Wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy gourmet coffee all the time? If you were to try and get your hands on gourmet coffee, it might cost you up to five dollars a cup, but with the right knowledge and equipment you can make it yourself at home. Below you will learn some of the secrets to a great cup of coffee:

1. Get A Machine

The trick to brewing great coffee is a great coffee machine. There are still the old- fashioned drip machines, that are one of the easiest types to use for beginners and coffee experts alike. Of course, for the hard-core experts we have the old-fashioned presses and hand brew machines, that are back in favor. Then you have the newest technology, the pod coffee machines. These are like a European coffeehouse machine, infusing hot water through coffee pads. Also, then for espresso lovers, there are pressurized steam espresso makers. Better yet is to use a French press or a pour-over filter using fresh water just off the boil.

2. Filters

Make sure, whatever machine you use, to also shop for the proper filter to put between it and your gourmet coffee. The best filters are gold, nylon, or some other permanent filter material. Thats because permanent filters allow most all of the flavour molecules from the coffee grinds to make it into the water.

3. Un-Roasted Coffee

Try to purchase only whole-bean coffee roasted within the last 72 hours and grind just before brewing. You want to do this to prevent staleness. Stale coffee is no good, and it's hard to get a decent cup of coffee from it. It's a sad face that most of the coffee you buy in stores is stale before you get it home.

The secret is to use green (un-roasted) coffee beans which can stay fresh for 2 years. Did you know that roasted coffee can go stale as fast as 2 weeks, and even worse is ground coffee goes stale in a just a few hours because of the immense surface area it exposes to the staling effects of air. Even with the "freshness preserving" packaging, it doesn't make much of a difference, it's actually more of a marketing gimmick. The best way to get fresh coffee is to know when it was roasted... but I understand that somethimes this information is hard to find.

As a final tip I should mention I'm bias to coffee from Central America which has a smooth acidity and easy drinking taste.