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The art of making coffee continued...
The art of making coffee.
There are many different methods of making coffee. There is no "right" way.
Most of us prefer one method to all of the rest and that method usually is the
one that fits our lifestyles. The one factor that remains constant in all of
the infusion procedures is the use of hot water, to extract from the ground
beans, the natural essential oils, and the caffeol, that give coffee its
wonderful aroma and flavor.
Arab Coffee
While the coffee bean spread all over the world from Arabia, their method of
making coffee did not. Traditionally, the Arabs boil their coffee three times.
This method of boiling coffee removes the most delicate flavors, and leaves a
strong-tasting coffee. The Arabs make their coffee in a small copper pot with a
long handle called an ibriq. The ibriq is brought to a boil, removed from heat
and then re-boiled three times. After this infusion process the coffee is
poured out and drank. A cardamom seed can be added for additional flavor.
Filter Brewing
This is quite possibly the most commonly used method today. The coffee bean is
finely-ground, placed in a filter paper or something similar and then nearly
boiling water is poured on top. Pouring a small quantity of water on first to
moisten the grounds helps speed up the release of caffeol. The resulting brew
filters through the unit into a pot and is ready to drink. This method is used
particularly in Germany and the USA.
The Plunger/Cafetiere
Invented in 1933 this method extracts the most flavor from the ground beans.
The pot is heated, coarse ground coffee is put into the bottom of the pot, hot
water is added and then stirred with the grounds. The pot is set to steep for 3
to 5 minutes, and then the plunger is pushed down to separate the grounds from
the infusion. This method is one of the fastest growing methods to make coffee
and is not much more difficult than the filter method.
The Jug
This is the easiest method of making coffee. Add hot water to a coarsely ground
coffee. This is similar to the plunger method, without the process of using the
plunger to separate the grounds from the infusion.
Espresso
Invented in Italy, this is the fastest growing method of making coffee today.
All of the other methods involve a fairly inexpensive, natural infusion
process, not espresso. Espresso machines force hot water through very finely
and compacted coffee. The process of making good espresso is expensive because
to extract the greatest amount of flavor from the coffee, a high level of
pressure is required from a high specification machine. Being careful not to
over-extract the coffee, the machine should be switched off sooner, rather than
later, while the coffee is still coming out as a golden brown liquid. This
liquid, known as the 'crema', lies on top of the black coffee in the cup. The
crema will dissipate within a few minutes after the coffee is made, but within
that time the crema will tell you everything about the quality of the espresso.
Sub standard espresso will have a crema that is too light, too thick, or too
thin. Good espresso is like a religion to some people.
The Percolator
This process was a civilizing influence on the American Wild West. Until the
recent 'coffee revolution,' the percolator was a standard piece of equipment in
most homes in the USA. The percolator heats the coarsely ground coffee and the
cold water so that it boils and bubbles up into the top of the percolator unit.
This process of burbling and gurgling sounds and smells nice, but all of that
wonderful aroma is the flavor leaving the coffee. This is possible the worst
way to make fresh coffee.
The Moka-Napoletana
In Italy, you can't be without one or more of these jugs of varying sizes. The
visual appeal of these jugs is undeniable, even if you don't like coffee. These
double beaded, stove top pots combine the characteristics of espresso and
percolator coffee. The water is forced through the lower chamber through the
boiling process, up a tube and then down through the finely-ground coffee.
Expertly done this process can satisfy coffee cravings and produce an adequate
'espresso type' coffee in less than a minute.
Instant Coffee
The first soluble coffee was invented in 1901 by Japanese-American chemist
Satori Kato of Chicago. It was first launched commercially by Nescafe in 1938.
Instant coffee is easier and more convenient to make. It also stays fresher
longer, is hard to damage the flavor, and is fast, cheap, and clean. Just like
all other coffee, instant is made from ground beans. The first stage involves
the preparation of a coffee concentrate from which the water is removed, either
by spray drying, or by freezing, to product soluble powder or granules. The
coffee essences may be lost through this dehydration process, but these are
captured and then returned to the processed coffee.
Flavored Coffee
Today there are over a hundred flavor varieties of coffee available. Coffee has
a wonderful taste that can also act very well as a platform for many other
flavors. Flavoring coffee is actually an old trick. Flavors are added directly
to the beans by roasting them, spraying them with a carrier oil and then the
particular flavoring. Another method is to make a cup of coffee and flavor it
by adding syrup to the hot brewed coffee. This is an ideal summer coffee drink,
which can be served cold, as an iced coffee.