Know your mocha from your macchiato? With coffee arguably the most popular drink in the world behind water, chances are you’ve brewed your own morning caffeine fix at least once. If you want to discover just how good it can be, follow these tips for coffee perfection at home.

As with so much food and drink, you get out what you put in. Good coffee begins with good beans so decide what you want from your cup. How much caffeine do you want? How strong do you like your coffee? Once you start getting into grinding your own beans, you'll want to know where your coffee was grown and where (and when) it was roasted.

You don’t need to be an expert on coffee beans – just look out for speciality coffee. There are plenty of coffee stores and online shops which are proud to boast about their credentials as to how, where and why they source their coffee beans. They will cater for different tastes so get to know your coffee shop and try out a selection.

Essentially there are two groups of coffee varieties: arabica and robusta. Robusta contains almost twice the amount of caffeine as arabica and has a more bitter taste. Most robusta is used for instant coffee. Arabica, on the other hand, is more expensive, grown at altitude and harder to cultivate. It's fruitier, smoother and softer than robusta. But ultimately it's a matter of personal taste.

In the past, Italian or French-style dark roasts dominated the coffee scene. These days, baristas are more careful to preserve the bean’s delicate and complex flavours, which are best revealed in lighter or medium roasts.

It’s possible to source green (unroasted) beans with a one-year shelf life. Roast in small batches using a simple work-top roaster or in a pan on the hob to guarantee maximum freshness, some bragging rights and the joy of a properly personalised brew. Just be sure to open the windows as the fumes can be toxic in very high doses.

We don’t mean count them out but buy an affordable set of scales to weigh your beans. Once you’ve mastered your perfect strength, you’ll then be able to repeat the feat again and again. If you prefer to roast a larger batch, make sure you store the beans in an airtight container and keep it in a dark cupboard.

Beans lose their aroma and flavour rapidly after being ground. Again, storing in an airtight container will extend the shelf life and preserve flavour. Affordable hand-grinders let you adjust to suit different preparation methods while high-end automatics weigh out directly into the espresso portafilter with remarkable accuracy.

The jury is still out whether water hardness or softness is good for your brew. There’s a coffee shop in Milan that imports its (hard) water from Naples to make what they think is the perfect espresso. That aside, fresh water makes for a better coffee, so refresh your coffee machine’s water tank each day that you use it. Hard water can fur up your machine, especially if you use a pod system, so use filtered water in that case.

Most coffee beans react best to hot water that’s not boiling (though some argue that boiled and slightly cooled water helps deal with hard water and other impurities). Boiling water scorches the grounds and will result in a bitter cup of coffee. You may have seen a similar effect if you pour just-boiled water over green tea, which makes a bitter cup as the heat brings out the tannins.

Whether you add sugar or not, is a matter of personal taste. Strong Italian espresso can be quite bitter so the sweetness from a touch of sugar helps to balance it out. If your coffee is more floral and smooth, try it without.

Known as French press, cafetière or plunger coffee, this brewing method steeps medium-ground beans in the same pot before straining and pouring. The trick is to allow the coffee to brew for around five minutes, then very slowly and gently, plunge. If the plunger gets too tight, pull it back a little, then continue.

Discover amazing food facts – including more about the French press – here

The simplest kit available for an espresso-like coffee at home is a stovetop pot. You’ll find one of these cheap coffee makers in many homes across Europe. After use, rinse lightly without scrubbing – the idea is that the residues that build up over time, impact the coffee with a richer flavour in the cup.

The Aeropress is a highly versatile coffee maker that’s ideal when travelling as no power is required. It's easy to use, easy to clean and produces a very bright cup of coffee. Place the plastic tube on top of a mug, add ground coffee and just-boiled water on top of a filter paper, then firmly press down the plunger. It can make up to four shots at a time which can be diluted to make americanos.

The pourover method consists of a jug, plastic filter and paper filters to line it. It's quick and easy to use with minimum mess. Allow the boiled water in the kettle to sit for a minute, then slowly pour over the coffee. Once the coffee is soaked, give it 30 seconds, then continue to pour in a steady stream. Allow all the water to drip through before serving.

One for the warmer months, and equally useful for coffee-flavoured cocktails, cold brew coffee makes for a great chilled caffeine fix. Pour cold water over the coffee, leave overnight in the fridge and enjoy the next day over ice, with or without milk and sugar. Use it for an espresso martini or for a Vietnamese twist, add condensed milk.

The best all-in-one machines can often cost the price of a small car. However, the ease of one-touch latte, espresso and cappuccino, along with built-in measurement and grinding, is hard to beat on convenience.

This is one for the real coffee geeks and looks more like a science experiment. Although fiddly to use and easily broken, a syphon coffee maker will add some welcome glamour to your weekend brew. It uses a system of heating and cooling to push water vapours from the bottom part into the upper chamber, where it mixes with ground coffee and is then pulled back down as brewed coffee. The payoff is in the light and bright taste.

When made well, a long black can reveal the true character of coffee beans. Make it by pouring a shot, or double shot, of espresso into 200ml (6.7floz) of water. It's different to an americano where the water is poured over espresso.

Using an espresso machine, around 14 to 18g (0.5oz) of coffee extracted for around 25 to 32 seconds at between 90 to 96°C (194 to 205°F) will produce a double espresso suited to most coffee-lovers’ tastes.

You’ll find fresh, whole, chilled milk froths and foams best. For the best fully-textured milk, you’ll need a milk frother and a metal jug. Dip the wand just below the milk's surface, on an angle, for around 10 seconds, then plunge it towards the bottom. Grasping the metal jug, stop when it’s hot to the touch, before you burn the milk. 

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There are a myriad ways to enjoy your perfectly brewed espresso and this diagram helps show the approximate proportions for the most popular styles.

Coffee purists may turn their noses up but the pod coffee market is the fastest growing sector for home espresso. You can choose the strength and flavour of your coffee, pop the pod into your machine and get a perfect espresso complete with the crema (the little bit of foam) on top. You can buy a machine with a built-in milk frother and there's no mess. Most pods can also now be recycled.

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A cappuccino is an espresso topped with steamed and frothed milk, and according to Italian tradition, best enjoyed before 11am. After that, it should be espresso all the way – for the Italians, that is!

For a fuller-bodied coffee with less milk, try a flat white. Make an espresso as usual and top with steamed milk. If there's too much froth on the milk, just bang the jug on your worktop to eliminate excess air.

Try creating your own latte art at home. Once you get the knack of it, you'll find it's incredibly easy as well as satisfying – just think how impressed your friends and family will be. Read on for our top tips...

You can start with the more simple but still beautiful designs... Check out this video on latte art for beginners.

If you're feeling confident, take on something a bit more complex. Check out this video to create a swanky swan design.

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For the coffee pros, tackle the most intricate, ornate and original cups of 3-D foamy art. Learn how to make lions, cats, pandas and sleeping bears from this amazing video.

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