Coffee Brewing 101
So you're about to brew coffee? Here are a few general rules to get the perfect cup!
1. Store your coffee in a cool, dark, dry spot.
Heat, moisture, light and oxygen are the enemy of coffee as they will speed up the ageing process and spoil the coffee. The fridge is coffee beans' #1 enemy because of the moisture created by condensation.
Try storing your beans in your pantry, or even better, get one of our airtight containers for optimum conservation!
2. Get a grinder.
The quality of coffee becomes significantly compromised within 15 minutes of grinding. Having a grinder at hand will make a big difference - you'll be hard pressed to find a coffee roastery that won't say the same thing: freshly ground coffee is just better.
Spinning blade grinders (sometimes called spice grinders) have no consistency in grind size, so you will need a burr grinder for the best coffee grounds possible.
Your grinder choice will depend on how you brew your coffee. If you're drinking espressos, a hand grinder won't cut it as they don't usually have the capacity to grind beans that fine. Electric grinders are preferable in this case to get the best out of your coffee and save you time. Feel free to send us a message using the contact form at the bottom of this page if you have any questions regarding your options.
Grinders
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Hario Skerton Plus Ceramic Coffee Grinder
Regular price $90.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price / per -
Rhino Coffee Gear Compact Hand Grinder
Regular price $80.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price / perSold out -
Baratza Virtuoso+ Grinder
Regular price $470.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price / per -
Rhino Coffee Gear Tall Hand Grinder
Regular price $95.00 NZDRegular priceUnit price / per
3. Scales help if you really want a good brew.
Coffee brewing is an exact science and 2g can make a huge difference to the flavours in your cup. Small digital scales like the Hario Drip Scale are pretty affordable and a worthwhile investment to take the guess work out of home brewing.
We use Acaia scales in our cafes, they have extra capabilities like Bluetooth connection and an app to help you save recipes.
Scales are ideal for consistency purposes, giving you the ability to follow recipes and make the same quality shot every time.
4. Buy small quantities.
To get the best out of your coffee beans, it is best to buy in small quantities: depending on how you enjoy coffee at home and the effectiveness of your storage, you should aim at purchasing enough beans to get you through one or two weeks worth of brews.
Our beans are roasted weekly and are available to purchase either online or in our cafés. Coffee beans are best enjoyed 5-7 days after roasting and depending on your storage, they should still taste good after 14 days.
Past this, the quality of the beans will start to degrade: stale flavours will start to come through and the bitter tones will become more prominent in the aftertaste. So why not get freshly roasted coffee beans delivered weekly to your door? Blends or single origin, the choice is yours! Plus with a coffee subscription, the shipping is always free!
5. Buy beans appropriate to your brewing method.
Espresso Workshop was founded on the principle that coffee is not just a product but an experience.
This is achieved by focusing on purchasing quality beans and roasting them with the goal of unlocking their full flavour potential. At the roastery, we work with many different single origin coffees: some of them end up in our house blends and some of them are roasted and sold as single origin espresso or single origin filter coffees.
When buying coffee beans for home, you should choose the beans that will work best with the brewing method you follow. Our espresso blends and single origin work very well on espresso machines, stove tops and plungers and our light roast single origin are designed for the softer way of brewing that is filter coffee (AeroPress, Chemex, V60). If you need help making your choice between an espresso or light roast, don't hesitate to get in touch via the contact form at the bottom of this page, we'll be happy to help!