest possible roast either black or with a dollop of real, thick, rich cream. Mmmmm <3 Cambria jupefashion.blogspot.com