With lockdown it's time for us all to be baristas at home, says Rob Butterworth of Guat's Up! in Bury St Edmunds
Popping out for a coffee is not that easy anymore, if your favourite coffee shop isn’t closed perhaps the queue to buy one is a little unappealing. In these times of lockdown more and more people are turning to making their own coffee at home.
To the uninitiated though this can seem a daunting task, with the convenience of such high quality coffee having been available on the high street, how does one replicate that at home?
To be a true barista and make coffee on a traditional espresso machine is no easy task; it takes passion, dedication and training to make what most of us are used to as a standard cup of coffee these days. . . help though is at hand. YouTube has a plethora of channels to help you while away the time and hone your skills. Espresso-based drinks require decent equipment or the results can be quite disappointing and offer poor value for money. Ideally, semi-commercial equipment like the La Spaziale S1 or the La Marzocco Linea Mini provide the best bang for your buck in the long term. You’ll also need a decent grinder, the Mahlkonig Home Vario is good value for money and offers a complete range of grind sizes from French press down to espresso with micro-adjustments for the enthusiast.
However, those types of equipment require a big investment, which may be unrealistic. From as little as £5 you can buy the equipment needed to brew great coffee at home. Filter coffee, also known as pour-over or drip coffee, is simple, easy, cheap and offers great results. You’ll need a filter cone and some filter papers – Hario offers my favourite range and I personally use a V60 at home and work for all my coffee requirements. Regulars to Guat’s Up! will have also seen them as an option on the menu.
In essence you just pour hot water over ground coffee and receive a delicious cup in about three minutes, with the money you save on the larger equipment you can afford to treat yourself to better quality coffee. We offer coffees from £3.95 to £10 per 250g, cheaper by the gram if you opt for 500g or 1 kilo, meaning a cup of coffee could cost as little as 28p!*
On our webshop you will find the V60 brewing equipment, with links from the products to brewing guides, beginner, intermediate and expert levels. We have our biggest range of coffees available to date and this month are offering 20 per cent off your first order with the voucher code #myfirstorder.
There has never been a better time to start brewing your own coffee in the comfort of your own home.
If coffee is not really your thing then try our Suffolk Special Blend Tea Bags, blended for hard water, or why not try something from our herbal or tisane range?
Stay home and drink good coffee.
*Based on a brew recipe of 20g of coffee to 300ml of water at the 1kg bag rate for Inca Gold.
Rob owns Butterworth & Son coffee roasters and tea smiths, based on Moreton Hall, and Guat’s Up! café in Guildhall Street.
His job takes him around the world visiting coffee farms to source great coffees.
See butterworthandson.co.uk
See guatsup.coffee
