An aromatic cup of coffee is not just a delicious drink; it’s also an effective way to start your day. When you get your daily caffeine boost from a strong cup of coffee, you can power through your morning and get right to work.
You can even save time by brewing a cup at home instead of stopping at a crowded coffee shop. However, sometimes when you make your own brew, it doesn’t pack the punch you’re looking for.
Below, I’ve listed various tips and tricks on how to make stronger coffee at home. Let’s get started:
How to make stronger coffee at home
Making coffee taste stronger can be done using several techniques like adding more coffee, double brewing, a darker coffee roast, and fresh coffee beans.
Below, you’ll find more information about all the above-listed ways to make your coffee taste stronger.
But first, let’s talk about the best coffee roast to use if you want to make stronger coffee at home.
I recommend using medium and dark roasted coffee beans if you want a strong cup of coffee.
These coffee roasts pack a bunch of robust flavors and are most vital if you want to have a stronger cup of joe in the morning.
Lighter coffee roasts have been roasted to a lower temperature, keeping more unique flavors intact but resulting in a mellow taste.
So, if you want to make stronger coffee at home, medium and dark roasts are the way to go. Have a look below to see the difference in roast level:
As you can see from the photo above, the medium roast is lighter, but the stronger taste is very much there.
Does using more coffee make the coffee stronger?
Using more coffee in your brew results in a stronger tasting cup of coffee. The more coffee beans you use, the more powerful your coffee will taste.
To make stronger coffee, using more ground coffee, you want to use at least 25% more than you’re used to.
By adding more coffee, you can easily taste the difference and adjust the amount of ground coffee per serving as you go. Have a look below for the amounts I recommend per cup of coffee:
| Coffee brewer: | The normal amount of coffee: | To make stronger coffee: |
| French press | 20 grams | 25 grams |
| Chemex | 21 grams | 26 grams |
| Hario V60 | 18 grams | 22 grams |
| Moka pot | 20 grams | 25 grams |
| AeroPress | 17 grams | 21 grams |
As you can see, the amount of ground coffee is increased, making for a more robust coffee. I suggest playing around with the amounts to taste until you’ve reached your desired taste.
Does a finer coffee grind make stronger coffee?
Finely grinding your coffee beans for optimal extraction will make your coffee stronger. It’s best to use lower-temperature water, so you can extract all the delicious coffee flavors without leaving any bitterness.
I recommend using a fine grind only to brew strong espresso coffee, using an espresso machine, Moka pot, and AeroPress.
For example, brewing coffee with a fine grind using a Chemex will result in an over-extracted coffee that isn’t enjoyable.
Because the steeping time is longer, the water will extract too much flavor, leaving you with sour notes in your coffee, which is not optimal.
So, if you want a stronger coffee using the Chemex, Hario V60, and French press, I suggest using any of the other tips, as this will result in a better cup of coffee.
Double brewing coffee for a stronger taste
Double brewed coffee is a technique to make a stronger-tasting cup of coffee. You can double the amount of coffee, or you can re-use the already brewed coffee grounds and brew another batch with it, using the freshly brewed coffee.
It’s a fun technique that’s perfect if you want a strong cup of coffee, but you don’t want to go through any additional steps.
Does double brewed coffee have more caffeine?
Double brewed coffee has double the caffeine because double the amount of ground coffee is used to brew a cup of coffee.
The amount of caffeine depends on the brewing technique used and how much coffee you’re using in your brew.
Even if you’re not using double the amount of coffee but are instead using the other technique, you’ll still retract more caffeine from the coffee.
Double brewed coffee is the perfect way to start the day if you need a boost of caffeine.
If you’re interested in learning more about this technique, you can find more information here.
Using freshly roasted coffee beans for more flavor
Making strong coffee at home isn’t as hard as you might think. If you’re a fan of extra-bold brews, you probably already know that most pre-ground coffee is too weak to stand up to freshly ground coffee.
To make the best strong coffee, you’ll need to grind your beans at home.
Freshly roasted coffee beans make for a better-tasting coffee because most flavors are still in the coffee beans.
The longer you wait to finish the batch of coffee, the less flavor it retains. It’s best to finish a bag of roasted coffee beans within eight weeks. After that, the flavors will diminish.
It’s also worth noting that grinding your coffee beans before brewing is the best way to make stronger coffee at home.
This all has to do with how fresh the coffee beans are.
If you instead use a pre-ground coffee that has been in its packaging for up to a year in some cases, there will be significantly less flavor compared to a batch of freshly roasted coffee.
So the best combination for strong coffee is having a fresh batch of whole bean coffee and grinding it fresh right before brewing a cup of coffee.
The best coffee brewer for strong coffee
Choosing the right coffee brewer to produce strong coffee can be hard if you’re unsure what to look for.
If you want to make strong coffee that is still enjoyable, I recommend brewing coffee with a French press.
The French press uses a steeping technique that you can’t find anywhere else.
The coffee it produces has much more flavor because the coffee grounds are steeped with water, which is much different from brewing coffee with a Chemex that uses a filter.
I can also recommend a Moka pot to make espresso coffee or an AeroPress, which is more versatile.
The AeroPress can produce espresso-like coffee but also a regular cup of coffee to start your mornings.
If you want to learn how to brew coffee with the above-listed brewers, you can find more information in my beginner’s guide to brewing coffee.
How to make your coffee stronger without adding bitterness
The best way to make the coffee stronger without adding bitterness is using medium roasted coffee beans and double brewing the coffee using a pour over method.
As medium roasted coffee beans are less robust in flavor but still have strong coffee notes, they are the best to double brew.
As I’ve discussed above, the French press makes for the strongest coffee, as the coffee grounds are steeped in hot water.
When instead using a pour over method, like the Chemex, to double brew your coffee, you’re left with a strong coffee that doesn’t have any bitterness.
The filter of the Chemex makes for a more mellow coffee than the French press, but when double brewing your coffee, you get the best of two worlds without adding bitterness to your strong coffee!
Conclusion
This was a fun article to write, as I love drinking strong coffee myself. I hope to have given you enough information to start brewing stronger coffee today!
These tips and tricks are a fun and easy way to make your coffee stronger, perfect if you like to drink strong coffee daily.
Down below, I’ve listed a few strong coffee drinks that you might want to check out. All of these recipes are easy to make.
Do you have any other tips to make stronger-tasting coffee? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
The private Facebook group is an amazing community of coffee lovers to discuss coffee recipes and trends, ask questions and collaborate. Check out the group on Facebook!