With fewer Americans frequenting local coffee shops, coffee and espresso retailers are taking it home by promoting better brew methods and home delivery.

A study released by the National Coffee Association earlier this month says that Americans haven’t given up their daily coffee habit in the midst of the current recession, but they have learned how to make it better at home.

According to the study, approximately 54 percent of adults living in the US enjoy coffee each day. The study also found that those of us in that 54 percent are five times more likely to brew our coffee at home than we were this time last year.

While this isn’t good news for coffeehouses in general, The Chicago Tribune is reporting this week that it’s an opportunity for specialty coffee purveyors to market better brewing habits and high-end blends to those looking to experiment at home.

Intelligent brewing

Intelligentsia is now selling a series of home brew kits on its website that offers the novice coffee sipper the chance to bring some professional techniques into his or her home.

Each kit features one coffee maker that you probably wouldn’t find in your grandmother’s kitchen (unless grandma’s a barista, in which case, go granny!) such as the Eva Café Solo Café Brewer, a glass carafe that blends the coffee and water with a stir, or a Yama Syphon Brewer, which produces coffee through vacuum pressure.

The kits also come with a digital scale for measuring the perfect portion of coffee for your home brewer, a pound of Intelligentsia House Blend, and the grinder of your choice. The kits retail for between $230 and $300. Not bad considering what you’re getting.

What’s your story?

If you’ve already delved into the world of French presses and carafe brewing, you can still find a way to spoil yourself at home by having coffee delivered to your door. One of the best retailers I’ve found that will do this is Seattle-based Storyville Coffee.

Storyville uses next-day shipping to get the freshest coffee possible to their customers. Every shipment was roasted the day before it arrives at your home. While it’s a tad on the expensive side – it sells for about $14 for a half pound – you can’t beat the quality.

Earlier this month, we told you about Storyville’s effort to donate all of the proceeds it receives in the month of May to ending human trafficking all over the world. That campaign continues until Sunday and it’s a great way to try something new at home, but still feel give back to a worthy cause.

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