If you’re about to head off to college, you may have realized that you can’t lean on your parents’ expert coffee-making skills anymore. Gone are the days when you can simply roll out of bed to the smell of that already brewed java wafting up from the kitchen.
Fortunately, it takes very little effort to set yourself up for coffee-brewing success while on campus. Here are a few “coffee 101” tips and tricks to make sure you’ve always got a cup by your side throughout your academic adventures.
The Benefits of Coffee
Before getting into the nitty-gritty details about coffee brewing itself, let’s go over the different ways that home-brewed coffee can help you throughout your time on campus.
Coffee is a Great Energy Regulator
There are many different ways for you to properly fuel your brain as you go about attending lectures, participating in labs, and slaving away on those homework assignments into the wee hours of the night. However, there’s one nutritional tool, in particular, that can be helpful as an energy regulator: coffee.
There’s nothing like a fresh cup o’ joe to help keep you up during that late-night studying session or perk you up before an early class. While it shouldn’t be abused, coffee is a great way to regulate your energy levels in order to survive that insane college schedule without resorting to more extreme options like energy drinks.
Coffee Has Many Health Benefits
Coffee has gotten a bad rap over the years for not being good for you. However, most of the time what’s really bad for you is all of the sugar and cream that you’re ingesting each time you gulp down that Venti latte from Starbucks.
When taken black, however, coffee on its own actually has quite a few health benefits. It can help burn fat, provide antioxidants, and even help with serious conditions like Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and cancer.Coffee Saves Money
Again, this one needs to start with a caveat. Remember, we’re not talking about buying coffee at the campus coffee shop each morning. That’s going to be expensive.
However, in the same way, that cooking your own food on campus is a financially savvy move, brewing coffee in your dorm or apartment is a great way to save money while at college. It costs pennies on the dollar compared to a drink from Starbucks, Dunkin, or Panera’s.
Tips on Brewing Coffee
Alright. We’ve clearly demonstrated why you should brew your own coffee while at college. But what about how to brew your own coffee? Let’s go over some of the primary options you have available.
Choosing Your Brewer
Chewing coffee beans is hardly a fun exercise, which is why it all starts with your brewer. Some of the most popular brewing options these days include:
A pour-over: Simple yet elegant, the pour over method is a great way to brew coffee. You can make larger batches using a Chemex, or smaller, individual cups with a Hario v60. Just remember that you’re going to need filters, either way.
A French press: Another classic, brewing with a french press is quick and easy. Grind the coffee, add the water, and plunge.
An Aeropress: Another great option is using an Aeropress. This one delivers smooth java and gives you a little workout in the process.
A drip coffeemaker: Finally, we have a good, old-fashioned drip maker. If you’re looking for a “set it and forget it” option, you may want to spring for this choice. However, you’ll still want to take the time to consider what kind of machine you need. Do you want an affordable filter machine, a fancy automatic, or another model completely?
Finding Your Daily Grind
Once you’ve chosen your brewer, you’re going to want to figure out how to get the right grind for your coffee. French press coffee, for instance, requires a coarse grind in order to prevent smaller grounds from permeating the mesh filter.
Here is a nifty grind chart to help make sure you know which grind you’ll need for your particular setup.
Cleaning Up
Finally, remember that your home-brewing adventures don’t end with pouring your cup of coffee. You will also need to take care of your equipment after the fact, too.
You can dispose of your leftover grounds by throwing them away or composting them. However, do not pour them down the drain, as they can quickly damage the pipes and cause plumbing issues.
Once you’ve disposed of your coffee grounds, take the time to put away your equipment properly. If you have a pour-over, french press, or aeropress, you can typically clean things gently by hand and let them dry.
If you have a full-blown drip coffeemaker, make sure to regularly clean the carafe and basket. In addition, set up a monthly cleaning routine to run water and vinegar through the machine in order to clean the inner parts, too.
Tips on Different Kinds of Coffee
Finally, we have the coffee itself. Now, this topic can (and does) take up hundreds of articles on its own. However, a couple of quick tips are worth mentioning here.
As you go about selecting your own coffee beans to brew, think about the following:
What kind of roast do you like? Light roasts typically taste more like the original bean and have more caffeine. On the other hand, the darker the roast, the more the bean takes on a roasted flavor and tends to have less caffeine.
What kind of flavor profiles do you prefer? This may sound difficult to answer, but it’s actually quite simple. Do you like fruity or flowery flavors in your coffee? If so, you may want to consider a good Kenyan or Ethiopian coffee. Do you prefer an earthier or nuttier flavor? If so, try something from Central or South America. Consider what you like about your coffee and then look for beans to match those conditions.
What can you afford? If you’re tight on cash, you may want to look for a bulk flavor you enjoy. If, on the other hand, you have some spending money, consider signing up for an artisan coffee subscription like Angels’ Cup, Glen Edith, or Atlas Coffee Club in order to sample the different kinds of coffee available.
Brewing a College Cup
From brewing choices to cleaning schedules, grind options, and different roasts and flavor profiles, there’s plenty to think about when it comes to brewing coffee in college. However, if you take some time to consider your options and then make thoughtful decisions, it’s actually quite easy to pull together a quality brewing setup for your dorm. Once that’s done, you can keep the java flowing throughout your academic career, and all at a minimal cost to yourself.
