Are you tired of your everyday life and the same cup of coffee you drink every morning? Then it's time to give yourself a different reward. Why not spice up your morning routine with a rich cup of gourmet coffee?
The dictionary says this about gourmet food: "Gourmet food is of the highest quality, is perfectly cooked, and is presented in an artful way." If you want the best food, you go to a top restaurant, but if you want the best coffee, you can make it yourself at home. Unless you invite a chef over, that gourmet meal is probably going to stay at the restaurant, but with a little practise, you can make gourmet coffee at home.
Gourmet coffee costs more than, say, coffee from the grocery store, but it also tastes much better. Unless you don't care about money, why not save the fancy coffee for the weekend? Make it something you do every Friday. If you're in a hurry to get to work, stick with the coffee from the grocery store.
Start with the beans if you want to make your own gourmet coffee. You can buy gourmet coffee beans by the pound, and there are many different kinds to choose from. Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Sumatra beans are some of the most popular gourmet beans.
Like wine, coffee beans are named after the place where they were grown. In the world of wine, the popular Sonoma wines come from California's Sonoma Valley. The equivalent in the world of coffee would be Kona beans, which come from Kona, Hawaii.
Kona coffee beans are grown in the Kona coffee belt on the western side of the Big Island of Hawaii. This area has rich volcanic soil and a mild tropical climate. It tastes full, smooth, and rich, and there is little or no bitter aftertaste. Make sure you buy Kona beans and not a mix of Kona and other beans. Legally, a Kona blend can be called Kona even if it only has 10% real Kona beans in it.
The next step is to grind the beans. When ground coffee is exposed to air, it starts to lose its flavour. So you should grind just enough to get the amount you want. Store any extra grinds in a container that won't let air in. You should grind your coffee beans very finely, but not to the point where they become dust. If you grind them too much, the oils that give coffee its flavour will be burned off by the heat and friction.
When did you last clean your coffee machine? Your coffee will taste much better when your coffee maker is clean. Pour half vinegar and half water into your coffee machine at least once a month. Let the mix go through the whole process of brewing. Rinse it out again, but this time use water instead of soap. Do this again if the smell of vinegar is still there.
Now that you're done, it's the coffee maker's turn to do its job. Use filtered water that is clean and fill the coffee maker to the level you want. For every 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee, use about 6 ounces of water. Turn it on, and while it's brewing, hang out. You'll want to be there to smell how good it smells.
Everyday coffee is just right for every day. But every once in a while, you should do something nice for yourself. And what better way to start something special than with something special to drink? Gourmet coffee can really make your day more interesting.
