Baristas’ tips for making takeaway-style coffee at home
 A recent study by Which? found that the amount of caffeine in popular coffee shops’ drinks varies wildly: one chain’s cappuccinos had five times more than a rival’s. So, depending on where you drop in for your cups o’ Joe on any given day, you might be getting a much more intense or far weaker caffeine kick than you were after. Want consistency? Sticking to one coffee shop might be the way to go. Or you could consider taking control over your caffeine intake (and saving some cash in the process) by making your own coffee at home. Think homemade can’t compete with quality and strength that barista-made coffee promises? Think again. Here, coffee experts reveal how to nail your favourite takeaway coffee at home – all without expensive kit. What’s the right coffee for you? Most of us have lingered in the supermarket aisles wondering which type of coffee will really make our day. “There is a massive spectrum of flavours,” says barista Jordon Keen. So which should you choose? If you’re new to experimenting with different coffees, go for “a coffee with classic flavours – chocolate and nuts – such as a Brazilian coffee,” suggests Kit Nisbet, founder of a coffee roastery. Choose coffee that suits the type of drink you like. Milky coffee, such as a latte or white coffee (dairy or alternatives), tastes best if made from darker roasted beans because a stronger, bitter flavour carries the milk, while black coffee is good made with lighter roasted beans so you taste the delicate fruity or citrussy notes. If you want personal advice, a local coffee shop or roastery may sell beans and ground coffee and advise on which type is right for your taste. Once you get your coffee home, it’s crucial you store it correctly. Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. The fridge isn’t appropriate because of the moisture in the air, and coffee may taste stale if it has been frozen. The daily grind You’ve probably heard that for maximum flavour you should grind your own beans. That's because most of our experience of flavour is through smell rather than taste, and once beans have been ground their aroma weakens over time. “Choose a burr over a blade grinder,” says Kit. You will have little control over the size a blade cuts your beans to, but you can adjust a burr to grind to the consistency you want. Kit argues that even a cheap burr will produce a better coffee than pre-ground beans. The size you grind your beans to should depend on your brewing method: for espresso-style strong coffee you want a fine grind, for filter coffee (aka drip or pour over coffee) medium and for cafetière (aka French press) coarse. Even if you buy pre-ground coffee, you may be able choose between different grinds. If you only have access to pre-ground, is there a trick to making a great cup of coffee? “Just brew it for a bit longer than fresh grinds to get the most out of the coffee character,” says Jordon. Water is key Remember, “the majority of your coffee is water,” says Jordon. Use boiled, filtered water – especially in hard water areas. But be patient: just-boiled water can burn coffee. You don’t need a thermometer, just leave your kettle to stand for minute or two after boiling before pouring the water over your coffee. How much coffee should you use? If you can, weigh your coffee beans. 46g will make around three cups of black coffee The base ratio for black coffee is 60g coffee per litre of water. That’s 15g coffee for a 250ml cup. If it tastes too weak, either grind the beans more finely or add a bit more coffee (especially if you’re adding milk). If it tastes too strong, your grind may be too fine. For an espresso or other strong coffee, you need two to three times the weight of hot water to coffee. So if you use 15g of coffee per person, you will use between 30–45g of hot water. It’s best to weigh your beans before grinding them, according to Kit. Which brewing method is right for you? Brewing filter coffee The key to brewing great coffee on the cheap is to choose the right kit for the type of coffee you drink. Best methods for black coffee The cafetière is the most versatile home-brewing method for black coffee, and gives a good flavour. Coarse coffee grinds should be immersed in hot water for 4 minutes, with occasional stirring, before being pressed to the bottom of the cafetière using a plunger. You can even make cold coffee in a cafetière: place the grinds and cold water in the jug and “leave it to brew in the fridge overnight, or for at least 15 hours, then plunge,” says Jordon. You can buy many sizes, so choose the right one for your family. Filters are good for enhancing the flavours in lighter black coffee. Typically, the brewing is very easy: you pour hot water over coffee grinds, which sit in a filter over a jug or mug. Gravity does the hard work and the coffee drips out of the bottom of the filter. You can buy varying sizes of cone-shaped filters, which make anything from one cup to several. There’s a bit of practice needed for getting the right pouring technique to achieve even extraction, but once you’ve cracked it, it’s very simple and reliable. Kit recommends using this method to make cold-brew coffee, by sitting the cone over ice in a jug to cool as it drips. An Aeropress is very versatile and Kit recommends them for taking on the go because of their small size (he even fits a mini coffee grinder inside). Be sure to use coarsely ground coffee. Kit warns against using an espresso-style brewing method such as a moka pot to make black coffee, as it will taste best when all the water is used in the brewing process rather than hot water being added to a strong shot. Best methods for espresso and milky coffee “Most of the coffee drinks you get in a coffee shop are espresso-based,” says Kit. Lattes, flat whites and cappuccinos are made from espresso shots, using a specialist machine. It is impossible to replicate this drink without the proper kit, as it exerts a huge amount of pressure on the coffee. But there are a couple of ways to create a strong short coffee and these milky beverages at home. An Aeropress is ideal for espresso. It’s all about pressure, much like with an espresso machine, though it uses a lot less force. Put fine coffee grinds and hot water into the device and (this is the key) press really, really hard. A metal filter, rather than a paper filter, may produce a more realistic imitation of an espresso, as some of the micro-grinds will pass through, creating a rich brew. A moka pot (aka stovetop espresso maker) is also ideal for an espresso. In this three-chamber pot, boiling water turns to steam in the bottom section and filters through ground coffee in the middle area. This produces a strong coffee that travels through a spout into the top compartment, where it can be poured out. Some brewers don’t rate this method highly as the process isn’t very precise, but it still brews a great strong coffee that you can use in milky drinks, according to Gemma. She recommends starting with hot water (using oven gloves to screw the moka pot closed), as it will evaporate much more quickly, reducing the contact time between the coffee and boiling water (which can leave a bitter taste). She says you should avoid compressing the coffee, so that steam can rise through it quickly, and not let it boil once brewed, to avoid burning it. A moka pot will usually only make enough coffee for one drink. Freshly brewed moka pot coffee How to make frothy milk without a steamer You can’t steam milk without a steamer, but you can make frothy milk for lattes and cappuccinos in a cafetière, according to Jordon. Put hot or cold milk in the jug of your cafetière and pump the plunger for 1 minute – the more milk you use, the easier it is to froth. Frothing the milk when cold and then heating it in a microwave will help stabilise the foam. You can also buy heated electric milk frothers, which work well if your budget is slightly higher. How to make flavoured coffee You can create a great flavoured coffee with vanilla or almond extract. A teaspoon of drinking chocolate or a couple of squares of chocolate melted into your coffee (most likely a latte) will make a lovely mocha-style drink. And Kit says cold-brews taste great with added orange peel. All these flavourings are more mellow and less sweet than coffee syrups, which you can buy online. Is there a right way to make coffee? The right way to make a coffee is the one you like. “I used to be really finicky about coffee, but you need to make what you enjoy, that’s the important thing,” says Jordon. The quest for the perfect cup of coffee is likely to take a lifetime. Each of the experts we asked had a different way of brewing coffee at home. But in the meantime, there’s a lot of fun to be had with experimenting.