5 Ways To Make Your Morning Coffee Even More Amazing

5 Ways To Make Your Morning Coffee Even More Amazing

At xBloom, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the perfect cup of pour- over. So we grilled Mariia Zahrebelna, our Social Media & Influencer Marketing Manager & Ryan Wihera, our Head of Business Development, on their top tips to make that morning coffee experience the best it can be.

Create a morning ritual

Rather than shotting down an espresso and rushing out the door, making some extra time to really enjoy your morning coffee makes all the difference in the world. Sounds obvious right? But so many of us don’t do it! Putting the alarm on snooze might seem more appealing, but trust us. Get out of bed even 10 minutes earlier and use the time to sit and really enjoy your coffee. Read a book, reflect on the day ahead, and create a ritual that feels right for you! 

[Mariia] When my son turned two, I realized that I desperately needed some time for myself! It was impossible to find even a couple of free minutes back when Ben was a toddler. So I decided to start waking up earlier than him to enjoy some “me time” moments with my favorite cup of coffee (pour- over or cappuccino) in my backyard. During this time, I usually read mysteries and write my journal. It has become a beautiful tradition, and I love every single moment of it! 

[Ryan]: As a lover of both pour-over and espresso, my day usually starts with deciding which type I’m going to have in the morning. If it’s pour- over I start the kettle, and if it’s espresso, I turn on the machine to let it warm up. After doing my pour- over or pulling my espresso, I love to go sit out on the back lawn in the bright morning sun and drink my coffee outside. Everything tastes better outdoors!

Make it social

Those me-time moments can help make your morning coffee a relaxing experience that helps kick-start your day in the right way. But enjoying a cuppa with a family member or friend is another great way to make the experience even better. Sharing is caring, and not only can it be fun to try new beans with a fellow coffee lover, but it’s a great excuse to make time in our busy lives for a quick catch-up.

[Ryan]: I think coffee is a naturally social beverage and I prefer to drink it with someone and simply enjoy the energy that you can immediately feel washing over the conversation. 

[Mariia]: While I truly enjoy my “me-time” coffee moments every morning, I also love to invite my friends for a coffee chat at home or at a local cafe. But drinking coffee with my parents has to be my favorite. Every Sunday, when I was a little girl, my dad took me to a local farmers market in Chornomorsk (a province in southwestern Ukraine where I was born), where we used to buy meat, veggies, and fruits, and cooooffeee! Oh, I loved these trips with my dad. I always felt like we were on a mission! Back then, I didn’t drink coffee, but I still remember the smell of a freshly made cup of americano at my parent's house. Nowadays, when they visit me in San Francisco, we create new coffee memories together - at home and checking out the best coffee shops. 

[Ryan]: While shopping for spices in an Ethiopian market in Oakland, CA, in 2018, I bought some green Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans on a whim. I learned you could roast them at home in the oven, so my mother and I decided to try it that weekend. After some trial and error, we ended up with a batch of beans that resulted in a tasty cup of coffee! This started a shared journey where we would spend time sourcing green beans from a local importer and then roast them together on weekends while learning about the regions, farmers, and beans. Even though I have access to some of the best professionally roasted coffees globally, I still love and cherish the (probably “flawed”) coffees that I get to spend time roasting with my mom at home.


Invest in a good coffee machine

This goes without saying for us at xBloom. Achieving a barista-quality experience at home is one of the quickest ways to transform your morning coffee. And it’s only possible with the right equipment. 

[Mariia] As a working mom, I don’t have much free time, especially in the morning, but I love a good pour- over coffee. The thought of having a delicious cup ready within three minutes and not 15 makes me very excited. And what’s better, with the xBloom machine, you get to skip the cleaning that comes with the traditional pour- over process. No extra work, and I love it! 

Unleash your inner barista

Don’t get stuck in a rut. One of the best ways to make your morning coffee experience even more amazing is to make it fun. And our best recommendation for doing so is to explore the world of beans at your fingertips. Even if you find a roast you really love, trying out new brewing methods might help you discover a new favorite, and the process of tasting and discovering new aromas and flavors will get you hooked.

[Ryan]: I often have a lot of great coffees to pick from (a good problem to have!), and I like to cycle through them, seeing how they progress as they get older, using up the last of a bag, or trying to get a new one perfectly dialed in. 

For types/regions, I really love natural and honey-processed coffees, ones with distinct red or blue-fruit characteristics and maybe showing some bright citrus or floral flavors that challenge your palate to reconsider what coffee can be. Ethiopia, Burundi, and Honduras have made some of my favorite coffees I’ve ever had, especially for pour over. For espresso, I love a Cortado/Gibraltar, as I feel it has the best balance of milk-to-coffee ratio, where you can still really taste the origin and flavors of the bean since it’s not drowned out by too much milk. I also love earthy/funky/rustic coffees from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 

Time it Right

Make sure you’re drinking your coffee while it's at its prime, and this will automatically improve your morning experience. You can check with the roaster or wherever you buy your coffee to find the optimum timing. And make sure you’re storing it as they recommend so the flavors are as impactful as they should be.   

[Ryan]: If you’re someone who loves only dark roast coffee, try to buy it in smaller quantities as close as possible to its roasting date. Those shiny oils you see on the coffee can actually go rancid after only a few weeks to a month of exposure. In addition to the flavors diminishing, it can sometimes contribute to your stomach getting upset. On the other hand, depending on the type, some light/medium roast coffees can be enjoyed for months after roasting, and some roasters even suggest not to brew their light roasts until up to one month *after* the roasting date!

So there you have it! Five simple tricks to make your morning coffee even more amazing from two of our coffee connoisseurs. They’ve perfected their daily routine, and you can do it too. And if you’ve got any of your own expert tips to share, we’d love to hear them. You can tag us in your stories (xbloom_coffee) or send us a DM on Instagram :) 

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