In order to get the most energy out of your coffee, you should drink it black. This may seem counterintuitive since sugar is a known energy booster, but sugar actually makes you more tired in the long run. Sugar is a known energy booster, but coffee without sugar will give you more energy in the long run.
Do you know how to drink coffee to boost your energy in a balanced and sustained way? If not, then this guide will show you everything you need to know.
The benefits of drinking coffee
There are two main reasons people drink coffee. Some people drink it because they enjoy the taste, while others drink it to give themselves a natural energy boost.
Coffee also has several other benefits, including:
- Helps you stay focused and alert
- Helps fight depression
- Helps you burn fat
- Helps boost your physical performance
Best times to drink coffee
Rule No. 1 is that coffee should only be consumed in the morning.
If you drink coffee in the afternoon, it will likely affect your sleep negatively.
Caffeine breaks down in the body at a rate of 11% per hour. This gives it a half life of about 6 hours. So if you drink a cup of coffee with 100mg of caffeine at 10am, you’ll still have 50mg of caffeine in your system at 4pm.
I recommend that you do not drink coffee after lunchtime. This way, you will still get the benefits of caffeine during the afternoon, but it will not keep you awake at night.
Best amount of coffee to drink
How much coffee should you drink in a day to get the best energy boost while still maintaining a balance?
The answer is 16oz.
The ideal amount of coffee to drink for a moderate energy boost without overdoing it.
The amount of caffeine in coffee can vary depending on the type of coffee you drink. For example, an 8oz drip coffee has more caffeine than a 10oz espresso.
If you’re an adult and want to consume caffeine, you should have around 400mg, or 2-3 espresso shots, in the morning. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, then you should limit your caffeine intake to 200mg per day.
Choose the best coffee beans
The next thing to consider when choosing coffee beans is how recently they were roasted. You should try to buy beans that were roasted within the past month.
What kind of roast do you like best? Light, medium, or dark?
Though you might think that dark roast coffee has the most caffeine, light roast coffee actually does. This is followed by medium roast coffee and then dark roast coffee. If you’re looking to drink coffee for its stimulant properties, light or medium roast coffee is a good choice because it tastes great and has a significant amount of caffeine.
What you need to make the perfect cup of coffee
1. A digital coffee scale
A digital scale is always handy and TIMEMORE Digital Coffee Scale will enable you to take total control of your coffee brewing process. This coffee scale measures in 0.1g increments — this is super-high precision, making it easy to get the right ratio of coffee to water. You can use this scale for making all kinds of coffee, including drip coffee, French press, iced coffee, AeroPress, etc.
Using a coffee scale will produce more accurate results than using a tablespoon to measure. This will allow you to get the flavor and intensity that you prefer. Having the right ratio between coffee and water is crucial to getting good results. A digital coffee scale will make this task much easier.
2. A good kettle
A kettle’s quality can determine how good your coffee is. The Miroco Gooseneck Electric Pour-Over Kettle has a temperature hold function to make perfect coffee, as well as a digital stopwatch to make sure you don’t under- or over-brew it. The kettle also has an auto shut-off feature for safety.
3. Drip coffee decanter
I love the Hario V60 Drip Coffee Decanter. It’s simple to use, easy to wash, and gives you a delightful barista experience. In terms of size, this decanter can hold up to 700ml, providing enough for 4-5 normal sized cups of coffee.
4. Paper coffee filters
There are a lot of different paper coffee filters available, but the Hario V60 Paper Coffee Filters are the best option to go with the coffee decanter mentioned above. The filters are designed in Japan and each pack contains 200 disposable white tabbed filters of size 02. I like that the filters are chlorine free. Even though the filters can only be used once, their size allows you to make up to 4 coffee cups with each one.
5. A decent grinder
It’s very important to have a good grinder for making coffee. I’d recommend these, depends on your budget:
The best hand grinder is the KT Porex Hand-Ground Coffee Mill Ceramic. It is a quality Japanese made hand grinder. The grinding takes some effort on your part, but the results will be impressive!
If you’re looking for a budget hand grinder, Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill is a great option. It’s easy to get a uniform grind thanks to a new and improved grind shaft and burr stabilization plate, and the nonslip rubber base keeps the mill firmly in place during grinding.
6. Storage
Coffee beans should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Most specialty coffee roasters package their coffee in resealable bags with one-way valves, which allow the beans to stay fresh by releasing carbon dioxide while preventing oxygen from entering the bag.
7. Use filtered water
If you want to make the best coffee, you should use soft, filtered water. If you live in an area with soft water, you don’t need to do anything special. However, if you live in an area with hard water, you should buy a filter like a Brita. This will make a big difference in the taste of your coffee.
8. Use freshly boiled water
It’s a shame to throw away water that has already been boiled, but you should start with fresh, cold water each time you make coffee.
9. Use off-the-boil water
Adding boiling water to coffee may make it taste bitter. Coffee that is lightly roasted tastes best with water that is just below boiling point, at around 96°C.
You should wait between 30 and 60 seconds for the water to cool after it has reached a boiling point.
10. Don’t dose with a spoon
It is difficult to be precise when using a spoon to measure coffee.
Use a scoop that is level and dedicated to coffee for more consistent and accurate dosing.
11. Clean your coffee maker thoroughly
Make sure to clean your brewing apparatus with a neutral detergent every time you use it.
Make sure to rinse your coffee maker with fresh water after cleaning it. This will prevent a build-up of coffee oils which can make your coffee taste stale and bitter.
12. Buy 100% arabica coffee
If you want a higher quality coffee, look for 100 percent arabica beans. These beans are more expensive, but they are also tastier than the less expensive robusta beans. Robusta beans have a burnt flavor and are not as sweet as arabica beans.
13. Don’t drink your French press immediately after plunging
By waiting a few minutes, you give this sediment time to settle and the coffee will taste better. After you plunge the filter in your French press, wait several minutes before pouring. The filter creates turbulence and whips up ground coffee sediment that bypasses the mesh filter. If you wait a few minutes, the sediment will settle and the coffee will taste better.
If you wait several minutes before pouring your coffee, most of the sediment will settle at the bottom of the French press, resulting in less coffee grounds in your cup.
Don’t worry that the coffee will become too strong from over-extraction. Immersing the coffee grounds in water will effectively end the brewing process, just as it does when tasting coffee during cupping.
14. Don’t put plastic brewers in the dishwasher
It’s not a good idea to put your plastic brewing equipment in the dishwasher because it will absorb the smell of the dishwasher tablets.
The speaker is saying that if you make the mistake of using too much hops, the flavor will be very strong and difficult to remove, even if you wash the brewing equipment by hand.
15. Preheat your coffee maker
When making coffee, heat up your brewing device beforehand. This will make everything hotter, meaning less water temperature will be lost to the brewer.
If you can keep your water temperature stable, you will get a better extraction. This also has the added benefit of rinsing the paper filter, and the water can preheat your mug.
16. Preheat your coffee machine
Start your espresso machine 20 minutes before you want to use it. This gives the machine time to heat up, so the coffee will be more consistent and hotter.
17. Purge water through your coffee machine
Before making coffee, run some water through your espresso machine to remove any old water that’s been sitting in the pipes. This will result in coffee made with freshly heated water.
It also has the added benefit of preheating the pipes, group-head, portafilter, and your mug. That’s a win all around.
18. Tamp your espresso
When making espresso, it is important to use a tamper. Many cafes skip this step, which is unfortunate. Not using a tamper will cause you to use more coffee, which is a waste of money.
Tamping coffee grounds helps water evenly extract coffee. Without tamping, water would take the path of least resistance, resulting in uneven extraction.
The end result is a more consistent and tastier extraction. When tamping, use about 40lbs of pressure and make sure the tamper is level. You can practice finding the correct pressure by tamping on a bathroom scale.
19. Clean the steam wand every time
You should clean the steam wand on your espresso machine every time you use it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Once you’ve heated the milk, clean the steam wand with a damp cloth. Turn the steam wand on for a second to make sure there is no milk left inside. Be careful to point the steam wand away from you to avoid getting hurt.
20. Use digital scales
If you want your coffee to taste great every time you brew it, weigh both your coffee and water using digital scales.
21. Never grind anything but coffee
Use your coffee grinder only for coffee. If you grind spices, especially strong-tasting ones such as cinnamon or clove, you will end up with coffee that tastes like mulled wine.
Coffee grounds tend to get stuck in the grinder in all sorts of small spaces. If you make this mistake, you will need to take your coffee grinder apart to remove all of the coffee grounds, and even then you might still be able to taste the coffee.
22. Weigh your coffee after grinding
The average grinder retains some of the ground coffee after grinding, as much as 2g. To make sure the amount of coffee Grinded equals the amount of coffee brewed, weigh your grounds after grinding using a precision scale.
To ensure your coffee tastes good:
- Bring at least 20oz of water to a boil
- While boiling the water, weigh approximately 30g of beans (3 tablespoons) and then grind them to a coarseness resembling sea salt
- Prepare decanter, coffee filters, and cup and then warm them up
- Add the ground coffee to the filter, place the decanter on the cup, then place the set-up onto the scale
- Once ready — enjoy!