How to Properly Drink Freshly Ground Coffee Beans_ Which Brands Are Delicious_ How to Brew Fresh Ground Coffee

The Journey from Instant to Fresh-Ground Coffee

Coffee is a beverage loved by many, and there are countless ways to enjoy it. Many colleagues and friends around me are accustomed to instant coffee, much like enjoying McDonald's or KFC, mainly for convenience and simplicity. I used to drink instant coffee frequently too and saw nothing wrong with it. But years ago, when I visited Beijing and had freshly ground and brewed coffee at a five-star hotel coffee lounge where a relative worked, that rich, aromatic, soul-stirring flavor was truly unforgettable. From that moment on, instant coffee disappeared from my life, replaced by freshly ground coffee.

The Culture of Coffee Drinking

Drinking freshly ground coffee at a coffee shop, I feel, is about drinking with taste, with fashion, or rather with style and class. For business needs, going to a coffee shop is quite appropriate. But for personal enjoyment, it is best to grind, brew, and drink at home, which is about self-entertainment and the joy of life.

Essential Coffee Equipment

First, go to stores to find suitable grinding and brewing supplies. I chose a Philips coffee machine, a reputable brand with practical functions and a conventional design. I also picked a manual coffee grinder rather than an electric one, because when grinding by hand you can smell and savor the coffee aroma as you grind. Add cups, saucers, spoons, filter papers, sugar cubes, skim milk, and so on. There are many other coffee brewing utensils available, and if you are interested you can buy them as well.

Choosing the Right Coffee Beans

Of course, coffee beans should be bought roasted. As for the brand and type, the degree of roasting, and so on, that depends on personal preference. For beginners, I feel there are three points to consider: first, pay attention to or ask about the roasting time, and preferably buy beans that have not been roasted too long ago, since older beans taste less good; second, do not easily buy the most expensive, because many coffees claiming to be world-famous Jamaican Blue Mountain are often not genuine, and the annual production of those beans is very limited; third, start by buying small quantities of different brands and types. After tasting for a while and gaining personal experience, you can decide which coffee to drink regularly.

Recommended Fresh-Ground Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted popular beans, such as Yirgacheffe Coffee, Golden Mandheling Coffee, and Brazil Coffee, are fully guaranteed in both brand and quality. More importantly, the value is extremely high. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only about 70-90 yuan. Calculated at 15 grams per cup of pour-over coffee, one bag makes 15 cups, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 5-6 yuan. Compared with coffee shops that often sell a cup for dozens of yuan, this is exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you grind fresh at home, choose beans that reward a manual grinder, and FrontStreet Coffee offers several excellent options. FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Sun-Dried Red Cherry is one of the sweeter classic light roasts: drawn from the famous Yirgacheffe region and made with whole-ripe-cherry natural processing, it is light-medium roasted and shows ripe fruit aromas, a clear fermented note and berry flavor on the palate, then citrus acidity and creamy smoothness as it cools, with a ripe-grape juice finish.

For a fruitier, more aromatic cup, FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy blends a Panama washed Gesha with a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee and is roasted medium, keeping rich floral and fruit notes while adding caramel, raisin, and dried-fruit sweetness. And if you like honey-processed sweetness, FrontStreet's Mozart, made with a raisin honey method, offers big grape-like sweetness with pineapple and osmanthus aromas.