The Coffee Revolution : Brewing

Take the same coffee, brew it five different ways and the results are surprisingly different--at least that was the consensus of our amateur tasters. The same proportions of water and Starbuck’s Guatemalan Antigua coffee, freshly ground using a burr grinder, were brewed in the following coffee makers:

Electric drip using a paper filter

Manual drip using a paper filter

Manual drip using a gold filter

Manual percolator

French press, or plunger pot

Coffee brewed in the percolator was the strongest, followed by that made in the plunger pot. The manual drip using a gold filter produced the least-acidic brew.

Of the six tasters, four rated coffee made in the plunger pot the highest; three found that made in the electric drip using a paper filter the least desirable. The manual drip using a gold filter produced coffee rated highest by two tasters and second by three more.

Personal preferences play a major roll in the type of coffee each of us enjoys, but there are basic factors that affect the quality of any brewed coffee.

MILLING COFFEE BEANS

Two kinds of machines are used to pulverize coffee beans for brewing: burr and propeller-blade. Burr models grind the beans; propeller-blade devices slice the beans into long, flat-faceted fragments.

Grounds produced by a burr grinder are more uniform, expose more surface and brew faster and stronger. The drawback is price--burr grinders are considerably more expensive than propeller-blade models.

How fine to grind the beans is determined mostly by the type of coffee maker used for brewing:

Method--Type of Grind

Vacuum--Fine

Drip--Fine to Medium

Plunger--Medium

Turkish or Boiled--Medium

Percolator--Medium to Coarse

Cold Water--Coarse

The key word is mostly , because personal preference can come into play. Also, one person’s idea of fine may differ from another person’s or from the manufacturer’s.

A few words of caution about grinding beans: Finer grinds expose more surface to the air and lose flavor quickly. Beans ground too fine can clog the filter and cause the water to overflow. There is also a risk the coffee will be bitter because of overextraction.

BREWING GROUND COFFEE

In addition to the coffee maker, water influences the flavor of the finished brew. Many people choose to use the purified bottled variety rather than tap water. Artificially softened water should not be used because the chemical additives flatten coffee taste. Whatever water is selected for brewing, it should be freshly drawn and cold.

Most coffee aficionados recommend the water be just below the boiling point when it comes in contact with the grounds. They also claim the water should only come in contact with the grounds once. Not all the following brewing methods adhere to these guidelines.

Drip: Two chambers--often an upper cone and a lower carafe--are separated by a strainer. Paper or gold filters may be used in the strainer to give additional clarity to the coffee. Ground coffee is placed in the upper chamber and hot water is poured over. The water passes through the grounds and strainer, producing coffee in the lower chamber. Drip coffee makers may be electric or manual (water is boiled separately).

Percolator: As water is heated in the pot, small amounts at a time are forced up through an internal tube into a filter basket containing the coffee grounds. The water drips repeatedly through the grounds and back into the pot. Percolators may be electric (shut off automatically when coffee is brewed) or manual (heat supplied by a range-top burner and timing determined by the strength desired).

Plunger: The glass cylinder is prerinsed with boiling water, then the ground coffee is placed in the bottom. Meanwhile water is brought to a boil in another vessel, removed from the heat and allowed to stand one minute. The very hot water is poured over the grounds and the pot covered with the lid. The stainless-steel mesh filter should be pulled up just under the lid so it doesn’t touch the water.

After the coffee steeps four minutes, the filter is gently pressed down until it traps the grounds in the bottom of the pot. The coffee is poured without the lid being removed.

Vacuum: Two glass globes, one over the top of the other, have a tube leading between them. Water is placed in the lower globe, ground coffee in the upper.

When heated to boiling, steam pressure forces most of the water up the tube. After two minutes, the pot is removed from the heat and the water allowed to filter back into the lower globe. Remove the top globe to serve.

Turkish or Boiled: Water with sugar added is brought to a boil in an ibrik (open Turkish coffee pot) or saucepan. Ground coffee is added and the water again brought to a boil. The pot is removed from the heat, stirred, then allowed to stand until the froth settles before being brought to a boil two more times. On the final boil, one teaspoon of cold water is added to settle the grounds before serving.

Cold Drip Concentrate: A pound of ground coffee is placed in a glass or porcelain container. One quart of cold water is added, the container is sealed, then placed in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours. Strain the infused water through a filter and store, covered, in a glass container for up to a week.

To make coffee, place one ounce of concentrate in a cup and fill with five ounces of boiling water. Note: The concentrate should not be reheated, as this will destroy its flavor.