10 Crucial Coffee Tips: And Recipes for Enjoyment

Each and every morning we wake up and immediately make coffee. It almost seems like a travesty when we can't make it, or are all out of it. We don't necessarily need coffee to function — it's the whole process of making it, pouring it, preparing it just right and then ultimately sitting on our couch and enjoying that flavorful cup. Here are 5 tips for making coffee, and 5 tips and recipes for enjoying it even more.

There are actually quite a few ways to make coffee, and even incorporate coffee into everyday food. We're huge fans of coffee crusted meats, and desserts just aren't quite enough unless coffee is a main ingredient. Here are some of our favorite coffee posts from The Kitchn's archives:

Making Coffee
&bull How To Make Perfectly Robust French Press Coffee
&bull How To Make Iced Coffee
&bull What Is the Best Way To Make Coffee at Home?
&bull Perfect Cups How To Make Coffee Without a Coffee Maker
• The Toddy Take On Iced Coffee

Enjoying Coffee
• Coffee Talk: Café au Lait, Cappuccino, Latté, Machiatto
&bull Recipe: Coffee Fluff
• Coffee Cake with Coffee Icing
• Vegetarian Black Bean Espresso Chili
• Mocha Crunch Oatmeal with Steel-Cut Oats

How do you like your coffee, or your espresso?

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (8)

It's a comforting ritual, the making of the morning coffee. And even though I only have one cup, rarely ever more than that, I will get a crippling headache by early evening if I skip caffeine in the morning.

I love the ritual that a cup of coffee in the morning brings. But don't get me wrong-the jolt of caffeine is also welcome given the fact that during the workweek, my alarm goes off before 4am.

I finally figured out the trick to enjoying coffee... I found an organic, locally-roasted bean that I love, available in bulk at a store that's on my way home. Once a week, I pop in the store and buy about 1/3 pound of coffee, grind it for French press, and use it all up within the week. I can't believe it's taken me 5 years to figure out just to buy coffee in smaller amounts—it stays fresh just long enough to use it up! Voila, fresh french press every morning.

I used to have a Toddy that I used for iced coffee. It made a complete mess every time I used it and was a general pain to deal with. Then I realized I could just get a big pitcher, dump in the grounds, stir in the water and let it sit for 12-24 hours before straining it through a tea towel. Duh.

Also there is a good chance that beans in the bulk bins at the store have been there for a long time. You are better off buying it in bags and either vacuum sealing and freezing it them or just storing in airtight containers like mason jars.

Every morning I make a shot of espresso in a stovetop moka, and steam milk with my stovetop steamer (a "Graziella" -- alas, not made anymore). I cannot live without my morning cappucino!

odd woman out, here. the only thing i do religiously is to make sure my coffee is assembled & ready to go *before* i go to bed at night. i'm generally too groggy (and my cats are too hungry & demanding to be fed) when i wake up to fumble around making coffee. i just hit the switch & by the time the cats are fed & watered, my morning cup is ready!

My dogs even start pacing if we don't sit on the sofa with coffee and the laptop (I read online newpapers) each morning. It's their ritual too. One curls up next to me with her chin on my thigh and the other crawls down the top of my bathrobe and goes back to sleep on my boobs while i read and sip.

oh loislane I want to do this but I'm usually so dead at bedtime that I never get it done. Maybe I'll make it part of my dinner-making process (if I can remember!)