Your Coffee Kitchen

When I got married, one of my favorite things to do (you know, besides actually getting married) was starting our bridal registry. Wandering through the store with our little scanning gun let us think about exactly what we wanted in our home, and for me, the most important room was the kitchen. And the first place I went, scanner in hand, was the coffee makers.

For anyone who wants to make good coffee at home, the tools used are important. From the coffee maker to the grinder to the beans, you should make sure every item in your coffee kitchen meets your coffee needs.

Your Coffee Grinder
A coffee grinder is not necessary in a coffee kitchen (you can purchase coffee grounds instead of beans), but I recommend grinding your own beans prior to brewing your coffee. Ground coffee stales more quickly than beans, which alters the flavor of the brewed coffee. If you've never had freshly ground and brewed coffee, you probably won't notice a difference, but those who drink fresh coffee know how quickly the grinds go stale, even when stored carefully.

When selecting a grinder, you have to decide how much control you want over the grinding of your coffee. Some grinders allow you to just pour in some beans, push a button, and grounds appear. Others allow you to select how coarsely or finely the beans are ground.

Gourmet Coffee Zone has a good explanation of the different kinds of grinder available that can give you information about what kind of grinder best suits your coffee needs.

Your Coffee Maker
Before you go to a store and buy the biggest, fanciest coffee maker that can be programmed to make coffee at the same time every morning with pods of pre-measured coffee that even adds your preferred sweetener to the cup before your alarm clock even goes off, you should decide what kind of coffee-drinker you are. After all, if all you consume is that morning cup with your eggs, you probably don't need a coffee maker that can make twenty cups at once. Conversely, if you're one of those coffee-drinkers that uses a thermos for each "cup" that's kept filled all day, you probably don't want a French press or coffee maker that brews one cup at a time.

Once you determine the size of your coffee maker, you should decide how much control you want over the brewing of your coffee. Are you a coffee drinker that wants to simply pour in the grounds and water, push a button and walk away? Or do you want to be able to decide exactly how long the water runs through the grounds, and at what pressure? This decision will also help tailor your coffee kitchen.

This article at Facts on Coffee will give you some good information on selecting a coffee maker, as well as this article on different stlyes of coffee makers.

Remember: the coffee you make at home is in your hands! You have decide what you want out of your coffee kitchen, then make the product choices that best meet those needs. Make sure you find out all you can about the different products available, then make an informed decision.

And once you get everything home, cleaned, and set up, enjoy your coffee!