WILL CORBY, HEAD OF COFFEE AT PACT COFFEE SHARES HIS TIPS FOR A KILLER CUP OF COFFEE THAT YOU CAN MAKE IN YOUR VERY OWN KITCHEN.

Think coffee is too complex? Fear not! Our buddies at Pact Coffee are the experts when it comes to brewing flawless coffee that gets the most out of this humble bean.

They’ve given us their top tips for making fresh coffee that will have you waving goodbye to instant.

Top tips for the perfect coffee at home:

1. Store your coffee carefully. Ideally, coffee should be kept in a resealable pouch or in an airtight canister. There’s no need to resort to chilling your coffee in the fridge, the subtle changes in temperature can cause condensation to build up which sucks all the flavour from your coffee.
2. Use fresh coffee where possible. Just like baking, ground coffee tastes absolutely sensational when everything is at its freshest. Once whizzed up into coffee grounds, the flavours come to life and they can fade and turn stale and woody when left too long. A coffee grinder is a great investment for super fresh coffee that will always deliver in the taste department. If you prefer to buy your coffee ready ground, try to use it within a month of it being ground to get those flavours popping.
3. There is a golden ratio when it comes to the amount of coffee and water needed for a tasty cup. This ratio helps you to make your coffee at the correct strength, helpful to bear in mind if you are trying different roasts as you can compare them fairly. At Pact we recommend about one heaped tablespoon per cup. This works out to about 15g per cup if you want to measure it out. But of course, you can increase or decrease the amount depending on how strong you like your coffee. In terms of brewing time, about 4 minutes in a cafetiere is the right amount before you plunge and pour.
4. Don’t apologise for what you like. Your tastes are your tastes and if you think a coffee tastes good, that is all that matters. There are loads of beans, loads of methods of roasting and loads of ways of brewing. Try out something new and if it isn’t your thing, move on to the next!
5. Try a filter coffee for high quality flavour with no expensive kit necessary. We use a Hario V60 brewer to make simple drip coffee which allows the hot water to filter slowly through the coffee grounds and drip into your cup below, only the brewer (which costs less than £10) and replacement paper filters are required.    

Coffee FAQs  

Where should I buy good quality coffee from? 

We recommend avoiding supermarket ground coffees as they have been sat on a shelf for months. We recommend a good local roaster or online, such as our coffees at Pact.  

Should I buy whole coffee beans or ground coffee? 

Grinding coffee at home from whole beans will always give the best result flavour-wise but requires a coffee grinder and takes a bit more preparation. If you drink lots of coffee and are short on time, ground coffee is a better option for you.  

What is cold brew coffee? 

The trend for cold brew coffee, not to be confused with iced coffee, is when roughly ground coffee is mixed with cold water and left to infuse for a minimum of 12 hours. This method of brewing gives a really smooth and sweet flavour. You can try Pact’s recipe for cold brewed coffee over on their blog. Although, take care when topping up that extra cup, it’s higher in caffeine than your usual coffee!  

Will Corby is Head of Coffee at Pact Coffee where he is responsible for buying coffee direct from farmers and picking out coffees from the thousands of coffee varieties he tastes. Pact is a flexible delivery service that sends freshly roasted coffee to you through the post. Will has been in the coffee industry for over 10 years and travelled the world buying coffee from producers across Central and South America. He is also an award winning barista.

We have a special offer running at the moment for Hummingbird Bakery fans - you can try a bag of Pact Coffee for just £1 (normally £6.95 - free delivery) when you use the code 'COFFEEANDCAKE' at www.pactcoffee.com.