Café-style coffee at home? It is possible!
Do you always have to visit a café to enjoy delicious, aromatic coffee? Not quite. With the right ingredients and tools, and a little practice making black coffee, caffè latte and other favourites, café-style coffee at home is within reach. Interested? Let us explore how to prepare an excellent café-style drink in the comfort of your own home, step by step.
Good coffee comes first
Do you buy your coffee at the local grocery shop or supermarket? Then do not be surprised if your everyday cup is quite different from the one served at your favourite café. Understanding how to buy good-quality coffee comes first. Without it, you will not achieve a delicious, aromatic black coffee.
For café-style results, look for beans from specialists such as roasteries or dedicated coffee shops. There you will find freshly roasted coffee produced in small batches, rather than stored for a long time. Another advantage is the variety of developed flavour profiles, allowing everyone to choose a coffee that suits their tastes.
These roasteries usually work with farms around the world, from the Americas through Africa to Asia. Some of the world's finest coffees reach Poland from these continents.
Do you know which country is the world's largest coffee producer? Brazil! Perhaps that is a good place to begin your coffee journey.
Brazil Santos 100% Arabica whole bean coffee is a coffee-market classic. It has a low caffeine content, a gently sweet taste with notes of mango, melon and citrus, and an aroma of black tea. It is an ideal starting point for a proper coffee adventure.
Time to grind
The second important habit to develop is grinding your coffee. When you buy beans from a trusted shop, consider adding a good coffee grinder to your basket. Burr grinders from the renowned Hario brand are an excellent choice. Our online shop offers several versions at different prices.
Why is grinding immediately before preparation so important? Coffee beans contain aromatic oils that are released within minutes of grinding. Ready-ground coffee will therefore not be as aromatic as coffee ground just before brewing. If you want café-style coffee at home, the answer is simple: buy whole beans and grind them shortly before brewing.
Equipment for excellent café-style coffee
Not ready to fulfil your dream of owning an espresso machine? Do not worry: you can still make excellent black coffee and even an impressive, delicious caffè latte.
Alternative coffee equipment comes to the rescue, including the AeroPress, Chemex and iconic moka pots. Which should you choose? Many people without an espresso machine favour a moka pot, also known as a caffettiera or macchinetta.
This little pot is surprisingly capable. It can make an excellent coffee reminiscent of a drink from a proper pressure coffee machine. Its compact size, price and simple, intuitive preparation are its main advantages, and have contributed to its popularity in Poland and beyond.
Another piece of equipment worth mentioning is a pour-over kettle. It is useful for alternative methods such as a dripper, Chemex or AeroPress. Its specially shaped base and long spout let you pour precisely, controlling both the flow rate and where the water lands.
Now for the milk — or, more precisely, light, silky foam. Manual or electric milk frothers can help. For an impressive texture, try milk containing 3.2% or even 3.9% fat. Higher fat content is associated here with milk that is easier to froth, as is higher protein content. Did you know that?
Read also: Which milk should you choose for coffee?
Finishing touches for coffee
When ordering a flat white, cappuccino, caffè latte or latte macchiato at a café, we often discover surprising additions: flavoured coffee syrup, chocolate shavings, cocoa, spices such as cinnamon or turmeric, and decorations on top of the milk foam.
Read also: Three healthy additions to coffee: what to add to your black brew
All these ingredients are easy to buy online or at a local food shop. Do not dismiss them as insignificant additions. They are precisely what helps create that appealing, luxurious café-style impression.