Gourmet-Tasting Coffee without the
Gourmet Price Tag
By R.L. Fielding
Quality in, quality out. The formula seems
elementary but, in the minds of many coffee
drinkers, quality is synonymous with higher
costs. Coffee lovers are seemingly faced with
a trade off between the gourmet taste they crave
and the money in their wallets. Many coffee
loyalists continue to surrender their cash to
the ritzy big-name coffee shops in order to
capture the luxury of gourmet brews. Other people
opt to buy the cheap stuff, looking for the
same buzz and sacrificing the flavorful experience.
However, Gourmet-tasting coffee without the
gourmet price tag is not out of reach. With
a few wisely chosen ingredients and tools, anyone
can brew professional-grade
coffee at
home. The beverage, at its best, is more
than a caffeinated booster; its a full-bodied
treat for the five senses. Nothing compares
to the color, temperature, flavor, aroma and
sound of a perfectly percolating pot of joe.
Learn how to get the most from your next cup
with the following tips.
Ingredients for Success
If you strip coffee down to the basics, what
you are left with is water and ground coffee
beans. The higher the quality of these two ingredients,
the better your finished product will taste.
The key is to start with fresh, cold water.
You want to enhance the coffee while letting
its desired natural properties shine through.
Water that is hot or stale can produce a bitter
taste. Depending on the mineral content of your
tap water, you may prefer using bottled water
for a purer coffee flavor.
Grinding your own coffee beans will provide
the freshest, most flavorful coffee. Many people
steer clear of this step because they think
it takes too much effort or is too time consuming.
The truth is, with the aid of a powered grinder,
the job can be done in 30-seconds or less. The
amount of beans you'll want to use for your
brew varies by the type of machine youre using
and the desired result. For your average pot,
use approximately 1-cup of coffee beans per
cup of coffee.
Freeze-dried or instant coffee will get the
job done but, when you truly want to indulge,
go for fresh grounds or whole beans. Many stores
prepare the beans daily, or you can check the
bottom of the bag for its freshness date. Good
beans should appeal to the eye and the nose.
Avoid purchasing broken beans because they will
stale more quickly. For that gourmet kick, choose
beans from the Arabica coffee plant only. Robusta
coffee beans are renowned for their high caffeine
levels, but they provide a more acidic taste.
To find a flavor you really enjoy, try a
few different roasts and brands. Beans with
a high acidity level will have a sharper taste.
Everyone's taste-buds are different. Dont be
afraid to go for specialty coffees just because
they sound intimidating or look fancy. When
trying the new brew, let the drink cool a bit
and take the time to swish it around in your
mouth before swallowing. This will give your
tongue the chance to identify the many layers
of flavor in each sip.
Caffeine content should also factor into
your decision when picking a coffee, as it affects
your overall experience. This stimulant is naturally
present in the coffee bean and can have mildly
addictive effects if large amounts are consumed.
Many coffee drinkers enjoy the increased alertness
brought on by the drug, but too much caffeine
can cause negative effects such as headaches,
insomnia and nervousness. Lighter roasts have
higher caffeine content than do darker roasts
because less of it is lost during the shorter
roasting period. Many coffees offer decaffeinated
varieties which can be delicious if you seek
to limit your caffeine intake.
Be sure to store your coffee in an air-tight
container in a cool, dry place away from any
potentially contaminating odors. Freezing beans
can damage the oils that give coffee its body
and flavor. To really lock in the freshness
of whole beans or cut grounds, double bag them.
Ground beans can lose flavor within a few hours
if exposed to the air. Even well-stored ground
coffee begin to stale after only a few days,
so its recommended that you don't prepare more
beans than you need at the moment. A trick for
adding life to pre-ground, stored coffee is
to briefly grind it again so new surface area
is exposed.
If you choose to use fresh coffee beans,
apply the following rule of thumb regarding
how finely ground the coffee beans should be:
Longer brewing cycles equal coarser grinds.
For example, an expresso or cappuccino maker
requires beans with a very fine, almost powdery
grind because the machines brew in less than
a minute. Electric drip brewers with paper filters
should utilize coffee grounds with a consistency
similar to salt granules. Percolators work best
when paired with coarsely ground beans. This
may seem like an unimportant detail, but it
has a tremendous impact on the strength of your
drinks taste and can cause problems for your
machine, such as filter clogs.
Tools of the Trade
Coffee making has become an art and where
would a good artist be without the proper tools?
For the best results, there are a few must-have
machines that every coffee enthusiast should
have in his or her home.
When working with whole beans, youll want
to invest in a coffee grinder. These tools are
well worth the money if you enjoy a fresh cup
of coffee. Some
coffee machines come with built-in grinders
to help simplify the brewing process. You can
get an easy-to-use stainless steel blade grinder
for a reasonable price. The grind-level is controlled
by how long you let the blades run. The metal
can get hot if you're making a fine ground coffee,
which can unfortunately create a burnt taste
if you aren't careful.
Burr grinders are different from blade grinders
in that the coarseness of the ground is controlled
by the burrs position. They work by crushing
the coffee beans between a moving grinding wheel
and a non-moving surface. These are often more
expensive and create a more consistent ground
than bladed grinders. Wheel burrs are reasonably
priced because they operate noisily and with
some mess. Conical burrs are the best grinders
that money can buy. These tools usually work
more quietly, less messily, and are the least
likely to clog because they operate at a slower
speed.
The demands of your lifestyle will determine
the type of coffee brewer you prefer. On-the-go
coffee fanatics have made the single-cup coffee
maker a popular item in recent years. Most people
use a traditional stove-top boiling pot or a
paper filtered automatic-drip
coffee machine to make theircoffee
at home. To properly brew using this equipment,
be sure to read the directions carefully. The
shape and size of a stove-top pot can impact
the boiling time and the amount of grounds needed.
The peak temperature for boiling coffee is
195 to 200 degrees and can be attained by letting
the water come to a boil for at least a minute
before adding the coffee. Measure your water
and grounds carefully; otherwise you can end
up with a bitter-tasting, weak brew or an overly
strong coffee that must be diluted with creamer.
With a filtered brewer, you'll use approximately
1 tablespoon of coffee per ground per 6 ounces
of water. Choose your filter carefully. A heavier,
higher quality filter will not clog as easily
as a cheap filter and will prevent coffee mud
from getting into the bottom of your drink.
Similar to the filtered brewer is the French
drip brewer. These pots have a built-in strainer
on top that filters the coffee grounds as hot
water is poured over them.
Flavorings, such as sugar, may be added to
the grounds before they pass through the filter.
This provides a more blended taste. To protect
the strength of each cups flavor and aroma,
serve the coffee immediately after brewing.
Percolators are great for brewing large quantities
of coffee and are available in both stove-top
and electric models. These brewing devices have
declined in popularity in the past decades because
they often produce a watery, bitter tasting
drink. Two of the trendiest coffee makers available
at the moment are the French Press and the expresso
maker. To operate a French Press, youll first
steep hot water and coffee grounds in a glass
beaker. A plunging device is used to push the
grounds to the bottom of the beaker, leaving
only the dense coffee liquid on top. Expresso
makers produce full-bodied drinks by forcing
hot water through the grounds and directly into
your cup. The brewer is also capable of processing
the steamed milk used in lattes or cappuccinos.
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R.L. Fielding Bio
R.L. Fielding has been a freelance writer
for 10 years, offering her expertise and skills
to a variety of major organizations in the education,
pharmaceuticals and healthcare, financial services,
and manufacturing industries. She lives in New
Jersey with her dog and two cats and enjoys
rock climbing and ornamental gardening.
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