World Coffee Day: How to make the perfect coffee at home

Today is World Coffee Day - time to sharpen up your barista skills. Photo / Getty Images

We all know Kiwis take pride in their high-quality coffee - New Zealand is the home of the flat white after all.

Over the last few decades, we've become coffee-obsessed enough to go out of our way to get a good brew, even amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

Tourism NZ data shows that online coffee sales surged during lockdown - and post-lockdown, cafes saw an increase in customers pursuing cafe-style coffee as well as the social aspect of our coffee culture.

Many of us also took the opportunity to set up our own home coffee stations during lockdown to work on our home barista skills.

But if you're yet to achieve the perfect crema or latte art, here are some tips from De'Longhi coffee expert Giovanni Infantino on how to brew the perfect cup at home.

And with today being World Coffee Day, it's the perfect excuse to practice.

Here are five ways you can up your coffee game.

The beans

The fresher your beans are, the better the coffee will taste, Infantino says. Coffee beans need to breathe just like a fine bottle of wine - when you open a new packet, let them sit for 10 minutes before using. The beans will dry out after being exposed to oxygen for 72 hours, so it's best to store them in a vacuum canister to keep them at their freshest.

The grind

A good quality grinder is key to the perfect blend, but make sure it's adjusted to the right setting. There's a number of factors that go into this - the beans, the humidity and even the way the beans have been roasted.

The coffee extraction should be slow but constant. You can tell if it's good by the colour of the crema, the lighter top layer on the coffee. If your grind is too coarse, the coffee will be weak with a white crema and not a lot of flavour. But if it's too fine, the coffee will burn and have a dark crema and very strong taste. And remember - grind your beans just before you make the coffee, not ahead of time.

Temperature

Always preheat your cup by rinsing with hot water before making the coffee. The temperature should not be over 75C in the cup if pre-heated.

If you like it extra hot, use a preheated double-walled glass - it'll keep the coffee at the same temperature as it comes out of the machine.

But don't make the coffee too hot in the first place. The longer it has to sit and cool down, the more flavour you'll lose.

De'Longhi coffee expert Giovanni Infantino. Photo / Supplied

Milk

For that foamy latte or the Kiwi favourite flat white, steam the milk before you extract the coffee. If you extract the coffee shot first, you'll lose that crema as the coffee sits and waits for the steaming process.

You should steam the milk until the steel jug is hot to the touch - around 60-62C at this point. If over 65C, it'll start to burn and lose its sweetness and velvety texture.

Tap the jug on your bench twice to lose the bubbles, then move it in small circles for 20 seconds to re-oxygenate the milk. The Italian word for this process is "mescida" - a fancy word you can drop around your friends the next time you make them a coffee.

How to make the perfect long black

Pour the amount of water you want in your cup before extracting the coffee - when the coffee meets the water, it'll prevent the crema from burning. Have some extra water on the side in a ceramic jug if you need to top it up.

But if you want to enjoy your coffee Italian style, then espresso is the best choice. It actually has the least caffeine of all coffee because the extraction stops early. As a result, you get a concentrated flavour and a thick gold crema.

You'll also drink it faster, so while you might feel the effects of the caffeine sooner, it actually has less than a larger cup of coffee.

Where to find the best brew

Wellington is without a doubt New Zealand's coffee capital and according to Tourism NZ, 40 roasteries in the city supply beans to cafes all around the country. Apparently it even has more cafes and restaurants per capita than New York City.

So it's no surprise that two of their roasteries made Tourism New Zealand's list of the best spots to hit for the finest coffee in town.

As well as Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Rotorua and Dunedin all secured a spot on the list too.

Check out the full list below:

People's Coffee, Newtown, Wellington

L'Affare, Te Aro in Wellington and Newmarket in Auckland

C4, Christchurch

Revolver Espresso, Rotorua

Common Ground Espresso, Dunedin

The Hangar, Wellington