Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: The basics of brewing coffee
• Part 3 of 3: Troubleshooting
• Tips
• Warnings

Millions of people in the Netherlands use a coffee maker every day. But if you've never made your own coffee, it can seem like a daunting task. Follow the steps in this article to make a delicious cup of coffee.

To step

Part 1 of 3: The basics of brewing coffee

1. Use freshly ground coffee that has been properly stored. For a really nice cup of coffee, it is best to grind your coffee beans yourself. The taste of coffee is determined by delicate flavor compositions in the cells of the coffee bean. When the bean is ground, you expose the interior of the coffee bean to the air, causing the coffee to lose some aroma.
   • Always keep your coffee beans in an airtight container. Coffee has the ability to absorb odors - that's why you can use coffee grounds instead of baking soda in your fridge. The disadvantage of this property is that the coffee can absorb odors if it is not stored airtight.
   • There are differences of opinion among experts about storing coffee at a low temperature. Some argue that you should keep coffee in the fridge and coffee that you don't finish within a week even in the freezer. Others say that a cool, dark storage space is sufficient.
2. Use the correct temperature. The water must be between 91 and 96 ° C, so just below boiling point. Colder water does not extract enough flavor from the coffee, and hotter water burns the coffee, which is detrimental to the taste.
   • If you are using a method that requires you to heat the water yourself, bring the water to a boil and let it cool for 1 minute before pouring it on.
   • Coffee from the refrigerator can in most cases be processed at that temperature, but with espresso it is better to use coffee at room temperature. Espresso uses only a small amount of water and only comes into contact with the coffee for a short time, so cold coffee can negatively affect the taste.

Part 3 of 3: Troubleshooting

1. "My appliance delivers too little or too much coffee."Many fully automatic devices allow you to set the size of your cup of coffee. Read the user manual for instructions for your specific device and check that there is enough water in the reservoir.
2. "My coffee is not hot enough.“There is probably a problem with the heating element or with the wiring in the appliance. In this case it is a good idea to take the appliance for repair or if it is very expensive to buy a new appliance.
   • If you do want to solve an electrical problem with your coffee machine yourself, first check that the plug is out of the socket and that the appliance is switched off. Search the internet to see if other people have had the same problem with the same device and see if you can find the solution.

Tips

• Make sure you close your bag of ground coffee properly after measuring it. Otherwise, your coffee will become stale from exposure to oxygen.
• If your coffee tastes too bitter, try adding a pinch of salt to the ground coffee. This will help remove bitterness during brewing (especially if you are using cheaper coffee). A few broken eggshells can also soften the taste.
• A little bit of ground cinnamon can also reduce the bitterness of strong coffee. But beware - more than a tablespoon of finely ground herbs can clog your machine.
• Consider reusing your coffee grounds. You can use coffee grounds to get rid of unpleasant odors in the refrigerator or as an abrasive to clean pans. And because coffee grounds contain phosphorus and nitrogen, you can also use it as plant food for certain plants.
• With a cafetière you have to work slightly differently than with a normal coffee maker. See this article for this.

Warnings

• Don't forget to turn off your coffee maker when you're done. Although rare, it can catch fire, especially if your device doesn't turn off by itself. Also make sure that you never empty your coffee pot on the warming plate while the device is on, otherwise the pot can burst.
• Be careful not to open the lid of a coffee machine when coffee is being brewed. Hot water may splash up.
• Never switch on the appliance without water, as this can cause your coffee pot to burst.