Busting Myths About Home Coffee Brewing
More and more coffee enthusiasts are becoming intrigued by the specialty coffee industry. Many enjoy learning the “story” behind the beans, experimenting with unique brewing devices, and experiencing new flavors. People want to savor high-quality coffee not only in cafés but also in the comfort of their homes. However, beginners often encounter outdated beliefs that hinder their ability to brew a delicious cup on their own.
We already have a guide that debunks some of the most common coffee myths. In this article, we will tackle five more questionable claims about how to brew great coffee at home.
“Tap water is good enough for home coffee brewing” — most of the time, it’s not
The importance of water in coffee brewing cannot be overstated — after all, the beverage is 90-99% water. To determine if your water is suitable for brewing coffee, you need to assess it based on several key factors:
- The water should be clear and odorless.
- The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) level should range from 75 to 175 mg/L, with calcium content between 51 and 68 mg/L, and sodium no more than 10 mg/L.
- Chlorine levels should be zero.
- The pH level, which balances acidity and alkalinity, should be between 6.5 and 8, with the ideal pH for coffee being 7.
You can measure water mineralization at home using a cheap TDS meter from Amazon.
Tap water is typically too hard and contains an excessive amount of minerals. Using such water for coffee brewing will not extract enough flavor compounds from the beans, resulting in a flat and unremarkable taste. Here are a few solutions to this issue:
- Choose bottled water with an optimal mineral content.
- Use household filters equipped with softening and remineralizing modules.
- Add minerals to distilled water.
The last option is ideal for those willing to experiment at home. We’ve provided a detailed overview of water mineralization additives in a previous article. These additives allow you to modify the water composition, significantly impact the taste of the coffee, and help bring out the best qualities of the beans.
“Single-origin coffee is always better than blends” — Not anymore
The interest in single-origin coffee grew alongside the rise of specialty coffee culture. Professionals appreciate single-origin beans for their high quality and traceability. Consumers can learn the “story” of a specific lot — the journey of beans from a single origin is easily traceable down to the region and even the producer.
Coffee blends, on the other hand, historically couldn’t offer such transparency. In the past, blends were often composed of multiple varieties or even species of coffee. Frequently, higher-quality Arabica beans were mixed with Robusta to reduce costs, which led to blends gaining a reputation for being lower quality.
However, this situation has evolved in recent years. Today, blends are crafted to create more balanced and versatile coffees than what single-origin beans can provide. These blends offer stability — their flavor profile is easier to replicate from harvest to harvest, even if suppliers change. The quality of the beans in these blends now rivals that of single-origin coffee — roasters often mix two or three lots from different countries, all scoring above 80 points, which qualifies as specialty-level.
Today, both single-origin and blended coffees have the potential for superior quality, allowing them to coexist harmoniously in the coffee market.
“You should always buy whole beans, not ground coffee” — Yes, but not always
It's true that ground coffee loses its freshness more quickly than whole beans. Ground coffee absorbs moisture and odors more readily, its oils oxidize faster, and its volatile flavor compounds evaporate. To prevent this, it's recommended to grind coffee right before brewing. However, sometimes this is not the best approach.
Not everyone has a professional grinder at home. When purchasing a grinder, many people are unsure of what features to prioritize. The primary requirement for a grinder is consistency, but not all machines can deliver this. If the beans are ground unevenly, some particles will extract faster than others, leading to an unbalanced and unpleasant cup of coffee.
The price of a grinder generally reflects its quality. However, even the most expensive grinders require regular cleaning and proper maintenance.
Even high-quality manual grinders are not cheap, and not every coffee lover is ready to invest in such a device for home use. This is why the rule of always buying whole beans has an important exception. If you don’t have a quality grinder at home, it’s better to buy pre-ground coffee from a roaster or ask a barista at a coffee shop to grind it for you. In this case, the key is to purchase small amounts of coffee and store it properly.
We sell ground coffee in 250-gram packs, which is enough to brew about 15 cups of filter coffee. Additionally, you can select the grind size on our website, and we will grind freshly roasted beans on professional equipment tailored specifically for your brewing method.
“For French press, you need to grind coarsely” — Yes, but not necessarily
Brewing coffee in a French press is simple enough for beginners — it’s one of the easiest and most affordable immersion brewing devices. During the brewing process, the coffee stays in contact with water for a long time. To prevent over-extraction and bitterness, a coarse grind is typically used. Coarse particles are also easier to strain with the filter, resulting in a clean cup without sediment.
However, using a finer grind also has its benefits. Soluble compounds extract more quickly, allowing for maximum flavor to be drawn out in less time. You don’t need to wait for the coffee to steep to get a rich taste. Additionally, the water in the French press stays hot, so extraction happens rapidly and efficiently.
James Hoffmann, author of “The World Atlas of Coffee,” recommends experimenting with grind size to find what works best for your French press.
If you’re using finely ground beans, and want to avoid a cloudy or sludgy brew, invest in a high-quality French press with a finer mesh filter. However, be careful not to press the coffee too forcefully, as this can result in a bitter, murky beverage that’s unpleasant to drink.
“Coffee, like tea, can be brewed multiple times” — Definitely not
Some people draw parallels between tea and coffee, attempting to brew coffee grounds more than once. The result, however, is usually disappointing.
Dry tea consists of many tightly rolled leaves, and the surface area in contact with water is much smaller than that of ground coffee particles. It takes several infusions to fully extract all the flavors and aromatic compounds from tea leaves.
With coffee, the situation is different. About 50% of coffee is composed of insoluble cellulose. The substances and compounds that can dissolve into water make up only about 36%, and even that is achievable only in a laboratory setting. At home, the extraction rate is no higher than 26%. Upon a second brewing, this percentage drops significantly lower. It has been proven that when extraction falls below 18%, the taste of the coffee is dominated by chlorogenic acidity and bitter, grassy notes.
The result of brewing coffee grounds a second time is essentially just tinted water with an unpleasant taste.
Summary
Although the specialty coffee culture is growing rapidly, many coffee lovers still hold onto misconceptions. Here are some of the key points we’ve clarified:
- Tap water may be safe for brewing coffee, but its composition and hardness will prevent you from brewing a great-tasting cup.
- Modern coffee blends made from specialty-level beans are on par with single-origin coffees in terms of quality. Many international coffee competition winners use blends in their presentations.
- If you don’t have a high-quality grinder at home, it’s better to purchase beans ground by a roaster or ask a barista at a coffee shop to grind them for you.
- For a French press, you can use any grind size, as long as you adjust the brewing parameters accordingly.
- Don’t equate coffee with tea and attempt to brew coffee grounds a second time, as the results will likely be unsatisfactory.