Although cafés are starting to reopen their doors, maybe heading out to the highstreet isn’t the right choice for you at the moment. And even if you do head out, grabbing a flat white with a friend isn’t going to be quite the same.
We’re 100% behind supporting local businesses. But if you’re feeling torn between your love of café-quality coffee, and your unwillingness to go out just yet, you don’t have to go without. Here’s out guide to café-quality coffee, at home:
1. Start with the coffee
You can’t have café-quality coffee without… well, quality coffee! We’ve got you covered there: speciality beans that always score 82+100, are freshly roasted and meticulously ground, with flavour profiles for every palate.
The difference between our coffee and high street hotspots? While certain chains might point to organic, Rainforest Alliance, or Fairtrade certifications, few can promise that the person who grew the coffee is getting paid enough to make a profit. And that’s including Fairtrade.
Our coffee is bought for premium prices - which doesn’t just give farming families a better life. It also incentivises boosting quality higher, so you’re getting the very best stuff.
2. Choose the right tools
A worker is only as good as their tools, right? Well, having the right equipment certainly helps. If you’re looking for that frothy coffee/flat white café experience, consider investing in an espresso machine. If nothing else, it’ll make your place the biggest hit on the street!
If you’re a filter fanatic, then you don’t need anything fancy. From V60 to cafetiere, we’ve got all the equipment you need.
3. Hone your technique
Here’s the secret. Yes, you need good coffee in the first place. And of course, the tools are a necessity. But so, so much comes down to your brewing technique.
Think of making coffee less like cooking, and more like baking. Cooking is an art, but baking is chemistry. If we’re loosely following that analogy, then brewing coffee is a chemistry/maths combo. Precision produces perfection - but there’s room for experimentation too.
Our brew guides are a good starting point. But if you want to get serious, we’d recommend using scales, a timer, and thermometer. You’re playing with the coffee-to-water ratios, temperatures, extraction times - there’s no right or wrong answers, just try different combos until you hit on the perfect result for you.
4. Focus on the details
Real talk: the café experience isn’t just about the coffee.
You need to break out your nicest crockery, whether fine china or your ‘No.1 Mum!’ mug, and find a sun-drenched spot or comfortable chair. And you need ambient music - just loud enough to help you drift off - and maybe a good book, or a newspaper, or crossroad.
Put your phone on mute, ignore incoming emails, turn off the TV and let yourself take a moment to just be. The sort of moment it’s hard to find at home.
5. Pair it with a tasty treat
Again, it wouldn’t be the full experience without a tasty little morsel. We’re not talking your bog-standard bourbon cream or hobnob. No, live a little!
We’re thinking something pastry-based, and filled with something custardy and delicious. Or a perfectly iced cupcake. Whatever it is, it needs to sit in that perfect ‘afternoon snack’ category and feel like a special occasion type of treat.
Enjoy!
