Different Ways of Brewing Coffee
The black, aromatic beverage we know as coffee will not be possible without the method called brewing. Brewing is the process where the flavour, aroma and essence is extracted from the coffee beans by having them touched, combined or mixed with water.
Since people all over the world have been inventing devices and methods for brewing a perfect cup of coffee, coffee brewing techniques varies from culture to culture. Below are the most common ways of brewing coffee.
Autodrip or Filter Drip is the most popular way to brew coffee. It is the successor or the drip or filter brewing method which is simply pouring hot water over grounds in a filter and letting the brew drip out the bottom. Auto drip operates the same way, the only difference it that you don’t have to do it manually!
An autodrip device, popularly known as coffee machine has a container with 2 parts; the coffee container at the bottom and the filter container at the upper section. To use it, you just have to place the ground coffee in the filter, pour hot water over the grounds and wait.
Coffee machine is good for home use because most coffee machines don’t brew at the right temperature. However, there are some brand’s who calibrated their machines to the right temperate. To find more about them, go to our Top 10 Coffee Machines section.
Since the brewing process done by coffee machines is drip filtering, the filter paper you use makes affect the flavour of coffee you brew. Paper filters trap the solids form from the coffee’s soluble oils together with the other coffee sediments which make the ground easy to discard. Good paper filters do not trap much of the coffee essence preventing the coffee to taste flat. To click out quality paper filters, go our 10 Top Coffee Accessories section.
The vacuum is the most elegant way to brew coffee. Most coffee shop use this brewing technique for their signature coffee. The vacuum brewing process is very elaborate -- ground coffee is placed in the funnel (top bowl); water is brought to a near boil in the carafe and then forced to the top into the funnel by steam pressure. After most of the water is in the funnel, the coffee is stirred carefully around the glass stopper. After one to three minutes, the flame should be extinguished. As the unit begins to cool, a vacuum is formed which sucks the brewed coffee back down into the carafe and leaves the grounds above in the funnel. After all these steps, a smooth coffee with all its aroma and flavours can be enjoyed.
GRIND: COARSE
Percolator is the precursor of espresso machine. Percolator relies on steam pressure to force boiling water through the coffee grounds. Brewing happens when the water—and later the partially brewed coffee—is brought to and kept at boiling temperature. Hotels usually serve percolated coffee (which they call “overflowing coffee”) during office seminars and workshops because aside from extracting most of the coffee essence (which is cheaper, of course), percolators ensure that the coffee is always “boiling” hot. However, as the boiling water passes through the coffee over and over again, the aromatic components of coffee are overheated and vaporized; hence, the coffee tastes flat and bitter.
GRIND: COARSE
The espresso machine is a perfect version of percolator. Instead of forcing “boiling water” though the coffee grounds, an espresso machine is able to build a pressure (either via pump or via piston) that allows it to force “hot” water through the coffee grounds cutting the brewing time with 20 to 25 seconds. The end product is a textured, aromatic coffee with a golden foam (called cream) which we call espresso today. An espresso machine can either be piston style or pump style, for details, go to our 10 Ten Espresso Machines section.
Aside from cutting the brewing time, espresso machines are also able to create a foamed milk used in popular gourmet coffee drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes. The device in the machine called steam wand brings steam from the boiler to the frother (the metal tube inserted to the milk container) heating the milk and creating a fine, thick foam. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can still created your own foamed milk with a used of a frother. To check out our frothers, go to our 10 Ten Coffee Accessories section
The plunger method is easy and can be done manually. It can be done with a French or coffee press. The process is simply steeping the coffee ground in a hot water and straining them through a metal filter which aromatic to and flavourful sediments to add taste and body to the coffee.
Aside from being able to make a coffee without electricity, the French Press is also the cheapest coffee brewing device which make it perfect as gifts to coffee lovers worldwide. To check our top French presses, go to Top 10 Coffee Accessories section.
In the end, you are the best judge of what particular brewing method is most likely to produce the kind of coffee most pleasing to your taste buds.
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