how to brew the perfect cup of coffee - if i only knew how you brew

Here are the basics to brewing the perfect cup of coffee: You take some coffee beans from a coffee plant. Roast them as desired. Grind them a lot or a little. Add hot water, ideally around 195 - 200 degrees F. Wait. Either filter to remove the grounds or leave them to settle to the bottom. Optionally add spices, milk product, chocolate, sugar, fat free lactose milk falsa;  then SIP; Drink. Smile . Wasn’t that easy?

First we must determine how you are brewing the coffee – most people know about their own method but there are one very common and six  less - common methods. The most common is the plug in drip coffee maker which most of us grew up with or currently have. The key to the aut drip coffee maker is: keeping everything clean; making sure the water is heated to the right temperature and that everything is clean.

Here are the other six:

The first method, which I refer to  as “Turkish Coffee” is popular in both the middle east and my house. It involves using extremely finely ground coffee boiled in water, typically with sugar. Some choose to add various spices to the coffee, such as cardamom. There is no straining nor filtering, the coffee, grounds and all, are poured into cups for an excellent drinking experience. Great for surprising an unexpected house guests.

The French press method is typically chosen by “gourmet coffee tasters”, and as well as coffee snobs. It actually gives the maker a lot of control over the final product. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in a glass carafe. Hot water is added and a lid with a plunger is placed on top. After approximately 5 minutes, the plunger is pushed down, taking most of the grounds with it. The coffee is then immediately poured into cups. The French press can make a perfect cup of coffee.

Percolation is one of the oldest ways to make coffee and luckily its not used much anymore. One way to destroy a perfectly good coffee bean is to boil the grounds. Then keep boiling. Then boil some more. This is percolating and ends up with a thin and bitter drink. Obviously, this is not my “cup of tea” but there are those who, for some reason, like this result.  Like bus drivers and security guards.

The Far East or Vietnamese Coffee is an excellent coffee when its only you or a special friend drinking coffee that morning  or evening – its also an excellent after diner coffee. An excellent way to brew a single cup of coffee that is unique in many ways. The final product is often described as “drinking a cup of melted coffee Häagen-Dazs ice cream.” Made with condensed milk, it is great hot or served over ice for a summer drink

Some folks have purchased expensive home espresso coffee makers. Espresso is made when fine ground coffee is infused with hot water at high pressure for a short time. The resulting coffee is full bodied, strong flavored, and typically has a “crema” or foam on top. Combined with steamed milk for a latte or cappuccino, espresso is quickly becoming an American favorite. High density intense coffee.

Our sixth method is Vacuum brewing is definitely cool to watch. The method uses a device composed of two globes, one on top of the other, with a filter between them. Coffee grounds are placed in the upper globe, water in the lower. When heated, the water, due to pressure from the resulting steam, travels up a tube into the upper globe, mixing with the coffee. As the device is allowed to cool, the water (now coffee) filters into the lower globe. A mediocre cup of coffee usually ensues. 

So the key to all these types of coffee brewing: Use good quality gourmet Arabica beans – I prefer Columbia; Costa Rica or Brazil beans. Use whole beans and only grind them right before you brew them. Keep them in a tightly sealed tuber-ware  like container. Use fresh bottled or mineral water. Heat it to 200 degress. Now sip the perfect cup of coffee.