Many of us can’t function without a morning cup of joe. It’s an essential part of our morning routine. However, too many of us settle for the same boring instant coffee, when there are so many more exciting and flavoursome ways to make coffee that we could be exploring.
Different brewing methods could help to produce a smoother and stronger coffee. Meanwhile, switching out or adding new ingredients could completely transform the taste. These changes could drastically improve your morning brew and truly help to kick your day off to the best start.
Below are just some of the different upgrades that you can make to your morning coffee and why you should try them.
Also known as a cafetiere, a french press is a popular coffee making device that was first patented in 1928 by two Italians (it should really be called an Italian press!). It’s become a staple piece of kit for many coffee lovers around the world – using coarsely ground coffee, it can help to produce a much stronger and more developed taste than instant coffee.
How do you use a French press? Although a longer process than making instant coffee, using a french press is very straightforward. The ground coffee is first poured into the beaker. Boiling hot water is then poured on top and it is stirred. The lid (which contains a plunger with a mesh) is then placed on top. After 4 to 5 minutes, you then push down the plunger. This separates the grounds and coffee-infused liquid.
It’s important to use coarse coffee grounds, because finely ground coffee is more likely to go through the mesh. You can coarse coffee grounds in bags that have already been pre-ground, or you can grind your own beans at home using a coffee grinder.
French presses typically produce two 2 cups of coffee. You’ll need to thoroughly clean the press after each use.
An AeroPress can similarly produce a stronger and more flavoursome cup of coffee, and uses a plunger much like a French press. However, unlike a French press, it uses finely ground coffee beans and is placed directly over the cup of coffee you are using so that the coffee goes straight into the cup as you push the plunger. It is designed to be a more portable and faster brewing alternative to a French Press.
The AeroPress is prepared upside-down. The grounds and hot water are poured in and it is stirred. A filter cap is then screwed onto the top and it is left to rest for 60 to 90 seconds. The AeroPress is then flipped round so that the filter cap is at the bottom, and is placed directly over the cup you are pouring into. You then slowly push down the plunger and the coffee starts to pass through the filter into the cup, leaving the grounds behind.
Finely ground beans are necessary to accommodate the shorter brewing time. You can buy finely ground coffee already pre-ground in a shop, or you can prepare the grounds yourself using a coffee grinder and beans.
You’ll usually get no more than 1 cup (sometimes 1 cup and ½) out of an AeroPress. Like a French press, make sure to clean it after each use.
Percolators are an old-fashioned way of preparing coffee that are still commonly used today. These devices are essentially kettles with tubes that help circulate water through a ground coffee basket in the top – heating the water and brewing the coffee all at once. While the brew quality may not be quite as good as in a french press, you’ll still get a lot more flavour out of your brew than if you were using instant coffee.
Traditional percolators are heated on a stove or campfire. However, you can also buy electric percolators. The percolator is filled with water and grounds are added to the basket at the top. The water is then heated until your desired strength (typically 7 to 10 minutes) – as the water heats, it goes up through a tube and passes through the grounds, causing it to drip back down as coffee-infused water.
You’ll want to use a medium or medium-coarse grind when using a percolator. As with other grinds, you can prepare this yourself using a grinder and beans, or buy it pre-ground.
Percolators can vary in size, with some able to serve 2 cups and others able to serve 12 cups. Percolators must be cleaned after each use.
Coffee machines are designed to mechanise the entire coffee making process. They can be the easiest or most complex way of making coffee, depending on the type of machine you buy. The easiest are known as fully-automatic machines, and can do everything from grinding beans to adding milk with a single touch of a button. Manual machines (such as those used by baristas) are the most complicated to use, but can produce the best cup of coffee of any brewing method.
There are three main types of home coffee machine, which each work by adding beans in different forms.
Coffee machines can require quite a bit of maintenance. To maintain a good quality cup of coffee, you need to keep them clean, which may involve individually cleaning various parts. Water and beans/grounds meanwhile have to be kept topped up.
Many people prefer to stick with instant coffee because it doesn’t require as much time to prepare or as much cleaning up. That said, you can still upgrade your instant coffee experience by exploring different instant coffee blends.
There’s also the option of coffee bags. These work like teabags in that you keep them in the coffee until they reach the desired strength, often providing a more developed taste than instant coffee powder while not taking too much more effort to prepare.
Of course, if you want high quality taste and ultimate convenience, there’s also the option of ordering a barista-made coffee directly from your local coffee shop using a service like Uber Eats. More coffee shops are now accepting deliveries. This could allow you to start your morning with a top quality cup of coffee without having to prepare it yourself.
Of course, this is the most expensive morning coffee option – so you may want to save it as a treat rather than doing it every morning. You also need to be sure that there is a coffee shop nearby enough that your coffee doesn’t arrive cold.
Another way to upgrade your coffee could be to try different beans. Most coffee is prepared using Arabica beans – but there are other beans that you can try such as Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica to add completely different flavours. There are also bean blends that combine different types of beans (such as Arabica and Robusta).
The way the beans are roasted can also affect the flavour. Light roasts retain more of a bean’s original flavour – typically making them sweeter or more citrusy. Dark roasts are meanwhile more bitter – they have an aroma and taste that is more similar to nuts or chocolate. Medium roast coffee beans meanwhile offer a balance between the two.
Some people like their coffee black, but most of us like our coffee with milk. As with the type of beans you choose, the type of milk you add can greatly transform the flavour.
Cow’s milk is most popular, however there are different fat contents to consider from full fat to fat-free milk. Those who want their coffee extra creamy can even add heavy cream.
Plant-based milks are also worth exploring. Soya is the most traditional dairy alternative, but there are other options like oat, almond and rice milk.
There are so many other ingredients that you can add to your cup of coffee. Sugar is the most obvious one, but it is just one of many ways to sweeten a cup of coffee – honey, agave and artificial sweeteners are other popular options.
You can also add spices to coffee. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom can all bring out new flavours in your coffee, and can even help add a festive touch around Christmas.
Finally, there are many types of syrups that you can add to coffee. You can buy these in bottles which you can squirt into your cup. Vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut and caramel are some of the most popular options. These can be bought online.
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.