Ina Garten's Rule About Coffee Is Pretty Strict

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Ina Garten once compressed her coffee philosophy into six little words: "I like coffee to taste like coffee," she told The Today Show. It's almost too obvious to say aloud, but it's classic Garten: uncomplicated and rooted in her love of good ingredients.

For many purists, coffee doesn't mean coating beans in caramel syrup or covering them with whipped cream. It means enjoying the actual taste of the coffee itself. That means starting with good beans, brewing them properly, and avoiding anything (or most things) that covers up their true taste. For Garten, it all goes back to her general approach to cooking. She always uses high-quality ingredients and believes that food doesn't need to be fancy. That applies to coffee as well. The right beans will give you refined chocolate flavors or even citrus or nut notes. However, as soon as you add artificial flavorings or creamers, those flavors are muted.

Think about how you currently make your coffee. Do you get to enjoy the coffee itself, or are you merely tasting everything else you put into it? Of course, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chocolate are some additions that will give your coffee a sweeter boost. But Garten is all about letting the coffee shine. And no, you don't need a $3,000 espresso machine to enjoy a cup. All you have to do is pay closer attention to what goes into it, and you'll be pairing your new coffee with one of our favorite Ina Garten desserts in no time.

For the best cup of coffee, pay attention to coffee bean labels. Even the best brewing method won't save stale or bad-grade coffee. French press or pour-over equipment like the Chemex Pour-Over Glass Coffee Maker is great for bringing out the full flavor of the coffee naturally. The AeroPress is another inexpensive option if you like strong, smooth flavors.

Water matters too. Because your cup will be mostly water, filtered water will mean a cleaner taste. For sweeteners and milk, try not to overdo it. If you prefer cream, you can use whole milk or froth it to get a latte-like feel. You'll achieve the same richness without overwhelming the flavor of your coffee. Ina Garten's coffee rule isn't about being a coffee snob, and it isn't about bashing the experimentalist cups out there. Instead, it's about slowing down and enjoying your coffee the way you'd enjoy a homemade meal. Good coffee doesn't have to be complicated or fancy. It just has to be real. 

And remember, you don't follow all of Garten's recipes to a tee. For example, she revealed to Bon Appétit that she finds sugar in her coffee to be quite bitter. And for many out there, even a sprinkle of sugar makes all the difference. However, every once in a while, skip the ultra-sweet frappes and enjoy a plain French press coffee with some milk. You'll be surprised at how deliciously complex coffee tastes when it has, well, the taste of coffee.