5 Coffee Hacks for a Better Cup of Joe

Here are Some Coffee Hacks, Tips & Tricks, for Those Who Want to Brew the Best Pot Possible!

Nothing tops a fresh cup of coffee first thing in the morning! Honestly, it's how I start out pretty much every weekday. With so many of us drinking coffee daily, you’d think we would all be pros at crafting the perfect pot! However, this isn’t always the case. 

Burning your coffee, brewing it too strongly, using overly acidic beans, or simply selecting coffee that is too weak for that much-needed A.M. caffeine buzz can all lead to a cup brimming with disappointment. Let’s face it, we’ve all had a mediocre pot of coffee or “meh” K-cup before! So how do you improve your coffee-making skills? 

Well, since few things are worse than a sub-par mug of low-quality Java, we thought we’d share some coffee hacks that might be beneficial to your daily caffeine routine.

Here, we will cover some of the easiest and most effective coffee hacks and tips for brewing superior coffee with ease. Using these helpful coffee hacks, you'll be well on the way to better coffee in your cup every day! 

Making the Best Coffee: Here's What to Know!

So how can you make a good pot of coffee, which coffee hacks are tops, and what's the difference between an "okay" brew vs. a truly amazing cup of Joe? It all comes down to a few simple coffee basics: Extraction, flavor profile, and your water-to-coffee ratio, to name a few. 

Hacking Your Coffee

Most of the top coffee hacks you'll find simply involve selecting smooth, freshly roasted coffee beans, grinding them correctly, and then using proper brewing methods to produce a superior cup. It's all about striking a balance between extraction, bean quality, and your personal preferences. 

With this in mind, always choose fresh-roasted, Arabica coffee beans. Grind them just before brewing and make sure that your coffee machine is properly heated and in good working order. It also helps to brew your coffee with good water (spring water can be great) at 195° - 212° F, which is generally considered the best temperature to brew drip grind or French Press coffee.

Remember, these are just the basics. There are plenty of other nuances, hacks, and tips to know if you want better coffee. So, let’s go over some interesting hacks that can elevate your daily grind! 

Coffee Hack 1: Getting Better Beans is the Top Hack for a Smoother Cup of Java

No matter how well you grind, brew, and flavor your coffee, if your coffee beans are sub-par, your coffee simply isn’t going to shine. Arabica coffees are without a doubt the most flavorful, sweetest, and smoothest option. They tend to have more balanced acidity levels and come in a range of delicious options. Arabica coffee beans can be sourced from Yemen, Colombia, Ethiopia, Hawaii, and many other coffee plantation locations worldwide. 

While Arabica coffee trees take more care and deliberation to grow, the final result is well worth the effort and higher price tag. Especially when compared to the bitterness and astringency of Robusta beans or blends.

You can find a vast array of 100% pure Arabica coffee beans for sale online. Read this guide on why Arabica coffee beans are simply the better choice for most coffee drinkers.  

Coffee Hack 2: For the Right Strength, Know How Many Scoops of Coffee Per Cup to Use 

You might just be surprised how many people aren’t sure how many scoops per cup to use when making coffee. No worries, the formula is easy to memorize. The average coffee scoop holds about 10 grams of ground coffee. That’s one scoop of grounds (or about 2 tablespoons) per cup, that your coffee pot produces. 

So, if you have a 12-cup coffee maker, use 12 scoops of grounds in the coffee filter. If you have an 8-cup coffee maker, use 8 scoops, and so on. For weaker coffee, use fewer scoops, and for stronger coffee, add a few scoops. With a little practice, you’ll be making a perfect strength pot every time. 

Hack 3: Know the Right Way to Add Cream to Your Coffee

Adding cream to your coffee should be simple. After all, you just dump in your desired amount of cream and stir, right? Not necessarily. So how do you add cream to coffee properly? For one thing, you will need to choose the right type of coffee creamer. There's a lot of debate when it comes to using heavy cream VS half and half for coffee. Both options can be good, depending on your flavor preferences and lifestyle needs. 

Many people opt for half and half in their coffee because it's tasty and affordable. Another alternative option to half and half can be heavy whipping cream. About a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream can transform a cup of regular black coffee!

For a little sweetness, consider stirring in a teaspoon or tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk. If you want to add regular milk to your coffee, think about heating it up a little bit first. Also, remember that milk has a higher water content. So, to keep from watering down coffee with milk, you might want to brew it a touch stronger. This will give you bolder and more noticeable coffee flavors. Or, just make espresso and heat your milk to craft a latte!

Hack 4: Best Hack for Flavoring Your Coffee

So how do you enjoy the best flavored coffee? While plenty of artificially flavored creamers, sweet syrups, and flavoring packets are certainly available to choose from, for bold coffee flavors that are brewed into the beans themselves, we highly recommend purchasing a pre-flavored coffee made with Arabica beans. 

With flavor-infused coffee grounds or beans, deliciously nuanced flavored coffee is easy to enjoy. Plus, this type of flavored coffee has an incredible aroma that will waft through your kitchen! You can shop for hundreds of delicious pure Arabica-bean fresh-roasted flavored coffees right here!

Hack 5: Cooling Your Coffee Without Watering it Down

If you want to cool down a piping hot cup of coffee without detracting from its bold flavors, consider using coffee ice cubes. You can easily make coffee ice cubes and use them for all kinds of tasty drinks! To do this, simply brew fresh coffee, let it cool a little, and gently use it to fill an ice-cube tray. (Here’s a full coffee ice cube recipe with step-by-step directions.) 

Just add one or two of these coffee ice cubes to your piping-hot morning brew, and enjoy! This will cool down your coffee without causing it to become watery or flavorless. Or, you can also add a splash of chilled heavy cream to your hot coffee for a decadently creamy cooling effect. 

Final Thoughts on These Coffee Hacks 

Hopefully, these coffee hacks have been helpful! However, this is only scratching the surface when it comes to ingenious ways to improve your morning cup of joe. Some other quick coffee hacks include: 

• Making Coffee Popsicles 

• Using an Espresso Grind in a French Press if You Don’t Have an Espresso Maker

• Blending Coffee with Coffee Ice Cubes or Ice Cream for an At-Home Frappe

• Adding a Pinch of Salt to reduce Bitterness in Over-Extracted Coffee

• Adding Cinnamon to Coffee 

• Adding Fiber to Coffee for Wellness, Blood Sugar, and Digestion 

What are your favorite coffee hacks? Feel free to comment below and tell us about them!