Maybe you’re reading this because you are coffee addict like myself, or maybe you’re a coffee noob, or maybe you were looking for a toffee recipe but mistyped in the Google bar. Hopefully this will benefit you all.
Surprisingly, many people do not know how to make decent coffee. I’m not, of course, speaking of that abomination that is called Instant Coffee, one of the most hideous and insulting beverages on the market. I’m speaking of the real deal.
Ultimately, no matter what the technique, you need to start with some excellent coffee. It’s no good buying the value stuff from Tesco, or Co-op’s own brand. Sure it will taste OK, but we’re not after coffee that is simply OK are we? I buy my coffee from hasbean or Whittard’s. Buying roasted beans, rather than ground coffee, is a must for the ultimate coffee experience, giving you a freshness and body that you simply do not get if the coffee is already ground.
Of course, if you don’t have a coffee grinder, then stick to coffee that is already ground, but you will be missing out, and not just taste-wise as the smell of freshly ground coffee is out of this world. Experiment - try coffees from all over the world. My personal favourite is Sumatran coffee, which is amongst the world’s finest.
In terms of making the coffee, I recommend using an Italian-style stovepot coffee maker for espresso, and a cafetiere for anything else. The stovepot is often known by Bialetti’s brand name Moka Express. This works by pressurising boiling water. The beauty of the stovepot is that you simply fill the boiler with water, fill the filter with coffee, and place on a heat source, whereby the upper chamber will be filled with coffee. While this is ideal for making espresso, you can water the coffee down with a hot water according to your preferences.
The cafetiere, otherwise known as the French press, is my personal favourite. The beauty of the cafetiere is that by keeping the coffee in direct contact with the water, rather than by forcing water through the coffee like the stovepot , or by slowly dripping water through like a filter coffee machine, you get much more of the coffee’s flavour. It also gives you more control - brew for a shorter length of time for weaker coffee, longer for stronger coffee.
The best guidelines I have come across for the cafetiere are as follows. Use off-the-boil water, as boiling water scalds the coffee granules and spoils the taste. Use roughly one heaped tablespoon of coffee per cup. Brew for four minutes.
Enjoy. Coffee is a wonderful thing, and should be enjoyed to the full.
