The Art of Artisan Coffee Brewing at Home

There’s something undeniably special about starting the day with a perfect cup of coffee. For many, the allure of artisan coffee has transformed a simple morning ritual into a refined art form. 

With a few tips and the right equipment, you can bring the café experience into your home, crafting exceptional coffee that rivals any barista's brew.

Understanding Artisan Coffee

Artisan coffee is all about quality, craftsmanship, and a deep appreciation for the journey from bean to cup. 

It involves selecting high-quality beans, often sourced from small farms that prioritise sustainable practices. These beans are then roasted with precision to highlight their unique flavour profiles.

Essential Equipment

To brew artisan coffee at home, you’ll need some essential equipment:

Coffee Grinder: A burr grinder is preferable to a blade grinder, as it produces a consistent grind size, crucial for even extraction.

Scale: Precision is key in coffee brewing. A digital scale helps measure your coffee and water accurately.

Kettle: A gooseneck kettle allows for controlled pouring, which is essential for methods like pour-over.

Brewing Device: Choose from various methods such as French press, Aeropress, Chemex, or a V60 dripper, depending on your preference.

Fresh Beans: Buy whole beans and grind them just before brewing to preserve freshness.

Selecting Your Beans

Opt for beans that are freshly roasted. Look for the roast date on the packaging and aim to use the beans within two to three weeks of roasting. Explore single-origin beans to experience the distinctive flavours of different regions. For example, Ethiopian beans often have fruity and floral notes, while Brazilian beans may offer a nuttier, chocolatey profile.

The Brewing Process

Measure and Grind: Start with a ratio of 1:16 coffee to water (e.g., 20 grams of coffee to 320 millilitres of water). Adjust according to your taste preference. Grind your coffee to the consistency suited for your brewing method. For example, use a coarse grind for French press and a medium-fine grind for pour-over.

Boil and Cool Water: Boil fresh, filtered water and let it cool to around 93°C (200°F). Water temperature plays a critical role in extracting the right flavours without burning the coffee.

Bloom the Coffee: For pour-over and similar methods, pour a small amount of water over the grounds to let them "bloom". This releases carbon dioxide and allows for better extraction. Let it sit for about 30 seconds.

Brew: Continue pouring the water in a slow, circular motion, ensuring all the grounds are evenly saturated. For a French press, pour the water, stir, and let it steep for about four minutes before plunging.

Enjoy: Once brewed, pour your coffee into a pre-warmed cup. Take a moment to appreciate the aroma before taking your first sip.

Experiment and Refine

Artisan coffee brewing is as much about experimentation as it is about precision. Adjust your grind size, water temperature, and brew time to find what suits your taste best. Keep a journal of your experiments, noting what works and what doesn’t, to refine your technique over time.

Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing

Part of the artisan coffee movement is a commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability. Support roasters who prioritise fair trade, direct trade, and environmentally friendly practices. This not only ensures better quality coffee but also promotes fair wages and sustainable farming methods.

Final Thoughts

Brewing artisan coffee at home is a rewarding endeavour that can elevate your daily routine. With attention to detail and a bit of practice, you can enjoy café-quality coffee in the comfort of your own home. So, invest in good equipment, choose your beans wisely, and savour the journey of becoming your own barista. Cheers to the perfect brew!

Feel the Energy With New! Lost Sheep Iced Coffee: The UK's First Fully Traceable Ready to Drink Canned Coffee

Are you on the look out for tasty, traceable, barista quality iced coffee whilst you are on the go? Aussie Style coffee brand, Lost Sheep Coffee is on your side, with its new ready to drink canned Iced Latte and Iced Mocha, for instant focus and refreshment anywhere, anytime. 

Because there was nobody offering fully traceable, speciality canned coffee, Lost Sheep Coffee knew it was time to shake up the market with the perfect ready to drink iced coffee, blending skinny milk and their own speciality coffee beans into a nifty ready to drink can. 

Ideal for the office, workplace or drinking on the go, New! Lost Sheep Coffee Iced Latte and Iced Mocha cans are made using the brand's award-winning Get To the Hopper blend - speciality grade coffee beans from Paranaiba in Brazil and Huila in Colombia, which are hand-roasted in Whitstable-based roastery to create a super smooth, chocolatey caramel blend. 

The coffee is made with skimmed milk, and is under 85 calories a can, offering coffee lovers the finest, fully traceable speciality coffee without any guilt.

Says Stuart Wilson, Founder of Lost Sheep Coffee: “Here at Lost Sheep Coffee, we're excited about our new ready to drink canned iced coffees, the first in the UK made with speciality grade, barista quality coffee traceable from farm to can. 

“Many other ready to drink coffee cans use instant coffee, but ours only uses speciality grade coffee beans, the highest grade in the world.

 “The blend we use is Get To The Hopper, our award-winning coffee that combines the finest beans from Paranaiba in Brazil (grown at an altitude of 1,100 metres above sea level) with carefully sourced beans from Huila in Colombia (grown at altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 metres) all hand-roasted at our dedicated roastery in Whitstable, Kent, to create a super smooth, chocolatey caramel blend that tastes as good as it sounds! 

“As well as offering full coffee traceability from farm to can, our new canned iced coffees are perfect for coffee lovers looking for lighter options, as they're made using skimmed milk.” 

New! Lost Sheep Iced Latte and Iced Mocha cans are available from www.lostsheepcoffee.com now with Amazon and independent retailers soon tto follow. The RRP for 250ml can is £2.20

Your Mum can be a home Barista this Mother's Day, but with a bit of a twister, thanks to Sweet Freedom

Sweet Freedom has a fantastic offer for all you home baristas and your mothers for Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday. 

Their Barista Coffee Bundle will be a fantastic and very welcome gift for all the coffee loving mums out there! 

As well as the bundle they sell them individually in 250ml premium glass bottles or 1 litre plastic bottles. The coffee syrups are also fantastic in hot choc, frappes and matcha.

There's a special new limited edition Barista Bundle, only 10 available, Sweet Freedom.

It contains no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners

All the ingredients are natural, the sweetness only comes from apple and carob.

No potassium sorbate or citric acid (which many existing coffee syrups contain, incidentally)

Nut free… even HAZELNUT! And vegan friendly.

And the HAZELNUT has a very prestigious Great Taste Award.

Flavours are Vanilla, Hazelnut and Caramel. 

https://sweetfreedom.co.uk/collections/barista-collection/products/new-barista-bundle

The usual price is £30.00 but by using the above link you'll be able to make your purchase for a very friendly £19.99. (But shhhh! Your mom doesn't need to know that!)