Let’s immediately make a reservation that today we will talk about real ground coffee, and not about the soluble “surrogate” that is offered to us everywhere. And although among the readers of this article there will be many lovers of instant coffee, true connoisseurs of this noble drink know that you can truly enjoy only freshly brewed ground coffee, prepared according to all the rules. So, here are the typical mistakes made by inexperienced “coffee makers” when preparing coffee.
Wrong choice Turkish
Often, a person who decides to brew coffee on his own for the first time buys a “larger” Turk from the nearest supermarket in order to please not only himself, but also his loved ones with the drink. As a result, the coffee turns out completely different from what, for example, it was served on your last vacation in Turkey. What is the reason? The fact is that preparing coffee for several people is much more difficult than brewing this drink for just yourself – your loved one.
Therefore , we recommend that you first learn how to brew coffee for 1-2 people in a small pot (100-150 ml).
By the way, pay attention to how coffee is brewed on sand? – One small Turk per person.
It is also worth noting that many “coffee lovers” recommend 150 ml Turk.
Because modern stoves heat up a 100 ml pot too quickly, and as a result, the unfortunate coffee maker does not even have time to trace the main stages of making coffee.
Preparing to brew coffee in a cup
All methods of brewing natural coffee in a cup are similar: ground beans are poured into a vessel, they are filled with water and infused. Depending on the method, the water can be either hot or cold. In any case, it is undesirable to use chlorinated or boiled water: it will spoil the taste of the drink.
Water for coffee should be soft: bottled, spring or well. The preferred degree of mineralization is 150 mg/l, but this is not important: the main thing is that it be in the range from 75 to 250 mg/l.
The taste of coffee depends greatly on the quality of the water.
If the recipe calls for hot water, it should be brought to the “white key” state, that is, heated until the first bubbles appear and the kettle begins to make noise. The optimal temperature is from +92 to +96 °C. The water cools down to approximately this temperature 1–2 minutes after turning off the kettle.
It is better to prepare coffee in a thick-walled cup: ceramic or earthenware. To get a portion of the drink of 80–110 ml, the volume of the cup must be at least 120–150 ml, otherwise the swollen grounds will displace the water.
Before brewing coffee in a cup, you need to warm it up by rinsing it with boiling water: then the drink will cool more slowly.
Quantity of coffee
The amount of coffee directly affects the quality of the drink. The most suitable option for yourself can be determined by selection. Make 2-3 test brews with different amounts of coffee and decide for yourself how much you need. If in doubt, add another spoonful. Believe me, it won't get worse. But too small an amount may not have the most favorable effect on the quality of the drink.
Most “coffee lovers” consider the ideal ratio to be 1.5-2 tablespoons of coffee per glass of water.
How to properly brew coffee at home
There are a large number of varieties and methods of preparation. You will have to experiment well to find that unique taste. But there are also general rules that will help make any drink high-quality.
Choosing a variety
The taste of coffee depends not so much on the brand, but on the country in which it was grown and how the beans were processed. The best batches come from Central and South America.
There are two main varieties produced worldwide. Arabica has a rich taste and pronounced aroma, as well as a relatively low caffeine content. For lovers of strong bitter coffee, robusta is added to it, whose own taste is not so interesting. Robusta is much cheaper than Arabica. This is due to the peculiarities of growing coffee trees.
Grain or ground?
The drink itself is made from ground beans, which can be purchased ready-made. But when stored for a long time, ground coffee loses its extraordinary aroma, its taste becomes flat and inexpressive.
It is best to carry out the entire process yourself by roasting the green beans and finely grinding them. If you do all this immediately before preparing the drink, you can count on stunning results.
Roasting beans
During roasting, not only the color of the beans changes, but also their taste. Under-roasted coffee tastes sour and lacks intensity. From overcooked grains we get a dark, bitter drink.
To properly fry at home, a heavy frying pan is heated and greased with butter at the rate of a tablespoon per half a kilo of raw material. Stir-fry the coffee beans until they turn dark brown.
Only by experience can one determine the end point of the process. The same variety, roasted differently, will taste different.
Do you need special cookware?
A time-tested Turk or larger coffee pot is designed specifically for brewing coffee. They have a special shape and are made of suitable material.
In principle, you can brew a couple of cups of the drink in any clean container, preferably small in size..
The absence of Turks is not a reason to deny yourself pleasure. You can make coffee in a saucepan, cup or even thermos.
Is it possible to take water from the tap?
It is recommended to use raw water, which should have the following properties:
- have no odor;
- be transparent and colorless;
- do not contain chlorine.
It is not recommended to pour tap water into a coffee pot; it is better to buy bottled water. Water purified at home using a filter is also suitable.
Cooking time
Most experts recommend brewing coffee for no more than 10 minutes. But the drink cannot be brewed faster than 3 minutes. The coffee, ground into dust, is brewed in a small pot for about 5 minutes. Usually this is enough for the drink to acquire its aromatic and taste qualities.
In general, you can be guided by the following values:
- If you have finely ground coffee , then you need to brew it for 3-5 minutes (but no more than 10).
- If you have medium grind coffee , then brew it for about 4-7 minutes.
- Coarsely ground coffee takes 6 to 10 minutes to brew.
Again, do not forget that the cooking time also depends on the size of the Turk and the degree of heating of the burner.
Do not use beans that have been ground for a long time
Never buy ground coffee. In a crushed state, it begins to lose nuances of taste. The longer the gap between grinding and cooking, the more flavor is lost. Grind your beans at the store or do it at home by investing in an inexpensive coffee grinder.
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Intensive boiling
Another common mistake is boiling the drink too hot.
Make sure that your coffee does not boil for too long when brewing.
If you let it sit on the stove for too long, you will get a drink without foam and, as a result, the aroma and taste will lose their entire palette, and you will get just an ordinary drink - the worst of those served on tap in various eateries.
Drinking coffee too late...in the morning
What you do: You follow the medical advice to drink coffee before 11 am.
What's the impact: A recent study found that some people have a gene that helps them absorb caffeine more quickly. That is, if you are genetically predisposed to a more sensitive reaction to caffeine, then your cup of coffee may not be fully absorbed until nightfall.
What to do: At the moment there is no test that could detect the presence of this gene in a person, but if you have trouble falling asleep for a long time at night, make sure that you have not drunk coffee within 12 hours before.
Don't start with experiments
What does a modern person do who has never brewed coffee in his life? Of course, he searches for information on the Internet (you probably came across this article while looking for information on how to brew coffee correctly). So, the Internet often recommends various options for making coffee, and the advice can differ radically from each other.
We recommend that before you start experimenting, you first learn how to brew the most ordinary coffee, without any “bells and whistles”, additives or unconventional methods. But when you have already learned how to easily (and especially the Internet) brew yourself a tasty and aromatic drink, only then try to experiment, looking for and finding new shades and variations of taste.
What is the secret of real espresso?
First of all, there is strong foam available! Real espresso is characterized by the presence of a brown-walnut crema with a slight reddish tint. This foam can easily hold small grains of sugar on its surface. If you are served coffee with dark foam, small black or white specks, the drink is overcooked and will have a bitter aftertaste. This effect is observed when there is an excess of coffee or the use of too finely ground raw materials.
Five golden rules for brewing coffee
Coffee is not brewed, but brewed. Boiling kills coffee!!!
Knowledgeable Lyuli say that coffee should not be brought to a boil. Never heat water to + 100°C, maximum - to +98, better - to +96°C.
So, to brew coffee you need a conical cezve (Turk) or coffee maker. The conical shape of the cezve is explained, firstly, by long-standing traditions, and, secondly, by the fact that the narrowed neck promotes the formation of foam, which is a sign of good coffee, but from which aromatic substances evaporate during boiling. It is therefore important that the foam does not occupy a very large area and does not tear during brewing.
Let us repeat, it is not advisable to boil coffee, but if you are chatting on the phone or distracted by an interesting picture outside the kitchen window, you may miss the moment of boiling, so it is better to completely concentrate on cooking. Coffee is poured with cold water, sugar is added and put on fire. Sometimes a whisper of cocoa or cinnamon is added to coffee, which makes it more aromatic and stronger.
The usual dose is one teaspoon per coffee cup. There are, however, lovers of sharper, or rather, stronger sensations, who brew 3-4 spoons per cup. But they should think seriously about their hearts.
Many people are interested in whether it is possible to mix different types of coffee. Why not? But only if they are of high quality. You should not mix, even to save money, cheap and expensive varieties. This way you can completely lose the taste of good coffee and not get some of the expected pleasure from the drink.
Real coffee lovers do not like enameled coffee makers, preferring copper vessels to them. And they brew coffee on a special stove with hot sand. But this is not a typical case.
For the lazy, there is a simplified option for making coffee. It can be brewed in a cup like tea. Then let it sit for 5-7 minutes (and it is no longer forbidden to look out the window) - and you can begin a pleasant pastime that will not be overshadowed by the thought of the mountain of dirty dishes awaiting you, including the coffee maker itself.
Instant coffee is ideal in this regard. At work, as a rule, they drink dissolved water, which is much more economical and convenient.
Turks prepare coffee in two ways: ground coffee with sugar is poured into boiling water or the powder and sugar are first infused in cold water. In both cases, the coffee is brought to a boil, but not boiled. The procedure is repeated three times.
Before cooking, Arabs first burn sugar in a cezve. When the sugar darkens, add water and bring to a boil. And only then add ground coffee and bring to a boil again. It is customary to add cinnamon to this coffee.
In Austria, whipped cream and grated chocolate are added to a cup of black coffee. Iced coffee is prepared using the same principle, but options are also possible here. A ball of ice cream is thrown into chilled or hot coffee; in the latter case, coffee is served to guests immediately, before the ice cream has melted. The main thing is not to linger in the kitchen.
And now the long-awaited five golden rules of brewing coffee:
- First, you need to rinse the coffee maker with boiling water, then pour coffee into it (1-2 teaspoons per glass of water) and pour boiling water over it. Make sure that the coffee does not end up on the surface. Now place over low heat and bring to a boil (but do not boil). As soon as the foam rises, remove from the heat and wait a bit for the grounds to settle. You can speed up the settling process with a few drops of cold water.
- Pour cold water into the coffee pot and heat to a boil. Then remove the coffee pot from the heat and add coffee to it, stirring quickly with a spoon. Subsequent steps are repeated as in the first method. This is how you drink coffee in Brazil.
- Pour 0.5 kilograms of coffee with a liter of cold water and leave for 24 hours. The extract is filtered and stored refrigerated. To make coffee, the cold extract is mixed with cold water.
- (eastern version). Place very finely ground coffee along with sugar in a Turk and heat slowly over low heat. As soon as the foam rises, remove the Turk from the heat, making sure that the layer of foam is preserved. The coffee continues to simmer inside the Turkish floor in thick foam. Heat the Turk with the drink two to three more times.
- Pour cold water into the cezve and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat and pour coffee and sugar into it, stirring quickly with a spoon. A thick foam will rise. As soon as it settles, place the vessel on low heat again. The coffee is heated several times and poured to the table directly in the Turk. Using a teaspoon, carefully spread the foam into cups. And only then the drink is added along the wall of the cup to preserve the foam. It is not customary to filter this type of coffee. Sugar is no longer offered because, firstly, it is there, and, secondly, because stirring will cause the grounds to rise from the bottom of the cup.
Real espresso
You can check for yourself what kind of coffee you were offered called espresso at the bar where you dropped in to chat with a friend about new clothes or discuss the latest football match with a friend. Theater, as we know, begins with a hanger. And the coffee is foamy.
Real espresso foam is always brownish-nutty, with a reddish tint, dotted with a network of veins and so dense that it can hold grains of sugar on its surface.
If the foam is dark in color, with a white or black island, then your coffee is overcooked and will taste bitter. The main cause of overcooked coffee is too fine a grind or too much coffee. Of course, fine grinding is much better than coarse grinding, but everything should be in moderation.
Conversely, if the foam is too light, then your coffee is undercooked. The taste of such coffee is inexpressive, and the appearance is watery. Saving coffee too much and grinding too coarsely are the main causes of these problems.
The taste of real espresso should be rich, aromatic, velvety, with a long aftertaste on the palate. And this is not all the sensations you get from coffee. It's quite difficult to describe them. This feeling was brilliantly conveyed by the French diplomat Talleyrand with the words: ... black as night, sweet as sin, hot as a kiss, strong as a curse. 03/18/2008
Articles about coffee / Why coffee 01-04-2015
“Do not pour boiling water over coffee” is a well-known recommendation from manufacturers and coffee lovers, which often confuses less knowledgeable lovers of this drink. There are several answers to the question of why you can’t pour boiling water over coffee. Each of them is correct, but only in certain cases and with some clarifications.
A few simple tips
Finally, I would like to give a few tips that will help you brew truly delicious coffee. After all, coffee is a kind of art that should be given enough of your time and attention.
To end up with a great drink:
- It is better to add sugar to a heated pot before adding water (many people add sugar to an already brewed drink).
- To get a dense and thick foam, you can warm up the coffee several times (however, make sure that your drink does not boil).
- Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, salt and hot pepper will help you find new flavors. However, be careful with additives!
- The cup you plan to pour the coffee into must be preheated. It is enough to pour boiling water into it before starting cooking, and then pour it out just before pouring the drink.
- Make sure that the heat intensity during the cooking process is minimal.
- Let the drink brew before drinking. Literally three minutes is enough. You can even cover the cups with saucers during this time.
We hope our tips will help you understand the intricacies of such an issue as brewing coffee, and you will be able to not only enjoy your favorite drink properly brewed, but also treat it to others who will appreciate your efforts!
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Features and nuances of making coffee using a Turk
In addition to the correct grind of coffee, you need clean drinking water, a spoon for mixing and a copper or ceramic Turk (you need a comfortable, preferably wooden, handle). Turks call for different sizes, but you need to choose one so that you can drink coffee in one or two sittings or for 6-8 servings for a large company.
Also, much attention should be paid to the cooking time and many nuances. For example, coffee should not be boiled or poured with too little water. This can seriously spoil the taste of the drink and give it unnecessary bitterness; too much foam quickly burns to the edges of the pot, which also negatively affects the taste.
A properly brewed drink turns out aromatic and very thick; the grounds settle and do not interfere with the enjoyment of coffee. To obtain a traditional drink, the strength is reduced; to achieve this effect, you need to add spices and a small amount of sugar to the coffee. Anise, cinnamon or cardamom are excellent spices.
Also, great attention should be paid to the choice of variety, but it all depends on personal preferences. Some people prefer strong Robusta; it works best when boiled in a Turk and produces a very rich, strong drink.
Can the drink be stirred? This issue is quite controversial, but if you remove the coffee after the 3rd boil and stir the drink, the cup will be clean, that is, the entire suspension of foam will settle to the bottom. So stirring largely depends on personal preference, but it is better to do this at the final stage, just before use.
