[Video Guide] Make Coffee Taste 174% Better — No Expensive Gear Needed

Making coffee at home doesn’t have to mean settling for “just okay.” With the right approach, you can brew coffee that rivals — and even beats — your favorite cafe drinks without spending thousands on fancy machines. In this video (and post), Lizzy walks you through simple, practical steps that transform your morning cup: grinding fresh beans, choosing the right roast, using clean water, and nailing your brew method. No snobbery, no overpriced gadgets — just real tips that make your coffee taste dramatically better.

 

 

Your Coffee Questions, Answered

Q: Do I really need an expensive espresso machine to make good coffee at home?
A: Not at all. With fresh beans, a burr grinder, clean water, and the right brewing method, you can make coffee that tastes better than most cafes — no $20,000 machine required.

 

Q: What’s the biggest upgrade I can make to my coffee at home?
A: Grinding your beans fresh with a burr grinder is the single most important step. It delivers consistent flavor and makes a huge difference compared to pre-ground coffee.

 

Q: How important is water quality when brewing coffee?
A: Coffee is 98% water, so bad water equals bad coffee. Always use filtered water for the best flavor.

 

Q: Which brewing method is best — French press, Aeropress, pour-over, or moka pot?
A: There’s no “best” method; each brings out different qualities in your beans. French press is rich, pour-over is clean, Aeropress is versatile, and moka pot is punchy. Pick what suits your taste.

 

1. Grind Fresh

Pre-ground coffee loses its flavor almost immediately. Always buy whole beans and grind just before brewing. Use a burr grinder (not a blade grinder) for even, consistent grounds. Adjust grind size to your brew method: coarse for French press, medium for drip or pour-over, fine for espresso or moka pot.

💡 Pro Tip: Mist your beans with a little water before grinding (the Ross Droplet Technique) to reduce static and keep things tidy.

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2. Choose Better Beans

Not all beans are created equal. Experiment with roast levels (light = fruity, medium = balanced, dark = chocolatey) and origins (Ethiopia = bright and floral, Colombia = smooth and nutty, Kenya = juicy and sweet). Try different processing methods too — natural for bold, washed for clean, honey for balance.

💡 Pro Tip: Coffee is best 7–14 days after roasting. Always check for a roast date, buy small batches, and store beans in an airtight container.

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3. Fix Your Water

Coffee is 98% water. If your tap water tastes metallic or chlorinated, so will your coffee. Use filtered water and aim for the right brewing temperature (195–205°F / 90–96°C). A simple trick: boil your water, then let it sit for 30–60 seconds before brewing.

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4. Master Your Brew Method

• French Press: Coarse grind, 4-minute steep, skim off foam, plunge slowly.

• Aeropress: Medium-fine grind, 1-minute steep, press gently. Try the inverted method for richer flavor.

• Moka Pot: Medium-fine grind, don’t tamp, remove from heat as soon as it gurgles, and cool the base to stop extraction.

• Pour-Over: Medium grind, bloom for 30 seconds, pour slowly in circles, finish in 3–4 minutes.

Each method has its strengths. None is “best” — it’s about finding what you enjoy most.

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5. Pro Tips That Make a Big Difference

• Measure coffee and water with a scale for consistency.

• Change one variable at a time (grind size, temp, steep time) to dial in your taste.

• Clean your gear regularly to avoid rancid oils or mineral buildup.

• Over-extracted coffee? A tiny pinch of salt can mellow bitterness.

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Final Sip

Better coffee at home doesn’t require expensive gadgets. Just fresh beans, the right grind, clean water, and attention to detail. With a little practice, you’ll brew cups so good that you’ll start side-eyeing your local café and wondering why you’re paying $7 for something you can easily make at home.

 

 

Full Video Transcript:

"This coffee here costs $7. And this one costs 67, less than 10 times the price. And honestly, while it may not look as good, it tastes way better. In this video, I'm going to teach you how you can make coffee at home that will give your local cafe a run for its money. The best part is you don't need a $20,000 espresso machine. Today, I'm giving you the nononsense, no snobbery version, no overpriced gadgets, just stuff that works. Let's brew.

 

All right, you want the quickest way to rescue your sad coffee? Grind your beans fresh. Preggrown coffee is basically stale bean dust in a fancy bag. It smells amazing for about 15 minutes and then it turns into the taste equivalent of damp cardboard. Don't do that to yourself. The fix is stupidly easy. Just buy whole beans. Get a grinder. Grind only what you need right before you brew and you have an instant flavor upgrade.

 

So, what grinder do you need? This is where people mess up. You've got blades and then you've got burrs. A blade grinder is basically a tiny lawn mower for your beans. Sure, it chops stuff up, but expect random chunky bits and bitter sludge. I made this mistake for ages. A burr grinder, though, that's the real deal. It crushes the beans evenly. Consistent grind means consistent flavor.

 

Use the right grind size, too. French press, chunky, like sea salt. Drip or pour over. Medium like beach sand. Espresso or mocka pot fine like table salt. If your coffee tastes bitter, grind coarser. If it tastes weak or sour, grind finer. Tiny tweaks equal a big difference. A decent manual burr grinder costs around 50 to 100 bucks. It's the best upgrade you can make. Way more important than a fancy brewer. This one here is the Chestnut C3, and it's great. Relatively cheap, and it's going to last you years. I also have an electric grinder to speed things up, but if you're on a budget and you need a bit of an arm workout, a manual grinder will do a fantastic job.

 

Tiny hack for grinders, especially electric ones, spray a few drops of water onto your beans before grinding. I use a little mister bottle like this. This was like $4. I think it's meant to be used as a refillable travel perfume bottle, but it does the job perfectly. It's called the Ross droplet technique, and science nerds swear by it. It stops the static from building up so you have no more coffee grounds stuck everywhere. Keeps the whole process tidy and smooth. So, grind fresh. Use a burr grinder. Match your grind size to your brew method. And you've just fixed half your coffee problems already.

 

Okay, genius. You're grinding fresh now. Good for you. But if you're still buying dusty bargain bin beans that expire during lockdown, you've not got a chance. Good beans equal good coffee. It's that simple. Coffee beans vary in quality, freshness, and flavor profile. And some bags are just better than others. The fix: experiment. Try different roast levels, origins, processing methods. Keep your taste buds entertained.

 

Let's break it down. Roast level first. Light roasts taste bright and fruity. Medium roasts are balanced and sweet. Dark roasts are deep, rich, and chocolatey. If your usual brew tastes flat, try a lighter roast for more vibrant flavors. If it's too acidic, switch to a medium or dark roast for more body and sweetness. You don't have to splurge on ultra premium beans either. Focus on the flavor profile you actually enjoy. I've recently been having this light roast as a pourover and it's unreal. It's a Rwanda natural processed light roast coffee. Super funky, super delicious, really complex, interesting cup.

 

If you're keen to try stuff like that without hunting it down yourself, then I've got something for you. For the last few months, the team at Volcanica have been flat out working on a new coffee club subscription. It shows up every month with three or six different bags to try, plus free barista grade oat milk. I honestly feel like when I open these up, I'm being transported onto like an international coffee exploration. We've got Papa New Guinea, Sumatra, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama. How on earth would I find all of these without the subscription box? Enough of that. Back on to leveling up your coffee game. But I'll put a link in the description.

 

Remember, good beans in a bad grinder are still better than bad beans in a good grinder. So, start with decent beans. Don't stress about the price tag. It doesn't have to be the most expensive. Just find what you like. By the way, if you're new here, I'm Lizzy and I'm here to help you make better coffee at home. If that sounds good, then hit subscribe. And welcome back to my other 7,000 coffee nerds. I love you guys.

 

Okay, next up, origin. Where coffee is grown makes a big difference. Ethiopian coffees often have bright fruit or floral notes. Colombian beans are smooth, sweet, nutty. Kenyan coffee, juicy, sweet, sometimes berry like. If you've only been drinking Colombian, you might be missing out on flavors you'd actually love in a Kenyan or a Sumatran coffee. So, don't be afraid to try single origin beans from different regions. You might discover that you adore the blueberry fruiness of a natural Ethiopia or the caramel sweetness of a good Colombian. Switching origins also stops you from getting stuck with a dud bag. If one bag's a bit average, the next one might be a winner.

 

Next, look at the processing method on the bag. Natural or washed? It matters more than you think. Natural process leaves the fruit on the coffee cherry, and this means they often taste bolder and fruier because the beans soak up the sugar from the fruit as they dry. Washed beans have the fruit pulp removed before drying, and this gives you a cleaner, brighter cup. Neither is better, it's just what you like. If your coffee tastes funky or too acidic sometimes, check the process. Switch from natural to washed or try honey process, which is somewhere in between the two. It can balance things out.

 

Now, freshness. Coffee is best when it's fresh, but not too fresh. Confusing? Hang on. Coffee straight out of the roaster, like day one or two, still has lots of carbon dioxide gas trapped inside, and this gas messes with the brewing. Most experts agree that you should use beans about 7 to 14 days after roasting, which gives them time to degass, but they're still super fresh. Always check the roast date on the bag. Buy in small batches. Use it up within 2 to 3 weeks. Don't stockpile 10 bags. You're not prepping for an apocalypse.

 

Pro tip, buy local from a roaster if you can. Less time on trucks or shelves means more flavor in your cup. You'll notice a lot of beans on the supermarket shelf won't have a roast date on them, and it's probably because they don't want you to know how long they've been sitting around. A local roaster or a decent company like us will have the roast date on the bag so you know that it's fresh. That gives you a longer window of peak freshness.

 

One last bean tip, store them in an airtight container. Keep them away from oxygen and moisture. Your taste buds will thank you.

 

All right, you're grinding fresh. You're buying better beans. So why does your coffee still taste like pool water sometimes? Well, maybe because it basically is pool water. Let's fix that. Coffee is 98% water. This glass here represents 98%. And only 2% this glass is the actual coffee stuff dissolved in it. So bad water, bad coffee. Simple.

 

If your tap water tastes weird, chlorine, metal, funky minerals. It will show up in your mug, and you'll wonder why your beans taste yuck. The fix is easy. Use filtered water. A Britta jug works. If your tap water tastes decent plain, you're probably okay. But if you wouldn't drink a glass straight from the tap, don't brew your fancy beans with it, either. High minerals can mess with extraction and leave nasty scale in your coffee maker. Used to happen all the time when I lived in London. Some folks use bottled spring water for this reason, and you can if you want, but don't overthink it. Just make sure your water tastes clean.

 

Next, temperature. So, underrated. Too hot, over extracted, bitter coffee. Too cool, sour, weak coffee. The magic zone is about 195 to 205 F or 90 to 96 C for English people like me. In normal people's terms, boil your water and then wait about 30 seconds to a minute off the heat. That usually nails it. If you want to get fancy, there are kettles with temperature control, and these are fun, but you don't need one to make good coffee. A normal kettle and a 30-cond pause works great.

 

One more pro move, preheat your brewing gear. Pour some hot water in your French press, your mug, your pour over cone. Swirl it around and dump it out. Now, when you brew, your water stays hotter. Better extraction. Easy win.

 

Okay, so you've got great beans, a proper grind, clean water at the right temp. Let's make sure your brew method doesn't sabotage it.

 

First up, the mighty French press. Rich, full-bodied, dead easy, but people ruin it all the time. Here's the pro way. Use a coarse grind. Steep for about 4 minutes, then gently stir the crust of grounds on top. Use two spoons to scoop off the foamy scum. That foam is full of bitter stuff you don't want. Taste it if you don't believe me. You'll see what you're removing from your final drink. Skim it, then pop the lid on. Wait another minute or so, and then plunge slowly. No swirl or grit, just sweet, smooth coffee. James Hoffman popularized this method and trust me, it works like magic.

 

Aeropress time. This little plastic syringe is a genius gadget. You can make espresso like coffee or smooth filter coffee and you can take it anywhere. Starter recipe, 15 g of medium fine coffee, 230 g of water at about 80° C. Stir for 10 seconds. Steep for 1 minute. Press. Done. Want to get fancy? Try the inverted method. You set it up upside down so nothing drips out early. Steep longer. Flip it. Press. Full immersion extraction. More body, richer taste. There's a whole world championship just for Aeropress recipes. Mess around. It's almost impossible to mess it up.

 

Moka pot. Or for my American friends, moka pot, aka stove top espresso. A small metal pot. Strong coffee. Easy to ruin. Here's how not to ruin it. Use a medium fine grind. Fill the filter basket loosely. Don't tamp the grounds. This isn't a real espresso machine, and pressing the grounds can cause over pressure and bitter mess. Use medium heat. As soon as you hear that classic gurgle, take it off the heat. Don't let it splutter endlessly. That burns the coffee and makes it taste metallic. Pro move. Run the base under cool water to stop the extraction immediately. Extra smooth mocka coffee.

 

Pour over. This is the hipster method and for good reason. Cleanest, most nuanced flavor when done right. Use medium grind. A gooseneck kettle helps with control, but any steady hand works. Start by blooming the grounds. Pour a bit of hot water to wet them fully. Wait 30 seconds. You'll see the grounds puff up. That's the CO2 escaping. Then pour the rest slowly in circles. Keep the water level steady. The whole brew should take about 3 to 4 minutes. If it runs through too fast, your grind is too coarse. Too slow, grinds too fine. Tweak and taste. Dial it in. Once you get the pour over right, it's glorious.

 

I'm not going to get into the specifics of each brew method here. Check out our other videos for that. No brew method is objectively best. They all bring out different vibes in your beans. French press is rich and comforting. Pourover is clean and delicate. Aeropress is fun and versatile. And the mocka pot is punchy. Even a drip machine can surprise you. Just pick what suits your mood. Master the little details and your coffee game skyrockets.

 

Almost done. A few final pro tips to keep you winning. Measure your coffee and water. Use a simple kitchen scale or coffee scale. This is how baristas do it. For example, 18 g of coffee, 300 g of water, roughly a 1:6 ratio, but tweak it to taste. Write it down so you can repeat it. Change one thing at a time. Grind size, water temp, steep time. This way you know exactly what makes it better or worse. You'll dial in your perfect cup fast.

 

Clean your gear. A dirty grinder or brewer ruins everything. Old coffee oils turn rancid. Mineral scale messes up heat and flavor. So, rinse it daily and deep clean every couple of weeks. Descale your machine. Brush out your grinder burs. Future you will thank you.

 

Bonus hack. If you accidentally overextract and your coffee tastes harsh, a tiny pinch of salt can mellow it out. Just a pinch, not a teaspoon.

 

Finally, keep exploring. Try new beans, new roasts, new brew toys. Sign up for a good subscription if you want a surprise each month. It keeps coffee fun and your taste buds curious.

 

Remember, better coffee at home is meant to be enjoyable, not a stressful science fur. Start with the easy wins. Fresh beans, fresh grind, clean water, proper brew method, clean equipment. Each step stacks up. Soon your coffee will taste so good, you'll side eye your local cafe and think, "Why am I paying seven bucks for this?"

 

All right, you legends. If you found this helpful and you want to try a delicious iced coffee recipe, click this video here for Japanese flash brew coffee. And click this one here for the top mistakes people make when using an Aerop Press. See you next time. Drop your favorite beans or brewing trick in the comments. I read them all. Go brew something amazing."