In the coffee community, it is customary to talk about drip coffee makers with a disgusted pursing of the lips. They say this is for those who do not understand the drink at all and choose this method solely because of the low cost of the coffee maker itself and the ease of its use.
Who can’t do without a drip coffee maker in the kitchen, and who should think about buying a good cezve or even a coffee machine? How to choose the right model and make delicious drip coffee? Let's figure this out with the entire TEA.ru editorial team over a cup of coffee.
Types of coffee and degree of roasting of beans
The number of varieties is about one hundred. Each country, each locality may have several of them. But all of them can be classified as a few species. The most popular is Arabica. It has a soft and rich taste.
In second place in popularity is Robusta. It contains significantly more caffeine, which adds additional bitterness. Most of the Robusta grown is processed into freeze-dried coffee. There is little grain and ground Robusta in stores.
On sale you can find blends consisting of Arabica and Robusta in different proportions.
Arabica and Robusta account for more than 95% of the coffee market. The remaining share remains for rare species, which are mainly used as additives to some varieties. The most famous among such wonders are Liberica and Excelsa. As stand-alone drinks, they are very bitter and are not popular even among the population involved in their cultivation.
Degrees of roasting have different classifications; there are from 4 to 10 basic degrees:
- light – medium – dark – highest;
- Scandinavian, weakest (cinnamon) – American (New England) – urban (partial) – full urban – Viennese (velvet, corduroy, business) – French (Turkish) – continental (European, New Orleans) – Spanish (Mexican, Cuban) – Italian , highest (Indian, Neapolitan).
As the roast level increases in taste:
- varietal characteristics and sourness weaken;
- aroma, richness, and bitterness are enhanced.
Knowing the described varieties and patterns, it is easier to navigate the abundance of offers. The choice depends on personal preferences, which can only be learned through tasting.
Grinding Features
It is much better to grind the beans before cooking. But how to do that? Let's talk a little about choosing a coffee grinder:
- A household coffee grinder with knives is not the best option. They are inexpensive, sold at all home improvement stores, and many people buy them expecting a great drink as a result. But this device grinds unevenly, producing large particles, dust, and medium ones, and the knives quickly heat up and burn out the granules. Not suitable for specialty coffee or just expensive varieties.
- A manual coffee grinder is good, but it takes time. You can quickly grind a portion for one or two cups, but for a group it will be much longer and more difficult, your hands get tired quickly. The advantages are that it is quiet, does not burn the grain, guarantees uniform grinding - the distance between the millstones can be adjusted.
- A professional coffee grinder with burrs is just great. True, it is not always logical to buy one for your home, since they are a little expensive and also make a lot of noise. But you will precisely adjust the desired grinding fineness for a coffee maker or coffee machine of any type.
For one or two servings, you can buy a manual coffee grinder, or ask to grind it where you buy bean coffee, telling the seller how you will prepare the drink.
Alternative Grinding Methods
Perhaps these ideas will be useful to you. In any case, users online note that it works. The beans are not so strong, so they can be crushed or crushed, grinding them to the desired fineness - for a geyser, espresso machine, Turkish coffee, cups.
- Grind with a blender - it will turn out a little coarse and uneven, but in extreme cases it will do. Do not overheat, make a series of mini-presses rather than holding the button. Can be cooked in a French press.
- Grind it in a mortar and pestle - with due diligence, it will turn out very fine for a cezve or espresso machine.
- Crush with a rolling pin or other similar hard object - just don't use bottles, they're not very durable. You can put it in a ziplock bag and roll it out and crush it. However, it will be a bit big.
- Break it with a hammer - also in a zip bag, because it will turn out quite small.
If it turns out very unevenly, you can try to disperse it through a strainer into different fractions, or continue grinding, and then brew it all in a cup with boiling water.
Types of grinding coffee beans
There are three main grinds:
- coarse , also large, similar in structure to granulated sugar;
- medium – particle size comparable to semolina;
- thin - small, smaller than semolina.
Fine grinding, in turn, can be ultra-fine and dusty.
There are guidelines for choosing a grind size for each type of coffee maker.
Conclusions:
- Coffee grinding differs for different brewing methods.
- The longer the extraction process takes, the larger the granules should be.
- If the taste is inexpressive and sour, increase the degree of grinding; if it is too bitter and sharp, the granules are too small, try larger ones.
- It is better to grind in a manual coffee grinder or a professional automatic machine, adjusting the millstones to the desired size; an electric coffee grinder grinds unevenly.
- If you grind the grains before cooking, the flavor and aroma characteristics will be maximum.
Grind for drip coffee maker
When using a mesh filter, the grind should be coarse so that particles do not fall into the cup and do not get stuck in the filter holes.
Paper filters reliably retain grains of any fraction and allow you to brew raw materials of any size. The larger it is, the lighter the taste, the more pronounced the sourness. The thinner it is, the higher the saturation, the more pronounced the bitterness in the taste.
Helpful tips before making coffee
The preparation stage is no less important than the process of making coffee itself. This largely determines how tasty and high quality the finished drink will be.
Therefore, when preparing for cooking, you need to pay attention to the following:
- Only purified bottled water is used. It is guaranteed not to spoil the taste of coffee and will not protect the device from limescale.
- After grinding, the coffee powder is placed in an airtight container. All beneficial properties will remain for a long time.
- It is advisable to preheat the carafe in which the finished coffee is collected.
- It is strictly forbidden to use broken or damaged filters. In this case, the coffee maker may malfunction.
Experimenting with roasting and grinding coffee
For certain models of coffee makers, fine grinding is contraindicated due to the possibility of excessive obstruction to the passage of water; this is written in the operating instructions. Otherwise, experiments are limited only by your imagination.
Existing recommendations for choosing coffee take into account the most popular taste preferences. In search of your ideal taste, you can try different combinations of the characteristics described above.
Important! Regardless of the type of coffee chosen, its roasting and grinding, the taste and aroma of a drink made from powder, ground immediately before preparation, compares favorably with pre-ground coffee. If it is not possible to grind the grain before each preparation, the pulver should be stored in a tightly closed container.
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Coffee recipes other than classic ones
Using a drip coffee maker, you can prepare not only the classic version of the drink. The device is also suitable for other recipes.
Espresso
The list of products required for making espresso is minimal:
- 9 g ground coffee beans;
- 30 ml water.
The drink is prepared in a drip coffee maker according to the following principle:
- Coffee powder is poured into the filter.
- Water is poured into the rear tank.
- The device turns on.
- As the liquid moves into the lower container, the finished drink is poured into heated cups.
Latte
To prepare milk you will need the following ingredients:
- 50 ml espresso coffee;
- 200 ml milk;
- a pinch of cinnamon;
- 3 g chopped walnuts.
Cooking steps:
- Make espresso in a coffee pot and pour it into a tall glass.
- Beat the milk with a blender or mixer.
- Pour the resulting mixture over espresso.
- Place milk foam on top.
- Sprinkle the surface with walnuts and cinnamon.
Viennese cappuccino
The main ingredients for cappuccino will be ready-made espresso (50 ml), whipped cream (50 ml), milk (200 g), chocolate (20 g). The drink is created according to the following recipe:
- Heat the milk and pour it into a glass.
- Here the espresso is poured slowly and carefully.
- Place whipped cream on top.
- Chocolate chips scatter over the surface of the cream.
Spiced
For a refined taste, it is best to use a strong variety of spicy drink. For 1 serving you will need:
- 2 teaspoons ground coffee;
- 2-3 flakes of orange zest;
- 2-3 cardamom grains;
- cinnamon (on the tip of a knife);
- powdered sugar.
Ground coffee mixed with cardamom and zest. The resulting composition is poured into the filter and the device is turned on. When the coffee is ready, it is poured into a cup. Sprinkle the liquid with cinnamon and decorate with powdered sugar.
Ginger Americano with blackberries
Drink drinkers who prefer to enjoy the aroma of berries with hints of spice can try making coffee using this recipe:
- 3-4 blackberries;
- 1 tablespoon ginger syrup;
- 2 teaspoons ground coffee;
- 2 tsp blackberry jam.
The drink is prepared in the classic way. When the coffee is ready, it is poured from the container into a cup, onto the bottom of which blackberry jam is first spread. Add ginger syrup in a thin stream. An additional decoration is blackberries, which are carefully placed on the surface of the drink.
Irish coffee drink
The Irish recipe uses alcohol. For this reason, this drink is often prepared during the day, or when you want to cheer up and warm up.
The main ingredient is espresso. One serving is prepared at the rate of 9 g of freshly ground coffee per 30-40 ml of liquid.
Additional Ingredients:
- 20 g sugar;
- 20 ml water;
- 40 ml cream;
- 30 ml whiskey.
Double espresso is prepared for the Irish drink. In a separate bowl, water in which sugar is dissolved is heated. Do not let it boil. Slowly pour the resulting hot sweet syrup into the coffee. In the next step, alcohol is added.
Whip the cream with a whisk. Another option is to purchase a standard product. Place a thick white mass on top of the coffee and serve.
Which ground coffee should I choose for Turkish coffee?
There is only one secret that determines the magical taste of Turkish coffee, its name is grinding. The smaller the particles, the higher the extraction of substances. Therefore, when you think about which ground coffee to choose for Turkish coffee, pay attention to the grind size. The grains, ground into dust, fully impart their taste and aroma to the drink. Ultra-fine grinding is ideal for creating a coffee masterpiece. Unfortunately, in Russia it is difficult to find ready-made ground coffee suitable for Turkish coffee, so buy your favorite bean coffee and ask the store to grind it as finely as possible.
