Coffee spoon and teaspoon - what's the difference? What does a coffee spoon look like and how many grams is it?

Perhaps every house has a teaspoon, but more than one. But few know about the existence and features of the coffee shop. Let's figure out how a teaspoon differs from a coffee spoon, and when its use is relevant.

The first spoons appeared in ancient times and bore little resemblance to the modern version; they were made of wood, horn, bone, and shells. Only in the 1700s did they take on the form familiar to modern people; they began to be cast from metals. Even later, the main varieties of this device appeared. We list them in order of increasing size and volume of the scoop:

• dining room;
• dessert;
• tea room;
• coffee shop

With a deep study of this subject, you can discover even narrower specializations of small spoons: fruit spoons, bar spoons, ice cream spoons, game spoons, and others.

About a teaspoon

It is worth saying that spoons have always been an integral attribute in human life. Their story began even before the discovery of iron. Previously, people used their wooden counterparts or used pieces of nut shells and similarly shaped pebbles as cutlery. As for Rus', even during the reign of Peter I, the boyars practically did not have their own dishes, including cutlery. At this time, spoons were a sign of luxury and high culture. It was only around 1760 that spoons acquired our usual shape, which was very convenient to use. From that time on, spoons began to be divided according to size and purpose, becoming a part of people’s lives. As for the teaspoon, today it can be made from a variety of materials: wood, aluminum, plastic, precious metals such as silver or even gold. Very often, modern manufacturers produce teaspoons with different combinations of metals: a stainless steel handle can be decorated with ivory, and a silver spoon can be plated with gold.

How to choose a Turkish spoon

A special Turkish spoon is necessary when brewing coffee in a cezve. An ordinary teaspoon will not work, since it is not long enough to conveniently stir the drink in a tall pot. This device has the following characteristics:

• a long handle that allows you to immerse the device in the Turk and stir the drink at the very bottom without the risk of burning your fingers;
• a small cup-shaped part (scoop) of oval shape, capable of passing into the narrowest neck of the Turk.

This spoon is used during the preparation process to sample the drink. Also in the form of an accessory, decorated with carvings and stones, it is presented to coffee lovers as a gift.

When choosing a device for yourself, consider the material from which it is made, shape and size, as well as for what purpose you are purchasing it and how often you will use it.

Silver spoons

Spoons made from silverware have a beautiful aesthetic appearance: they are often decorated with embossing in the form of patterns, figures, blackening, patina and stones. Such a device costs a decent amount, so it is usually presented as a substantial gift for an anniversary, silver wedding, birth or christening of a child, etc.

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A silver device is not suitable for frequent use due to the properties of the metal:

• due to its high thermal conductivity, silver quickly heats up and burns your fingers;
• Silver is a soft metal and easily scratches and dents;
• changes color quickly, needs to be cleaned regularly;
• high price.

For daily use as intended, it is better to purchase spoons made from cheaper and more practical materials.

Volume of a teaspoon

It will not be a secret to anyone that the basis for measuring the volume of any object is water. So, according to these indicators, a teaspoon contains 5 g (ml) of water. However, housewives should not forget that the volume will vary for different products. So, for example, only 3 grams of ground cloves will fit, but as much as 30 grams of butter! In this case, information about the volume of a heaped teaspoon may be important. This formulation can often be found in recipes and will be equal to approximately 7 grams.

How many grams of coffee in a coffee machine

In an automatic bean coffee machine, the weight of ground coffee (and accordingly the amount of beans used) for one coffee tablet (that is, for one grind) depends on:

1. Set to “strength” in the settings.
2. The program used. There are special ones, for examples see the material about Delonghi recipes.
3. Brewing device designs.

There can be from one strength (there is no strength adjustment) to 10-12 (for Jura flagships, for example). Each manufacturer usually uses only 1-2 types of brewing devices for all of their coffee machines. Plus, almost all machines have an automatic adjustment system that can make +/- gram adjustments. Below are the theoretical possible values ​​for modern models.

Once again: these are theoretical values, real ones may differ depending on the grain itself, the degree of grinding, and adjustments to the adaptive system.

If you want to know the amount of beans ground at each intermediate strength for your automatic coffee machine, then divide the range of possible values ​​(max-min) by the “number of strength levels minus one” - you will get a step of each degree.

For example : Saeco coffee machine with five levels of strength. Fork 11 - 7 = 4 grams. “The number of degrees of strength minus one” = 5 - 1 = 4. Divide four by four = 1 gram - this is the strength step. The minimum, also known as the first, is 7 grams, two grains are 8 grams, three grains are 9 grams, the fourth degree is 10 grams, the fifth maximum strength is 11 grams.

How many grams of coffee are in a complete coffee machine measuring spoon?

All automatic coffee machines that can handle pre-ground coffee come with a measuring spoon. Different brands have measuring spoons of different shapes, but they all have almost the same capacity - 8-9 grams of ground coffee, for Phillips/Saeco, for Delonghi, for Bosch.

But you need to understand that this figure is even more approximate than when it comes to a teaspoon or tablespoon. First of all, 8-9 grams is the capacity without a mound, and when you scoop, you are sure to add a couple of grams on top. Secondly, I repeat, the grammage is influenced by the variety itself and the grinding. Since you use the included measuring spoon for your coffee machine, it means that the coffee most likely came from a store-bought pack of ground coffee, but their grind varies greatly, and you can no longer influence it. But be that as it may, aim for 8-9 grams.

How many servings does a 250 g and 1 kg pack of coffee last?

Also a popular question from owners of grain machines. Moreover, this question is often asked by people who use or plan to use the machine in commerce. But people at home are also interested, thinking about how to save on grain, or planning the family budget...

The calculation method is simple and directly depends on how much coffee is used for each individual brew. Above in the table I have described the fork strength for each brand. You must calculate how many grams are used at your strength for your coffee machine and divide the mass of a pack of beans by this figure, be it 250, 500 grams, or a kilogram. Below in the table are approximate portions that can be prepared from one pack of grains. You should never take these numbers as ultimatums, they are just a guideline, the machine can always use at least +/- 1 gram for each preparation.

Example: if you brew espresso and any drinks based on it at maximum strength (and this is usually the case), there are two of you and you drink 2 servings a day, then on average, with almost any coffee machine, a 250-gram pack will go away in just 5 days . So you shouldn’t be surprised “where so many grains fly away.”

About the coffee spoon

As already mentioned, not all people know that there is also a coffee spoon. Why is she so special? First of all, it should be noted that the main indicator for determining the type of spoon will be its size. Many may be interested in a very important question: what does a coffee spoon look like? It is distinguished by its very small, almost doll size. That's all the differences. However, that's not all...

Material of manufacture

What materials can a coffee spoon be made from? Most often this is stainless steel, precious metals (gold, silver, aluminum). As a gift option, coffee spoons are carved from wood. The travel sample is made of plastic. However, manufacturers create cutlery from combinations of metals: silver - gold, stainless steel - medical alloy. It is also worth mentioning that you can see various gift options for coffee spoons on sale: made of high-quality metal and in beautiful packaging. Another interesting fact is that it is customary for small children to be given tiny spoons for their first tooth or for birth. It’s good if it’s not a teaspoon, but still a coffee spoon. After all, it can become the baby’s first cutlery at the time of introducing complementary foods, since it has a small, just suitable volume.

Wooden spoon for honey

People call a honey spoon with slots a “spindle.” What is such an object? The spoon is made from natural hardwood and looks like a small mace with an oblong tip with slots on it. The handle of this spoon is very long, making it convenient to get the sweet treat even from deep cans.

The honey is wound onto a mace, flows through the slots, and thus you can easily transfer it to another container, for example, a bowl or jar, without spilling a drop along the way. You can safely leave a spoon of juniper in the honey; it will not spoil.

Purpose

It is very important to know how and when to serve a coffee spoon and when to serve a teaspoon. So, the names themselves speak volumes: when drinking tea, you need to put teaspoons on the table, but according to all the rules of table etiquette, coffee should be served with small coffee spoons.

It is important to remember that coffee spoons have different handle lengths. After all, for example, if a guest wants to drink iced coffee or Irish coffee, which is served in tall glasses, then for this he needs to take a coffee spoon with a rather long handle. Otherwise, the original cutlery will dive completely into the cup of drink.

Eco-friendly tree

In Rus', wooden spoons for eating were more often universally recognized and loved. The owner could “set up” as many such devices as he wanted for his large family. It was even convenient to eat with such an environmentally friendly spoon: the wooden spoon did not burn your mouth with hot food. Over time, such a device began to be used not only for its intended purpose, they began to decorate it with paintings and varnish it. So the wooden spoon gradually became one of the Russian souvenirs. You won’t eat this varnished spoon, but using it in kitchen decor is a different idea.

For use in cooking, it is better to have special purpose wooden spoons. Now they look more like a rounded, flat blade with a depression. Using such a spatula significantly increases the service life of non-stick cookware. Of course, such a wooden spoon should not have any decorations using paints or other coatings. But carved, decorative elements will add charm to such a useful tool in our time.

Table etiquette

A few words also need to be said about how the coffee spoon should be served correctly, that is, how it should be placed if you want to treat your loved one with coffee according to all the rules. It is important to remember that a cup of hot drink is almost always served on a saucer. The handle of the cup should point to the right and must be parallel to the table. It is possible that black coffee is served without grounds, in which case the handle of the cup may point to the left (necessarily parallel to the table). However, the coffee spoon always retains its standard position: it is placed behind the cup with the handle to the right in relation to the person who will enjoy the aromatic drink.

Care Tips

• Pay special attention to the scoop: if you do not wash it thoroughly enough, stubborn stains may remain on the device.
• If your spoons have handles and scoops made of different materials, it is recommended to wash them by hand: it is not easy to select the appropriate program in the dishwasher.
• Silver spoons should be soaked from time to time in the water remaining after boiling potatoes. This will give them shine.

Images used in this article: eternum.com, tupperware.de, carrs-silver.co.uk, cilio.de, lukihuber.com

Small conclusion

Now, if our readers have a teaspoon and a coffee spoon in front of them, no questions will arise. Indeed, at the moment it is already extremely clear how these tableware items differ: size and purpose. If, after everything you’ve read, you still don’t understand what a coffee spoon looks like, a photo is your first assistant in this matter. So, for convenience, it is better to look at our photographs to see how a coffee spoon looks in comparison with a tea spoon, and draw certain conclusions for yourself. It is worth mentioning that for some people it is bad form when serving teaspoons with coffee. After reading our article, you can easily avoid awkward situations. After all, we informed you about everything.

Safety and convenience

This device is not so easy to damage children's delicate gums when feeding. By waving it (as children often do) while eating, the child will not hit himself with the consequences that could have happened if he had used a regular or even a silver spoon at that moment.

It is often preferred to make the handles of baby spoons thicker, which makes it easier for the baby to use the device.