We all know that coffee is big business. Everyone has heard, or even been to a Gloria Jeans, Muzz Buzz, or any of the countless other coffee franchises. But not all of us know that great coffee can now be made at home. There are so many coffeemachines and coffee lends available to us, that we can all become home baristas at a fraction of the price that we pay every year to the coffeeshops.

These days, people all over Australia own their own coffee machine setup. Some people have the traditional lever machines with E-61 group heads and hand grinders, other have fully automatic coffee machines, such as Saeco and Delonghi provide. They all have one thing in common - the fresh roasted coffee beans they can now use at home.

It’s amazing how rapidly people’s knowledge of coffee has grown in the past few years. Just think for a second, and tell me how many types of coffee can you name, or have even tried? I bet there’s more than just an espresso and cappuccino. And besides the types, can you remember how many different blends you have tasted? Arabica or Robusta? Strong or decaf? Here’s an example:

Jacksy’s

Yahava

Vittoria

Segafredo

Espresso Italia

Robert Timms

We’ve probably all had the joy of tasting one of these great blends. If you haven’t, I suggest that you go and try some. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect coffee blend for you. Coffee drinkers know what’s good and they won’t buy anything that isn’t up to scratch. Therefor coffee suppliers will meet and exceed the demand of todays market with a high quality coffee.

You will want to make sure that when you go and buy your favorite coffee blend, that it is either roasted in your local area, or country, and that when the coffee is prepackaged, the expiration date is not too near. also take into consideration how much coffee you drink - don’t buy a big bag if you only have a few per week. Your beans will go stale after you open the airtight bags.

Besides the coffee, your equipment is very important when it comes to creating a good cup of coffee. The grinder for example needs to make sure that the beans get ground to the perfect density. Anything too fine will clog up your coffee machine, anything to course will let the water run through too fast, leaving behind a lot of the flavour and aroma.

Having good tools is half the job done, having a good barista is the other half. You will have to learn how to get the best of of your equipment. Making sure that the grinder is tuned so ground coffee won’t be too coarse or too fine. Getting the portafilter tamped exactly right, and getting the perfect frothed milk. These tasks are all an art form on their own, and no two cups of coffee are the same.

Purchases like coffee machines might sound like a lot of money, but if you count out all the money you’ve probably spent in a number of coffee shops this year, it might not be such a bad idea to ger your own equipment. Besides looking great in your kitchen, you’ll save money in the longrun, and you’ll definitely impress your friends.

Having been in the coffee business for more than a decade, Winston is considered an expert of coffee, tea, and cacao. His favorite coffee blends are yahava and vittoria. This article, Still paying premium prices for your coffee? is released under a creative commons attribution license.