7 Tips For Making The Perfect Coffee Shot

Here are seven tips for making the perfect coffee at home. These will save you an expensive coffee outside the door.

1. Store your coffee correctly

One of the biggest mistakes coffee drinkers make is that they don't store their coffee in a way that preserves the freshness and quality of the taste. Coffee beans are highly absorbent, so it's best to store them away from:

- Moisture

- Heat

- Direct sunlight

- Oxygen

- Smells

This means that you don't want to store coffee beans in the freezer or refrigerator. This exposes them to moisture from condensation, but also to odors from other foods. The best option is to store fresh, whole beans in an opaque, airtight container in a dark place, away from moisture or other odors, like the NoordCode Canister. Proper storage not only ensures that the taste and aroma of the coffee beans are preserved, but also helps to protect the valuable substances in the beans from oxidation.

2. Grind only what you need

Buy ground coffee or grind a whole bag of beans in one go is incredibly convenient. That's undeniable. That's why NoordCode also offers ground coffee for consumers who have little time. However, if you want to go for the freshest possible coffee, we recommend whole beans and only grind what you need for that one cup of coffee or for one day.

Pre-ground coffee beans that have been packaged for a long time oxidize and release oils and gases, resulting in stale, less flavorful, less aromatic coffee. And you miss out on one of the health benefits of coffee, because it's the oils you want to see in your americano or espresso. The advice? Grind your beans within 15 minutes before making the coffee.

The right type of grind is also important for your brewing method. Slower methods such as a French press require a coarse grind, while faster methods such as espresso require a finer grind.

3. Use filtered water

This may seem obvious, but the quality of the water used for coffee making is an important factor that is often overlooked. If you use 'hard' water - which is full of minerals - the result is an undersized coffee with a weak taste. Hard water can also lead to limescale and limescale deposits in coffee machines, which shortens the life of the machine.

A good rule of thumb is this: if the water doesn't taste good on its own, it won't do the coffee much good. When making coffee, always use clean, filtered, and good-tasting water.

4. Use the correct ratio between coffee and water

The standard ratio for most brewing methods is approximately 1:17, depending on personal preference. In other words, 1 gram of ground coffee up to 17 ml of water.

If you don't have a measuring cup, use the ratio 1:4. For example, 1 tablespoon of ground coffee to 4 tablespoons of water.

Adjusting this coffee/water ratio is a simple way to adjust the strength of the coffee; less coffee + more water = weaker taste, and more coffee + less water = stronger taste.

5. Keep your equipment clean!

Keep your equipment (espresso machine, French Press, AeroPress and Chemex) clean and dry when not in use, and descale the machines regularly. You can use simple white vinegar for this. Most descaling solutions are made from aggressive chemicals that we do not recommend to clean the house, let alone your coffee pot.

6. Experiment with your personal taste preference

If you want to change the taste of the coffee, try adjusting the grind or the amount of coffee first. Changing the size of the grind can largely affect the taste of the coffee, so feel free to experiment until you get the ultimate taste. If the coffee tastes too bitter, use a coarser grind; if the coffee tastes sour, use a finer grind.

If you want a stronger, more flavorful coffee, you can - as discussed above - adjust the ratio between coffee and water by using more coffee and less water. Again, the 'perfect cup of coffee' is very personal and depends on your taste preference. It may take a while until you hit the sweet spot - but that also makes the process fun!

7. Use quality coffee

Even if you follow all the above tips, you'll still miss the magic of coffee if you don't pay attention to the quality of your coffee beans. Most commercial coffees on the market are mass-produced, heavily pesticide-treated, over-roasted, not freshly packaged, and stand on a shelf for months before you buy them. This results in a coffee that does not contribute to your health (think oxidation, chemicals and mold) and taste sensation.

To get the most taste and health benefits from coffee, find a source that meets the following standards:

- Specialty-grade

- Whole bean

- Single Origin

- Slowly roasted

- Freshly roasted

- Well packaged (if you buy online, the gold standard is flushed with nitrogen)

- High cupping score (aka tastes amazing!)

NoordCode Pure Coffee meets these standards, and some more. Roasted for a rich, smooth taste and your health.

Learning to make the perfect coffee at home is pointless if you don't start with high quality, freshly ground coffee beans. Once you have quality beans, depending on your taste - strong, mild or light - add an appropriate amount of purified water. For optimal freshness you only grind what you need and always store the beans away from moisture, heat, direct sunlight, oxygen and odors, for example with the NoordCode Canister. Order it below!