Learn Hardcore German: Ich mache mir meistens morgens einen Kaffee. - I usually make myself a coffee in the mornings.

German uses the dative for the person who benefits or receives something. The pattern is jemandem (dative) etwas (accusative) machen: Ich mache mir einen Kaffee. Here mir = “for myself” (dative), and einen Kaffee is the direct object (accusative). Mich would be accusative and is wrong in this structure.

Is "mir" really reflexive here?

It’s often called a “reflexive dative of benefit.” The pronoun refers back to the subject, but it marks benefit, not a direct reflexive action. Compare:

Ich wasche mich. (pure reflexive, accusative)
Ich wasche mir die Hände. (benefactive dative + direct object)
Ich mache mir einen Kaffee.

What changes if I leave out "mir"?

Ich mache meistens morgens einen Kaffee can mean “I make coffee (e.g., for others or in general) in the mornings.” Adding mir makes it explicit you’re making it for yourself: Ich mache mir meistens morgens einen Kaffee.

Why "einen Kaffee" and not "ein/eine Kaffee"?

Kaffee is masculine (der Kaffee). The indefinite article in the accusative masculine is einen. Nominative would be ein Kaffee (as a subject), but here it’s a direct object.

Can I drop the article and say "Ich mache mir morgens meistens Kaffee"?

Yes. Without an article, Kaffee is a mass noun: you’re making “some coffee.” With einen Kaffee, you’re making one serving/portion (roughly “a coffee” ~ “a cup of coffee”). Both are natural; choose based on meaning.

Is the word order "meistens morgens" fixed? Could I say "morgens meistens"?

Both are fine: Ich mache mir meistens morgens … and Ich mache mir morgens meistens …. A handy guideline is “general before specific”: frequency (meistens) before the specific time (morgens). In real speech, both orders are idiomatic.

Can I start the sentence with "Morgens"?

Yes. German is V2, so the verb still comes second: Morgens mache ich mir meistens einen Kaffee. You can also front Meistens: Meistens mache ich mir morgens einen Kaffee. These versions change emphasis, not correctness.

Why does "mir" come before "einen Kaffee"? Could I say "... einen Kaffee mir"?

Unstressed pronouns usually precede full noun phrases in the middle field. Preferred order here is: verb + short pronoun(s) + adverbs + full noun(s): Ich mache mir meistens morgens einen Kaffee. Saying … einen Kaffee mir is unnatural in standard German.

What’s the difference between "morgens", "am Morgen", "morgen", and "Morgen"?

morgens: “in the mornings” (habitual). Example: Ich trinke morgens Tee.
am Morgen: “in the morning” on a specific day. Example: Am Morgen bin ich müde.
morgen: “tomorrow.” Example: Ich komme morgen.
der Morgen: the noun “morning.” Example: Der Morgen war kalt.

What exactly does "meistens" mean? How is it different from "am meisten" or "die meisten"?

meistens = usually/most of the time (adverb of frequency): Ich frühstücke meistens.
am meisten = the most (superlative of “viel”), often with verbs: Er lacht am meisten.
die meisten = most (of a group), with nouns: Die meisten Leute mögen Kaffee.

Could I use a different verb instead of "machen" for coffee?

Yes:

Kaffee kochen is very common and neutral (“brew/make coffee”).
Kaffee aufsetzen is colloquial for starting a pot.
sich einen Kaffee zubereiten/bereiten sounds a bit more careful/formal. Avoid tun here; Germans don’t say Ich tue mir einen Kaffee.

How would I say "I don’t usually make myself a coffee in the morning"?

Two natural options:

Meistens mache ich mir morgens keinen Kaffee. (Most of the time, I don’t.)
Ich mache mir morgens normalerweise keinen Kaffee. Use kein with nouns (keinen Kaffee), not nicht.

Is the present tense here used for a habitual action?

Yes. German present covers habits: Ich mache mir … For a past habit, use the perfect (common in speech) or, in writing, the simple past: Früher habe ich mir morgens meistens einen Kaffee gemacht.

Any pitfalls with "morgens" and "Morgen"?

Don’t say am morgens. Say am Morgen or simply morgens.
morgen (tomorrow) has no -s; morgens (in the mornings) does.
Capitalize nouns: der Morgen; adverbs like morgens are lower-case.

Why is "Kaffee" capitalized, and any pronunciation tips?

All German nouns are capitalized, hence Kaffee. Pronunciation: stress the first syllable, with a long “eh” sound in the second: KAFF-ee ([eː]). For mache, the ch is like the “ch” in Scottish “loch.”