How to Transform At-Home Coffee into Awesome Coffee

If your at-home coffee tastes like motor oil, you have a couple of options. Don’t worry – giving up caffeine isn’t one of them. Your first option is to start a super-expensive and loaded-with-weird-ingredients habit of frappes at your local coffee shop. The other is to learn how to transform your home brew into a delicious brew with two simple tips (which just so happen to be the same tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse). They are:

• Choose your weapon
• Load the right ammo

Weapon 1: The Coffee Pot

Good for: Those who dig easy routines

Equivalent to: Zombie baseball bat

Strengths: You probably already have one, often programmable, ideal for crowds

Weakness: Needs filters

You can’t get any easier than the good ole coffee pot. Just pour a measured amount of your favorite ground coffee into a coffee maker, add water and push a button. The trick with a coffee maker is timing: you’ll need to know how long it takes to warm up to avoid hitting morning traffic. For maximum versatility, look into a newer model that allows pre-programming the coffee pot to start at a specific time. Provided you remember to set things up the night before, you can wake up to fresh, rich coffee and still have time to doctor it up the way you like.

Weapon 2: The French Press

Good for: Those who mean business

Equivalent to: Zombie rocket launcher

Strengths: Variable brewing volume, doesn’t need disposable filters

Weakness: Requires hot water from a kettle or other boiling source

The French press is a favorite of hipsters because it involves wonderful flavors and a soothing ritual. While it does take a little more effort than pressing a button, the payoff is no-nonsense taste. Your gourmet ground coffee has room to properly steep, meaning its flavorful oils end up in your cup instead of flushed away with the spent grounds. The permanent filter on the plunger needs a rinse after use and needs to be kept dry between uses. Otherwise, maintenance is as simple as dump-and-rinse.

Weapon 3: The Pour-Over

Good for: Those who don’t have to rush off to work

Equivalent to: Zombie tactical cross bow

Strengths: Looks cool, more coffee flavor development.

Weakness: Requires both disposable filters, boiling water and extra time

The concept of pour-over coffee is very similar to a coffee pot with the brewing steps slowed down. The wide mouth of the pour-over attachment enables the grounds to “breathe” and release their flavors, similar to what happens in a French press. The speed of the water pour makes all the difference – and the slower, the better. A pour-over coffee rig is also generally made of more durable materials than a French press, which is typically made of glass. This makes the pour-over method an unexpectedly handy one for situations like camping trips and hikes, provided it’s packed alongside a kettle or pot to boil water over the fire.

The Ammo: Delicious Coffee

No matter which coffee brewing method you use, they’re all going to fall flat unless you opt for an amazing ground coffee. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone with something unique like a medium-roast blueberry or mocha – or a super-rich dark roast. Keep your coffee flavorful and fresh by:

• Storing in an airtight container in room-temperature environment
• Avoiding storage in the fridge or freezer, which can add unwanted moisture that impairs flavor.

One final tip? Take a moment to actually taste – and enjoy! – your coffee. Yes, chugging coffee can easily become a habit when we’re clamoring for the caffeine, but coffee has more to offer than its pep. Good coffee also has delicate, aromatic flavor notes that are meant to be explored. You’ll find those flavor notes in Zombie Koffee, which makes the perfect ammo for whatever weapon you use to brew. Place your order today.