How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

Understanding the Process: Koji Fermentation

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about koji fermentation, a unique process usually associated with the brewing of sake. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Forest Coffee If brewed properly, a cup of coffee can offer countless variations of flavor and aroma. The quality and complexity of these attributes depend on many different […]


From Malawi to Edinburgh: The MF Coffee Project

We take a trip from North Carolina to Northern Malawi to Edinburgh, exploring the roots, roasts, and impact of the MF Coffee Project. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of the MF Coffee Project In the quaint village of Manchewe, Northern Malawi, a story unfolded when Cameron Mcallister made the life-altering decision to relocate […]


10 Minutes With Helena Oliviero: Part One

We talk with coffee champion and Q Grader Helena Oliveriero about her career, her life in Colombia, and what it means to be a young woman in the male-dominated coffee world.   BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Helena Oliviero Helena Oliviero, originally from Tuscany, Italy, is 28 years old, but already she […]


How to roast anaerobically fermented coffee

Among the many different kinds of experimental processing methods, anaerobic fermentation is perhaps the most popular and intriguing. Interest in this processing technique is only growing, with more and more anaerobic fermented coffee available in cafés and roasteries around the world. Moreover, of all the advanced processing methods, this particular technique has one of the […]

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

The coffee industry’s biggest competition: The story of the World Barista Championship

Every year, the global coffee industry gears up for one of its most exciting and groundbreaking competitions: the World Barista Championship. For more than two decades, the WBC has been one of the biggest catalysts for change and innovation in specialty coffee, and continues to set even higher standards for baristas around the world to […]


The Barista League Releases New Competition Calendar

Presenter of sustainable, accessible events, The Barista League plans to hold 12 competitions in 10 countries in the months ahead. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League The Barista League has officially announced its event roster for the next year. Last year saw 10 Barista League events worldwide, and the […]


Test Drive: Update Your Grinding With More Comandante Grinder Accessories

The popular hand grinder has more to offer with a new line of tools and accessories now available. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo by Tanya Nanetti To brew the perfect cup of coffee, it’s important to choose the right coffee equipment. One essential is a reliable coffee grinder. Most coffee lovers start with a […]


Don’t Skip the Budding Specialty-Café Culture in Quito, Ecuador

Introducing the specialty cafés of Quito, a city worth exploring on your coffee quest. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Featured photo courtesy of Stratto When traveling across South America, Ecuador can be forgotten between the high profiles of Colombia and Peru. Similarly, coffee from Ecuador may be overlooked due to its giant neighbors, including […]

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Wilford Lamastus Jr.

We talk to the multi-time Panama Brewers Cup champion about his brewing preferences. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Wilford Lamastus Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. It can be an espresso shot pulled for a customer or a cupping to check out a new roaster to choose […]


Three Questions with IWCA Executive Director Blanca Castro

When International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Executive Director began her job years ago at the Guatemalan coffee association Anacafé, she knew next to nothing about coffee.  “I just pretended that…


4 Cool Cafés to Try Out in Kuala Lumpur

The Malaysian capital is often visited in a hurry, but visitors who take the time to explore will discover a welcoming city, thanks in part to its friendly specialty cafés. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is often a stopover on vacations, quickly left behind […]


What are modular espresso machines & how do they work?

For decades, espresso machine design and technology have been evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of coffee shop owners and baristas. From multi-boiler systems and automation to custom branding, there are now more factors to consider than ever before when it comes to the design of an espresso machine. Many businesses choose to position their […]

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

James Hoffmann’s new book, How to Make the Best Coffee at Home, is finally out, and is the perfect guide for both professionals and amateurs.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos by Tanya Nanetti

James Hoffmann is one of the most recognizable people in the world of specialty coffee. His YouTube channel is both informative and fun to watch. His first book, The World Atlas of Coffee, is often considered a bible of the specialty-coffee world. Hence the excitement over the release of his new book, How to Make the Best Coffee at Home. 

Just reading the introduction feels like playing an exciting new episode from James’ channel. You can easily imagine James welcoming you into it with his soothing voice.

“A cup of coffee can be many things: a jolt of caffeine, fuel for our work, a social lubricant, a necessity, or a luxury,” James begins. He adds that through his books he wants “to share the things that have helped me make better coffee.” 

And that’s definitely what James accomplishes with his new book, through six parts covering every possible aspect of brewing coffee at home. 

James Hoffmann’s new book covers everything from buying and storing beans to using an espresso machine.

Buying the Right Coffee

The “How to Buy Great Coffee” section is the perfect welcome for anyone just starting a love story with specialty coffee. It covers the basics of how to choose the right coffee to brew. Short chapters cover everything from freshness and storage to roast levels. Next is a precise explanation of what to expect when buying a coffee by reading its notes, which can be useful to help avoid buying a bag that is a total disappointment for your taste.

Essential Coffee Tools

The next section, “The Essentials for Great Coffee,” aims to narrow down the number of tools needed to brew great coffee: the right water, scale, grinder, kettle, and coffee storage canisters (along with your favorite brewer) are enough to get you started brewing that perfect coffee.  

Making iIt Right

“How to Taste Coffee,” the third part, shares some notions on the wonderful world of coffee tasting. He explains how to train your taste buds, how to compare flavors, and how to share notes. 

“How to Brew Great Coffee” is the main core of the book. After an introduction about grind size, extraction, and water temperature, this part focuses on how to make the best brews using different methods. He then covers the V60, AeroPress, Moka Pot, and many more. 

Inside the book. This section is on the AeroPress and has a lengthy explanation of how to use it. On the right side is a photo of an AeroPress sitting on top of a ceramic cup.
James goes through brewing techniques for several coffee brewers.

“Depending where in the world you grew up, cold coffee can either seem like a wonderful, refreshing, and uplifting salve for a hot day, or something inexplicable,” says James, and that’s what “Iced Coffee and Cold Brew” is about, giving a perspective on the different types of cold coffee drinks available out there. 

Espresso Perfection

Last but certainly not least comes “How to Make Great Espresso,” the final (and longest) chapter. Here James clarifies all the possible doubts regarding the world of espresso. Short chapters cover ratios and temperatures, how to buy an espresso machine, how to make an espresso, and how to steam milk. These are followed by an interesting explanation of the most common espresso-based drinks available on the market. 

The back cover explains the purpose of the book and lists some topics covered. The cover is navy blue with gold lettering and a white and white bar code on the bottom.
The back cover of How to Make the Best Coffee at Home.

Perhaps the coolest part of the book is that, in addition to explaining how to brew coffee correctly, it also teaches you how to become a more aware coffee consumer. All in all, How to Make the Best Coffee at Home is a book perfect for everyone involved in coffee, from the new coffee geek who wants to learn from scratch, to the barista pro who wants to know more and keep improving. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review  appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

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