Black as hell. Strong as death. Sweet as love. How do you like your coffee?
The old Turkish proverb may fall flat on your barista because they’ll need something a bit more specific when you order – specific like pour over, French press, espresso and the worldwide favorite, autodrip. If you haven’t given much thought to how your coffee’s brewed, now might be a good time.
The price of a cup of coffee (good coffee, mind you) can be steep in the UAE. A latte or flat white could cost about $7 in Dubai. Coffee might be an affordable luxury right now for you, but a daily cup from a café can quickly add up later on.
You can save quite a bit of money if you brew your own coffee at home. Before getting your coffee equipment, though, take a moment to learn a bit about brewing methods and how they affect your beloved drink.
What’s the Perfect Brew?
You don’t have to be a so-called “coffee snob” or coffee geek to want to make a good cup. You just have to appreciate a cup of rich and aromatic brew.
Different brewing methods will yield different flavors, taste, and strength. Some will seem fussier than others. But all of these methods can be worthwhile once you’re able to sit back, have an hour or so to yourself with your freshly brewed coffee and a baklava or some madeleines as a treat.
The perfect brew, ultimately, will be a personal choice.
Pour Over
Pour over is just, you pour over the coffee. It’s one of the more popular ways to manually filter the ground beans. What do you need for pour overs?
- Pour over cone
- Filter
- Timer
- Gooseneck kettle
Place the filter in the cone. Scoop the coffee in the filter. Pour over the coffee with the gooseneck kettle, The long and tapered spout of the kettle allows control and precision as you pour over the coffee.
The simple brewing process leaves you with a light bodied brew and a clean taste, thanks to the paper filter that holds back oils from the final cup.
Pour overs typically take 15 seconds, and the bloom, which is when CO2 escapes the coffee to allow for better extraction and thorough soaking, takes about 30 seconds. Pour around the edge of the coffee, but make sure not to pour directly on the paper filter. This will result in watery coffee.
The brewing method can take multiple pours, with a total brew time of three to four minutes. In between pours, stir the water a bit for an even greater saturation.
If you want a shorter brew, like two minutes, grind your beans finer. For longer brews, like five minutes, grind your beans coarser.
As you keep using this method, you’ll be able to adjust the grind according to your liking. Bitter and astringent coffee means your coffee beans must be coarser. Watery and sour coffee means the coffee beans must be finer.
French Press
Another manual brewing method is the French press. It’s probably one of the easiest ways to get a good cup of coffee because you just press down on the coffee. It can also make more than one cup.
All you need is a good French press. If you want to make two cups, the general rule is to use three to four spoons of coffee with the 1:12 ratio. That’s 1 part coffee to 12 parts water. Adjust the ratio according to how strong or mild you want your coffee.
Once the coffee is in the French press, pour the water over for 10 to 15 seconds and let it bloom for 30 seconds. Then let the coffee steep for four minutes with a cover. Stir the coffee bit, then place the lid back and plunge slowly.
If you’re having trouble plunging, the grind is too fine. If it’s too easy, the grind is too coarse.
Siphon
Siphon is another brewing method by immersion. It’s fussier than the previous two methods, but it can be a lot of fun. Consider the contraption you’ll be using to brew your coffee. It’s something out of a chemistry lab.
The siphon pot contains two vessels. The upper vessel is where you place the coffee, and the bottom vessel is where the water boils. Siphoning uses vacuum pressure and fire to immerse the coffee. What you get is a full-flavored coffee.
This method is best if you don’t mind performing what feels like an experiment before you get coffee in you.
Automatic Drip
The most recognizable, accessible way to brew coffee is through the automatic drip, otherwise known as the coffee maker. It’s a lot less involved than the other brewing methods since you’re able to do other things while your coffee brews.
You put the coffee in the filter. Pour water in the tank, filling it according to the number of cups and strength you want. Plug it in and turn it on. Then walk away and do what you need to do.
Espresso
This coffee brewing method is for the truly serious disciple. Espresso machines are not exactly pocket-friendly; it’s a considerable purchase, but one that’ll give you endless shots of concentrated coffee.
Espresso method uses pressure to push water through a chamber that contains coffee. The coffee then passes through a filter, and results in a strong, full bodied, and concentrated coffee.
You’ll want finely ground coffee for this brewing process.
Drip Bag
Leave it to Japan to come up with an ultra convenient way to have a fast cup of coffee without reaching for instant. Created in 1990 for Japanese office workers who had no time to waste on long brews, the drip coffee bag is a sachet of ground coffee.
The sachet is a small filter bag that opens at the top. The handles fold out, allowing the drip bag to hang over your cup as you pour water over the coffee.
Like other immersion methods, the drip bag also requires some time to bloom.
So how do you like your coffee? With multiple brewing methods, you’re sure to get more than the standard cup of coffee without the steep price.