How to make coffee: secrets that make your brew taste like a barista's

Today we're here to teach you how to make coffee that actually tastes good. Whether your local coffee shop is yet to reopen, you don't have a local coffee shop to reopen, or you're looking to reduce your monthly outgoings by making coffee at home, our guide will talk you through the basics to help you achieve really good coffee. 

And the best bit is that you won't need any fancy machinery. In fact, the methods below are designed for those of us who don't have a coffee machine. If you do, you obviously don't need this advice, you lucky coffee maniac. 

Find more recipe ideas and inspiration over on our food hub. 

How to make coffee

There are several approaches that will enable you to make coffee successfully, and without thee need for a coffee machine. We've outlined some of our favourite techniques below, some which require a Cafetière, and some which don't

How to make coffee at home: with a cafetière

The great thing about cafetriere coffee is that it's quick to make in the morning: you don't need to brew it for longer than two to four minutes, as it actually tastes better when it doesn't sit in the cafetiere for too long. 

Allow two tablespoons of ground coffee per person. 

1. Pour a little freshly boiled water in the bottom of the cafetiere, let sit for a few seconds, then discard.

2. Add the coffee and cover with a little bit of freshly boiled water. Let sit for about ten seconds, then fill the cafetiere and cover with the filter without pressing down. Wait for between 30 seconds and four minutes.

3. Now, press, Do this slowly and steadily, avoid pressing down too quickly. Voila, you coffee is ready. Add cold or warm milk as desired. 

How to make coffee at home without a cafetière

No cafetiere? No problem: you can still make coffee using just a saucepan. It's likely to taste stronger than filter coffee (if you've ever had Turkish coffee, you'll recognise the taste), but it's still quite pleasant and works well with milk.

1. Boil about 500 ml of water in a saucepan.

2. Add about four tablespoons of ground coffee to the boiling water. Take off the heat, cover with a lid, and let the coffee infuse, until all the grounds have sunk to the bottom. 

3. Pour carefully into cups. Add milk if desired.

Do I need to grind my own coffee?

It's completely up to you: coffee connoisseurs swear by freshly ground coffee, so a good coffee grinder is a must if you're planning on buying whole coffee beans. That's not to say that it's necessary, though: pre-ground coffee is absolutely fine, you just need to bear in mind that it will keep no longer than two weeks in the fridge. 

Just make sure that you purchase ground coffee that's marked for use in a cafetière.

How to make a latte at home

If the thing you miss the most is frothy milk in a latte or cappuccino, you can create a reasonably good imitation at home. You will need a milk frother, though.

We have tried all kinds of milk frothers over the years, and have come to the conclusion that the best ones by far are the ones that look a little bit like cafetieres: they have a similar mechanism, except what you do is you vigorously move the press up and down to create a froth. They're inexpensive and not messy. 

More of our favourite coffee ideas

• Iced coffee – made at home in under five minutes
• How to make whipped coffee – the Korean trend that's taken the world by storm