This Is The #1 Mistake You’re Making When You Brew Coffee At Home

Going out and buying coffee can be a nice treat, but making it for yourself at home is cheaper and often the more realistic option. Plus, when you do it right, it can be delicious. There are few things better than waking up, smelling a fresh pot of coffee, and then enjoying a cup of it in your favorite mug. If you do it wrong, however, it’s going to be unpleasant. And as it turns out, there’s one big mistake you’re probably making when you make coffee at home — if you fix it, it could change everything.

Extra Crispy recently spoke with Master Barista Giorgio Milos, from lly Caffé, about the mistakes people often make when brewing their own cup of joe. There are several faux-pas you might be taking part in, but the biggest one? Using tap water in your coffee pot.

According to Milos, tap water will leave behind an unpleasant taste, no matter what kind of coffee beans you’re using. He said, “Water quality should always be a top consideration among other variables (remember that coffee is 97-99 percent water!).” Instead, use bottled spring water or filtered water for a “clean taste and consistency.”

If you’re already using filtered or bottled water, you might be taking part in some of the other mistakes Milos mentioned.

Another big one is buying ground coffee beans, which is something most people do because it’s so much more convenient. Apparently, though, grinding the beans makes them lose their aromas “40 times faster than whole beans.” He suggests getting a home grinder to grind your own coffee beans right before you use them. Oh, and you can mess that up too if you use the wrong grinder. Milos recommends a burr grinder for “more consistent and precise grinding.”

You’re also probably storing your coffee all wrong.

It shouldn’t be left in bags, but instead it should be stored in airtight containers to keep oxygen from seeping in and ruining the beans. And if you’re trying to keep them fresh by storing them in the freezer, think again: the frozen water is destroying your coffee.

Oh, one more thing: buying coffee in bulk is, according to Milos, a bad idea. It goes stale relatively quickly (about a week), and the taste isn’t as good once that happens. Milos suggests buying smaller bags that you use up more often.

So does this mean you need to ditch your java, invest in a fancy grinder and some airtight storage containers, and start using all your water bottles each morning? No, not really. You could continue to make these mistakes if you’re happy with the coffee you’re already making. Just keep in mind that if you feel like things could get better, you can give these tips a try.

If you’re interested in trying a burr grinder, like Milos recommends, over 4,700 people have given this $23.99 Amazon Prime one 4.5 stars.