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How to make coffee, how to make good coffeeHow To Make Coffee or even, how to make good coffee is dependant on several factors. All these factors are crucial so it is well worth spending time on each one of them. Use the guide below and it won't be long learning how to make good coffee. How to Make Coffee, Not Any Coffee But Great Coffee 1. Familiarise yourself with the different types of coffee makers and how they work. 2. Get to know some of the Terms used in coffee making 3.Now that you are familiar with the types of coffee makers available and the terms used read this guide on Choosing a Coffee Maker 4. Find out a little bit about choosing the best quality coffee beans. Ensure that your coffee beans are as fresh as possible. Ask your local coffee roaster for the freshest batch available. 5. Now get the lowdown on Home Coffee Roasting 6.Grind only enough coffee beans to meet your requirements. Follow the requirements of your coffee grinder exactly. You can read more on coffee grinders here. 7. Discover the best way of Storing and Keeping Coffee Fresh 8.Know how to thoroughly clean your coffee maker. 9.Use cold, filtered if possible, water. Use unbleached filters if available. You want to minimise the effect of everything except the coffee beans themselves. 10. Make sure that your coffee maker is at the optimal temperature. This is around 98 degrees, just short of boiling point. 11. Two level tablespoons of ground coffee is sufficient for one cup of coffee. If you are making more coffee than this, say ten cups of coffee, set the strength guide of your machine accordingly. 12. Remember that coffee does not age well and as such is best consumed within 20 minutes of making. 13. Now that you know how to make coffee you can really get into the whole coffee making "thing". Enjoy If all the above on how to make coffee is too much bother you can always have a quick read of the following information on how to make coffee. How To Make Coffee with the various coffee makers? THE FILTER METHOD The drip or filter method is probably the most widely used method. Finely ground coffee is placed in a paper or reusable cone-shaped unit and water that is just short of boiling point is poured on top. To obtain the best results a small quantity of water should be poured on first to wet the grounds. The coffee brew filters through the unit into a pot or mug and is ready to drink. The ground coffee stays in the cone. There are electric versions which automate this procedure and in general produce a greater consistency in the quality of the brew. HOW TO MAKE COFFEE USING THE PLUNGER or CAFETIERE METHOD The plunger method, believed to have been invented in 1933, extracts the most flavour from the ground coffee beans. First the pot is warmed up and then coarsely ground coffee is placed on the bottom, next hot water is added to the coarsely ground coffee beans and stirred. This is left to steep for anywhere between three to five minutes. At this stage the plunger is pushed down to separate the ground coffee from what is now a coffee infusion. This way of making coffee is only a little less convenient than the filter method and is fast gaining in popularity.The cheaper pot versions have a nylon rather than a stainless steel mesh to separate the grounds from the infusion but are a false economy as they generally do not last as long as the stainless steel versions. HOW TO MAKE ESPRESSO AND CAPPUCCINO COFFEE Invented in Italy the Espresso and Cappuccino, are the fastest growing methods of making coffee. All the other methods involve a 'natural' form of infusion and make acceptable coffee. However with espresso its another story . Espresso machines force the hot water through very finely and compacted coffee and then into the cups below. Quality espresso is expensive to make because in order to extract the greatest amount of flavour from the coffee, a high level of pressure is required and so a high specification coffee maker is needed for the purpose. When making espresso it is vital not to over-extract the coffee. It is better that the machine be switched off sooner, rather than later. While the coffee is still coming out as a golden brown liquid, it is perfect. This liquid, known as the 'crema',lies on top of the black coffee underneath. The crema will dissipate a few minutes after the coffee is made, but in those few minutes it will tell you everything about the quality of the espresso. Too light, or too thick or too thin: all mean that the espresso is sub standard. Espresso is the foundation of cappuccino. It is the coffee upon which a luxuriant structure of frothed and foamed milk is ladled and poured. A good espresso is less obvious under its head of frothed milk, but the quality of the coffee underneath is still an important factor. The milk, ideally semi-skimmed, is poured into a jug, into which a steam spout is placed. The steam control should not be turned on until the nozzle of the steam spout is under the surface of the milk. Once the steam is gurgling and bubbling under the milk, the jug should be moved around, or the milk will spoil. The aim is to aerate the milk and give it the consistency of whipped cream without burning it. It is essential that the cups are warm when the milk is poured in or the froth will deflate. They are normally stored upsidedown on top of the espresso machine. The combination of frothed and steamed milk is then poured and ladled onto the coffee in the cup, gently as though folding it in. The small amount of remaining milk is poured in also. And there we have the perfect cappuccino. HOW TO MAKE COFFEE USING A PERCOLATOR The percolator heats the coarsely ground coffee and cold water so that it boils and bubbles up into the top of the unit. It is an excellent way to have the relaxing sound of the coffee liquid burbling and gurgling, and to waft the aroma of coffee through the home, as all the volatile wonderful flavours go out of the percolator and into the air. If you want to know how to make good coffee, this is not recommended.
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