Brewing
Coffee
Brewing
coffee is simply the process of flavoring water with roasted
and ground coffee beans. I’ll attempt to sell you on the
French press if you’re not already, shed some light on gourmet
coffees, and discuss the importance of freshness.
The
Importance of Freshness
Before
I get into brewing coffee, I would like to discuss freshness.
Freshness is determined by the roast date, not when the beans
were harvested.
When
coffee has been roasted, its flavor and aroma will begin to
deteriorate very rapidly. Vacuum and nitrogen injection packaging
will slow down the deterioration process, but it will still
become stale and even rancid after a fairly short period of
time.
Did
you know that once the package has been opened and exposed
to air, a huge amount of the flavor and aroma will have deteriorated
within about 7-10 days?
Ground
coffee deteriorates much faster than whole bean, so it’s recommended
to buy whole bean and ground only as much coffee as you plan
on using each day.
Now
when you see gourmet coffees sitting on the shelves of stores,
ask yourself how long you think it’s been since it was roasted.
No matter how good the coffee may have been at one point,
spoiled coffee can taste really, really nasty.
Brewing
Methods
Drip
Brewing:
Drip
brewing is the most common method in the United States. It
can produce a satisfying cup if properly brewed.
First
of all, a given amount of coffee only contains so much of
the precious oils that give it the flavor and aroma we love.
After all of the oils are extracted, the only things you’re
getting from the grounds are bitter tasting elements.
This
is called over-extraction. One of the most misunderstood facts
about coffee is that bitterness is caused by using more coffee
when in fact, the opposite is true. Bitterness is a result
from over-extraction.
So,
if you want a weaker coffee that is not bitter a great tip
is to simply brew the coffee full strength and add hot water
to the brew before drinking. This is just like making a concentrate.
Diluting with water after the brew will not change any taste
characteristics except to make it a little weaker.
Brewing
coffee begins with using the correct amount of coffee. Start
with 2.5 to 3 tablespoons of medium ground coffee per 8 ounce
cup.
A
medium grind is similar to the consistency of granulated sugar.
The grind will determine how long water is in contact with
the coffee. The finer the grind, the more time it takes the
water to flow through the grounds. Think of water flowing
through a layer of sand as opposed to rocks.
The
goal is to adjust the grind so that the entire brew cycle
takes between 4 to 6 minutes. If it’s too fast, the coffee
will be under-extracted, making it weak and having little
aroma. If too slow, it will be over-extracted and bitter.
One
of the problems with drip brewing occurs when you only need
to brew 4 cups or less at a time.
Most
coffee machines do not get up to the proper temperature fast
enough to only brew a couple of cups. If you are only making
a few cups, I suggest using a French press.
The
French Press:
A
French press or coffee press is the preferred way by many
to brew a cup of coffee. It is also great when you only need
to brew a few cups instead of a whole pot of coffee.
The
way they work is really simple. Just put the recommended amount
of ground coffee in the glass pot. This time though, use a
course to very course grind (similar to very coarse sand or
raw sugar).
Then
pour in water that is not quite boiling (about 200 degrees)
and place the lid with the push-down filter on top but do
not press down. This will hold in the heat.
Now
let the coffee steep for about 3 to 4 minutes. After the brewing
time is complete, slowly press down on the filter rod pushing
the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Using a coarse grind
makes this easier.
Once
the coffee is pushed to the bottom, it is ready to serve.
The
main reason why the French press is considered superior to
drip brewing is that the water is in contact with all of the
beans an equal amount of time.
It
also filters less of the fines (fine coffee grounds similar
to powder) which make for a more full flavored drink.
If
you do not like so much of these fines in your coffee, you
might try using a coarser grind. If it's still too murky for
your tastes, try finding a grinder that does the grind a little
more consistent. Blade grinders are the worst for this, cone
and burr grinders are best.
If
you are afraid that you’ll rarely use the French press because
of the extra hassle (the filter needs to be cleaned), you
can also use the French press to make fantastic tea from loose
leaves.
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