If you want to slow down your caffeine consumption this summer, this is where you stop reading. Just kidding, if you’re here it likely means you’re looking to do the opposite of that! Starved Rock Coffee is here to help. Let’s make this summer a hot coffee summer. (Or an iced coffee summer, but that doesn’t have the same kick.) I’ve got five tips for you to help make this happen.
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Buy coffee from a small coffee roaster. Whether you find them online or in your neighborhood, small-batch coffee roasters are more likely to offer you excellence at a price you won’t be ashamed of reporting on your monthly budget. Roasters like these often focus more on quality than quantity, pouring their passion into every cup. Their coffee will often contain the residual flavors from the coffee fruit and not just taste like someone blew cigarette smoke into your face. (For example, check us out: starvedrockcoffeecompany.com)
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Try some new brewing methods. If you’ve been brewing with an eighteen-dollar Mr. Coffee all your life, it’s time to change it up. There are excellent batch brewers out there that can give you a cafe-in-your-home experience. Check out products from Breville and MokaMaster to see what I mean. Going beyond that, exploring the world of manual brewing with pour-overs, french press, and Aeropress creates a mad scientist experience in your kitchen. (My personal favorite is the Hario Switch, which gives you the freedom to do a traditional pour-over or an immersion brew.)
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Invest in a Burr Grinder. Coffee begins to lose its freshness and aromatics the minute its ground. Buying whole bean coffee means your coffee will be sweeter and more nuanced than ever before. Buying a coffee grinder with burrs (as opposed to a blade grinder) will help you achieve consistent brewing every day. (I currently use a Fellow Ode brew grinder, but products from Baratza and others work great as well.)
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Cut out the milk and sugar. Now, let me be clear, milk and sugar can be wonderful in the right coffee at the right time. However, if you’re going to dive down the rabbit hole that is coffee, it’s time to try it black. Coffee is one of the most diverse and complex beverages out there, drinking it black means you get to begin tasting those nuances every time you walk through your morning caffeine rituals.
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Start using a coffee subscription service. It’s 2022, are you really still going to the store to buy your coffee? Coffee subscription services through roasters and third-party companies provide consistency in your home brewing and usually offer a discount when you sign up. They will often send you different coffees for each order, so no need to sweat about variety. (If you’re looking to try one out, follow the link in the first tip.)
