tasty delicious coffee making recipes
January 19, 2016 5:39 AM Subscribe
Brew Methods is a collection of coffee brewing guides.
This is decidedly a collection of Cool Brewing Methods, and some folks might say that humdrum ol' Mr. Coffee™ automatic drip doesn't make the cut.
I say that you should consider Mr. Coffee your normcore robo-pour-over pal, and whatever coffee you like is the best coffee.
posted by zamboni at 6:19 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
I say that you should consider Mr. Coffee your normcore robo-pour-over pal, and whatever coffee you like is the best coffee.
posted by zamboni at 6:19 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
Can't wait for the Australian cohort to wake up in the morning, blearily open this thread, and then die laughing at Americans discussing what they call "coffee".
Bless your hearts.
posted by taff at 6:26 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Bless your hearts.
posted by taff at 6:26 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
There is only one ironclad rule of coffee:
You must REMEMBER to make your coffee in the morning. If you wait too long, you will descend into a hellish fugue state of befuddled weariness and have neither the dexterity or brain acuity to actually brew it.
posted by selfnoise at 6:27 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
You must REMEMBER to make your coffee in the morning. If you wait too long, you will descend into a hellish fugue state of befuddled weariness and have neither the dexterity or brain acuity to actually brew it.
posted by selfnoise at 6:27 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Thanks for this!
I know there's a lot of douchiness in the coffee world, but I get a kick out of experimenting with beans and different techniques. It's a hobby that costs very little.
For what it's worth (and I didn't see it on the list), I've started using the Serious Eats French Press technique on weekdays (which is basically, super coarsley ground beans, 7 minute extraction. Done.) It's 80% as good as anything more finicky for 20% of the effort.
posted by cacofonie at 6:28 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
I know there's a lot of douchiness in the coffee world, but I get a kick out of experimenting with beans and different techniques. It's a hobby that costs very little.
For what it's worth (and I didn't see it on the list), I've started using the Serious Eats French Press technique on weekdays (which is basically, super coarsley ground beans, 7 minute extraction. Done.) It's 80% as good as anything more finicky for 20% of the effort.
posted by cacofonie at 6:28 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
These are all pretty interesting! I don't know if I want to make them myself but probably worth it to seek them out in the world.
posted by curious nu at 6:29 AM on January 19, 2016
posted by curious nu at 6:29 AM on January 19, 2016
This is why tea is better than coffee. The number of steps in brewing tea is about the same as brewing coffee, the difference is that tea is shelf-stable, while coffee needs to be brewed as soon as possible after roasting. Therefore, decisions about oxidation level (white, green, oolong, black) and leaf size (full-leaf, broken, crushed) are made at the plant. After that, the water temperature and steeping time are set in stone. So you can just buy the kind of tea you like, and follow the brewing instructions, and you're all set. With coffee, you have to decide the roasting level, and the coarseness of the grind, and then guess at the water temperature and steep time should be yourself.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:29 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:29 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Can't wait for the Australian cohort to wake up in the morning, blearily open this thread, and then die laughing at Americans discussing what they call "coffee".
I'm right here, taff. Just for that, I'm going to drink Aeropress out of my Campos KeepCup.
posted by zamboni at 6:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm right here, taff. Just for that, I'm going to drink Aeropress out of my Campos KeepCup.
posted by zamboni at 6:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
I got a Chemex for Xmas, and bought a scale the other day. I have a few questions:
1. I bought the scale because my local coffeeshop recommended it. It was only $12 on Amazon. In the three "Pick" episodes of the Chemex method (here, here, and here, they are using scales. So I should have known the answer to this beforehand, but why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
2. In this episode, around the 6:00 mark, the speaker lifts the filter out while it still has water in it, and discards the filter and the water. Why pour more water than is actually needed?
posted by scunning at 6:42 AM on January 19, 2016
1. I bought the scale because my local coffeeshop recommended it. It was only $12 on Amazon. In the three "Pick" episodes of the Chemex method (here, here, and here, they are using scales. So I should have known the answer to this beforehand, but why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
2. In this episode, around the 6:00 mark, the speaker lifts the filter out while it still has water in it, and discards the filter and the water. Why pour more water than is actually needed?
posted by scunning at 6:42 AM on January 19, 2016
My office boasts FOUR coffee methods. Flavia, Keurig, Mr. Coffee, and a big Bunn brewer.
three of them are broken right now oh god please send help
posted by specialagentwebb at 6:43 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
three of them are broken right now oh god please send help
posted by specialagentwebb at 6:43 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
So I should have known the answer to this beforehand, but why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
Accuracy. Depending on the material, by weight can be considerably more accurate than by volume.
posted by Slothrup at 6:46 AM on January 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
Accuracy. Depending on the material, by weight can be considerably more accurate than by volume.
posted by Slothrup at 6:46 AM on January 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
This is why tea is better than coffee. The number of steps in brewing tea is about the same as brewing coffee, the difference is that tea is shelf-stable, while coffee needs to be brewed as soon as possible after roasting. Therefore, decisions about oxidation level (white, green, oolong, black) and leaf size (full-leaf, broken, crushed) are made at the plant. After that, the water temperature and steeping time are set in stone. So you can just buy the kind of tea you like, and follow the brewing instructions, and you're all set. With coffee, you have to decide the roasting level, and the coarseness of the grind, and then guess at the water temperature and steep time should be yourself.
This is largely correct, but one thing that's a bit annoying about loose-leaf tea: unlike coffee beans, the size and shape of the leaves are totally variable, so if you are scooping (IE, brewing by volume) it's much less accurate than by weight. But if I have a scale on my desk, people assume I'm assembling packets of drugs FOR SOME REASON.
posted by selfnoise at 6:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is largely correct, but one thing that's a bit annoying about loose-leaf tea: unlike coffee beans, the size and shape of the leaves are totally variable, so if you are scooping (IE, brewing by volume) it's much less accurate than by weight. But if I have a scale on my desk, people assume I'm assembling packets of drugs FOR SOME REASON.
posted by selfnoise at 6:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
but why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
Coffee beans vary in size and density, so a tablespoon is a really inconsistent way to measure. For example, one aeropress scoop (exhibit a) of my medium-light roast yirgachefe beans is almost always 16g. The same scoop of a dark-roast blend that my husband gets is about 13g.
Why pour more water than is actually needed?
I *think* this is because if you let it drip to completion, the last bits will be overextracted; it's likely the same reason you stop pressing the aeropress before it hisses. TBH I find it way too messy to pull a cone/filter before it's done, and I don't notice enough of a taste difference to bother with it.
posted by specialagentwebb at 6:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Coffee beans vary in size and density, so a tablespoon is a really inconsistent way to measure. For example, one aeropress scoop (exhibit a) of my medium-light roast yirgachefe beans is almost always 16g. The same scoop of a dark-roast blend that my husband gets is about 13g.
Why pour more water than is actually needed?
I *think* this is because if you let it drip to completion, the last bits will be overextracted; it's likely the same reason you stop pressing the aeropress before it hisses. TBH I find it way too messy to pull a cone/filter before it's done, and I don't notice enough of a taste difference to bother with it.
posted by specialagentwebb at 6:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love French Press coffee, cacofonie. I despise cleaning a French Press. I don't have a disposal, so I need zero grounds to go down the sink. Damn near impossible.
posted by Frayed Knot at 6:57 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Frayed Knot at 6:57 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
because it's fussier that way.
Why pour more water than is actually needed?
they're not going to prove to the world that theirs is the most elite coffee without a bunch of fussy, unnecessary steps.
posted by indubitable at 6:59 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
because it's fussier that way.
Why pour more water than is actually needed?
they're not going to prove to the world that theirs is the most elite coffee without a bunch of fussy, unnecessary steps.
posted by indubitable at 6:59 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
That color scheme is really hard to read on my monitor, but I'm still bookmarking it.
I love my aeropress so much that I feel that I'm in danger of becoming one of those tiresome people who drones on and on about their stupid coffee contraption. But seriously: it's so cheap! It's so easy! It is perfect for my slightly-idiosyncratic coffee needs! If you only need to make a single cup of coffee at a time, I highly recommend it.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:00 AM on January 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
I love my aeropress so much that I feel that I'm in danger of becoming one of those tiresome people who drones on and on about their stupid coffee contraption. But seriously: it's so cheap! It's so easy! It is perfect for my slightly-idiosyncratic coffee needs! If you only need to make a single cup of coffee at a time, I highly recommend it.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:00 AM on January 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
I don't have a disposal, so I need zero grounds to go down the sink. Damn near impossible.
I pour them into like empty yogurt tubs in my freezer & throw those out every few days. It's a little less messy, but still stupid.
posted by listen, lady at 7:01 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
I pour them into like empty yogurt tubs in my freezer & throw those out every few days. It's a little less messy, but still stupid.
posted by listen, lady at 7:01 AM on January 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
We've been making coffee with a stovetop Bialetti moka pot percolator for many years. I believe it's the basic, bare bones household method for making coffee in many parts of Southern Europe.
I like how it's a sturdy little low-tech thing without any breakable parts. I also like assembling it in the morning; the tutorial I linked to makes it look like a fuss but it isn't, I could do it with my eyes closed (and early in the morning often do). But it still gives me that feeling like I made the coffee. Cleaning is also simple, you just rinse the pot and empty the funnel.
(I swear I'm not selling moka pots.)
Anyway, I don't understand why so few people have these things around here; it's the most convenient and inexpensive way to get a perfectly nice espresso at home. On the other hand, I'm not finicky about coffee and probably can't taste the difference between a decent and a sublime espresso, so YMMV.
posted by sively at 7:09 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
I like how it's a sturdy little low-tech thing without any breakable parts. I also like assembling it in the morning; the tutorial I linked to makes it look like a fuss but it isn't, I could do it with my eyes closed (and early in the morning often do). But it still gives me that feeling like I made the coffee. Cleaning is also simple, you just rinse the pot and empty the funnel.
(I swear I'm not selling moka pots.)
Anyway, I don't understand why so few people have these things around here; it's the most convenient and inexpensive way to get a perfectly nice espresso at home. On the other hand, I'm not finicky about coffee and probably can't taste the difference between a decent and a sublime espresso, so YMMV.
posted by sively at 7:09 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
If you're awake enough first thing in the morning to be able to run through a coffee brewing process that's so complicated that you need a YouTube video to explain it, then you really don't need the coffee in the first place.
posted by octothorpe at 7:13 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 7:13 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
For an ultra-modern ultra-minimalist pour-over, few things beat the Koziol Unplugged.
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:20 AM on January 19, 2016
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:20 AM on January 19, 2016
but why use a scale instead of tablespoons?
As noted by some others, density and size are an issue. A cup of gravel and a cup of sand are going to yield different actual amounts of matter. Volumetric measurements are less useful for consistent measurement. Just like in baking when you weigh out flour instead of using "cups."
Here's a quick picture of the disparity in actual size between a smaller-screened out Ethiopian coffee (mixed varietals of unknown provenance) and a huge-as-fuck El Salvadoran (Pacamara varietal, and a total dreamboat to boot). I don't have any to take a picture of, but there's a really small varietal called Mokka that's almost half the size of that Ethiopian selection.
If you brewed these coffees identically, and used volumetrics to brew, you would end up overextracting or underextracting one of them, leading to bitterness and that tacky taste in the former scenario, or a sour flavor in the latter.
because it's fussier that way.
So. Yeah. If you think eyeballed woodworking is fussy, croissants with 'whatever amount' of flour and butter in them are fussy, road signs that say "about 20 or 50 mph" are fussy….yeah, taking 20 seconds to weigh something to provide a repeatable metric as to not do a shitty job….super "fussy." "Fussy" isn't the reason its done; well measured, quality results are the reason its done.
Anyone can drink any kind of coffee they like; weighed or not. As long as you're actually enjoying the cup, it doesn't matter.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:32 AM on January 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
As noted by some others, density and size are an issue. A cup of gravel and a cup of sand are going to yield different actual amounts of matter. Volumetric measurements are less useful for consistent measurement. Just like in baking when you weigh out flour instead of using "cups."
Here's a quick picture of the disparity in actual size between a smaller-screened out Ethiopian coffee (mixed varietals of unknown provenance) and a huge-as-fuck El Salvadoran (Pacamara varietal, and a total dreamboat to boot). I don't have any to take a picture of, but there's a really small varietal called Mokka that's almost half the size of that Ethiopian selection.
If you brewed these coffees identically, and used volumetrics to brew, you would end up overextracting or underextracting one of them, leading to bitterness and that tacky taste in the former scenario, or a sour flavor in the latter.
because it's fussier that way.
So. Yeah. If you think eyeballed woodworking is fussy, croissants with 'whatever amount' of flour and butter in them are fussy, road signs that say "about 20 or 50 mph" are fussy….yeah, taking 20 seconds to weigh something to provide a repeatable metric as to not do a shitty job….super "fussy." "Fussy" isn't the reason its done; well measured, quality results are the reason its done.
Anyone can drink any kind of coffee they like; weighed or not. As long as you're actually enjoying the cup, it doesn't matter.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:32 AM on January 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
Coffee beans vary in size and density, so a tablespoon is a really inconsistent way to measure. For example, one aeropress scoop (exhibit a) of my medium-light roast yirgachefe beans is almost always 16g. The same scoop of a dark-roast blend that my husband gets is about 13g.
Not just that - even with the same material, a volumetric measurement can vary dramatically in mass depending on how densely it's packed (which can vary with humidity levels as well as the obvious question of whether you're mechanically compressing it in the measuring vessel or not, or are sifting it or what have you). Volumetric measurements are only really good for liquids if you're concerned about accuracy.
...or you could always just accept that your cup of coffee is not completely uniform every time and just eyeball it. The variance is not likely to be that huge.
posted by Dysk at 7:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Not just that - even with the same material, a volumetric measurement can vary dramatically in mass depending on how densely it's packed (which can vary with humidity levels as well as the obvious question of whether you're mechanically compressing it in the measuring vessel or not, or are sifting it or what have you). Volumetric measurements are only really good for liquids if you're concerned about accuracy.
...or you could always just accept that your cup of coffee is not completely uniform every time and just eyeball it. The variance is not likely to be that huge.
posted by Dysk at 7:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
But if I have a scale on my desk, people assume I'm assembling packets of drugs FOR SOME REASON.
If you're using it to precisely measure your tea, then you kind of are.
posted by jedicus at 7:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [8 favorites]
If you're using it to precisely measure your tea, then you kind of are.
posted by jedicus at 7:34 AM on January 19, 2016 [8 favorites]
too bad there's not any recipes for low-effort coffee machine brewing
I've been adding a pinch of baking soda to my light roast grounds and it's taken the sourness completely out of the coffee (all 8+ cups of it). it does increase the chance of there being a mess but that's mostly mediated more by my overenthusiasm for piling in too many beans than the actual chemical reaction. adding some salt also helps bring out the flavor, too
would love more tips in this vein if anybody has them!
posted by runt at 7:38 AM on January 19, 2016
I've been adding a pinch of baking soda to my light roast grounds and it's taken the sourness completely out of the coffee (all 8+ cups of it). it does increase the chance of there being a mess but that's mostly mediated more by my overenthusiasm for piling in too many beans than the actual chemical reaction. adding some salt also helps bring out the flavor, too
would love more tips in this vein if anybody has them!
posted by runt at 7:38 AM on January 19, 2016
This is good. I've been perfectly happy with my French Press of mediocre beans for years now, but switched to pour-over for Reasons. I got a Chemex for Christmas and started using an app and a scale to measure.
Then I realized my beans were indeed shit, so now I'm buying fancy locally-roasted ones for more than I'd like to. And now I'm noticing that my blade grinder IS as inconsistent as they say, and also too small to grind enough beans for the big Chemex in one go. And this morning I was thinking "What if I filtered my water better?"
I kind of just want to go back to the old way, it was FINE.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 7:47 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
Then I realized my beans were indeed shit, so now I'm buying fancy locally-roasted ones for more than I'd like to. And now I'm noticing that my blade grinder IS as inconsistent as they say, and also too small to grind enough beans for the big Chemex in one go. And this morning I was thinking "What if I filtered my water better?"
I kind of just want to go back to the old way, it was FINE.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 7:47 AM on January 19, 2016 [7 favorites]
I've been adding a pinch of baking soda to my light roast grounds and it's taken the sourness completely out of the coffee (all 8+ cups of it)
Any sourness from a coffee is most likely the result of underextracting the flavor in it. The two main culprits in sour coffee are overdosing the actual coffee compared to the water you're using and the water temperature not getting high enough (most drip machines don't reach the requisite 190-205F to properly extract coffee, leaving some of that sourness in the cup).
If you're looking for a good experiment to nix the baking soda and salt, and if you have a kitchen scale around, you should try (if it's not too much trouble) weighing out your coffee, and your water to an approximate 1:16 ratio. If you only do this a couple times, yeah, you can probably eyeball it. Then boil your water outside the machine, and add it to the brewer. This will give the brewer a head start and get you much closer to a more balanced extraction. That's only two extra steps in your drip brewer routine, and about as simple a recipe as it gets.
Even a Mr Coffee in a hotel room that's been used to cook meth a couple dozen times can produce a decent, well balanced cup if you boil the water and weigh your grinds out. You're just outsourcing the pour at that point.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:47 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Any sourness from a coffee is most likely the result of underextracting the flavor in it. The two main culprits in sour coffee are overdosing the actual coffee compared to the water you're using and the water temperature not getting high enough (most drip machines don't reach the requisite 190-205F to properly extract coffee, leaving some of that sourness in the cup).
If you're looking for a good experiment to nix the baking soda and salt, and if you have a kitchen scale around, you should try (if it's not too much trouble) weighing out your coffee, and your water to an approximate 1:16 ratio. If you only do this a couple times, yeah, you can probably eyeball it. Then boil your water outside the machine, and add it to the brewer. This will give the brewer a head start and get you much closer to a more balanced extraction. That's only two extra steps in your drip brewer routine, and about as simple a recipe as it gets.
Even a Mr Coffee in a hotel room that's been used to cook meth a couple dozen times can produce a decent, well balanced cup if you boil the water and weigh your grinds out. You're just outsourcing the pour at that point.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:47 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Fussy" isn't the reason its done; well measured, quality results are the reason its done.
same reason you lay out your silverware with a carpenter's square?
posted by indubitable at 7:49 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
same reason you lay out your silverware with a carpenter's square?
posted by indubitable at 7:49 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Never understood the long list of ways to make coffee when the best one has been around since 1933. All hail the genius Luigi De Ponti! FWIW, you can take my moka pot when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
posted by pjsky at 8:08 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by pjsky at 8:08 AM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
lay out your silverware with a carpenter's square
We're not barbarians. Butler Sticks.
posted by bonehead at 8:14 AM on January 19, 2016 [14 favorites]
We're not barbarians. Butler Sticks.
posted by bonehead at 8:14 AM on January 19, 2016 [14 favorites]
We've been making coffee with a stovetop Bialetti moka pot yt percolator for many years. I believe it's the basic, bare bones household method for making coffee in many parts of Southern Europe.
+1 for moka pot. It's dead simple, and the coffee actually tastes noticeably worse if you clean it too much (you want the coffee film to form a barrier between the bare metal, or it tastes metallic). Best with cafe du monde coffee and chicory.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:48 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
+1 for moka pot. It's dead simple, and the coffee actually tastes noticeably worse if you clean it too much (you want the coffee film to form a barrier between the bare metal, or it tastes metallic). Best with cafe du monde coffee and chicory.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:48 AM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
I kind of just want to go back to the old way, it was FINE
Good coffee doesn't have to be hard, but it does need some thought in advance and some investment in equipment. The cheap option for a good American-style drip cup is a kettle and a pour-over cone/pot (there are dozens of other ways to make a great cup from coffee beans, but drip coffee is what this is about). You can do that for less than $50. Upgrade with a $20 blade grinder and a $20 thermos bottle to store your coffee and you're most of the way there. Less than $100 bucks, but a bit fussy and requires about 20 or 30 minutes of time. However, if you want to get the simplicity back, you do need to spend some dollars.
Our day to day, 95% of the time system is stripped down to be as few operations for the sleep deprived who just want a cup of joe now. Beans are stored in a reduced-air can to limit spoiling. Beans are volume-measured, but are from the same roaster and type, to give a consistent amount. A simple burr-grinder to produce a consistent ground. A drip over system that get the water to the right temperature fast and has a bit of a delay on the drip side to bloom the coffee. Unbleached filters to reduce that flat taste that activated papers can have. Thermal carafe to keep coffee hot without cooking the ass out of it. Total time from brew to cup around 10 minutes, with the major actions being measuring the coffee into the grinder hopper, loading the ground coffee and water into the drip machine, taking a few minutes of that interval.
It's a bit of thought up front, but in practice, it's as simple as we can make it, simple enough to do on autopilot in the morning. Neither the grinder and the drip machine are cheap, but they are likely two of the most used appliances in our kitchen. We bought the coffee maker a number of years ago when it was the only option on the market to control temperature. Breville is making one now for 2/3 the price, so there's that.
posted by bonehead at 8:53 AM on January 19, 2016
Good coffee doesn't have to be hard, but it does need some thought in advance and some investment in equipment. The cheap option for a good American-style drip cup is a kettle and a pour-over cone/pot (there are dozens of other ways to make a great cup from coffee beans, but drip coffee is what this is about). You can do that for less than $50. Upgrade with a $20 blade grinder and a $20 thermos bottle to store your coffee and you're most of the way there. Less than $100 bucks, but a bit fussy and requires about 20 or 30 minutes of time. However, if you want to get the simplicity back, you do need to spend some dollars.
Our day to day, 95% of the time system is stripped down to be as few operations for the sleep deprived who just want a cup of joe now. Beans are stored in a reduced-air can to limit spoiling. Beans are volume-measured, but are from the same roaster and type, to give a consistent amount. A simple burr-grinder to produce a consistent ground. A drip over system that get the water to the right temperature fast and has a bit of a delay on the drip side to bloom the coffee. Unbleached filters to reduce that flat taste that activated papers can have. Thermal carafe to keep coffee hot without cooking the ass out of it. Total time from brew to cup around 10 minutes, with the major actions being measuring the coffee into the grinder hopper, loading the ground coffee and water into the drip machine, taking a few minutes of that interval.
It's a bit of thought up front, but in practice, it's as simple as we can make it, simple enough to do on autopilot in the morning. Neither the grinder and the drip machine are cheap, but they are likely two of the most used appliances in our kitchen. We bought the coffee maker a number of years ago when it was the only option on the market to control temperature. Breville is making one now for 2/3 the price, so there's that.
posted by bonehead at 8:53 AM on January 19, 2016
Here's a Finnish coffee making tutorial from 1950. All three methods are explained. I'm a little disappointed that she didn't drink her coffee through a sugar cube held between the lips; that was the traditional way.
posted by sively at 9:15 AM on January 19, 2016
posted by sively at 9:15 AM on January 19, 2016
However, if you want to get the simplicity back, you do need to spend some dollars.Okey-doaky, but I actually don't have either the time or the dollars. I'm already getting up at 5:45 a lot of mornings to get to the gym before work, and I'm not going to spend an extra 20 to 30 minutes on coffee, because no. And I'm not in the market for a $250 coffee grinder right now, because I have neither the funds nor the counter space. So anyway, a lot of people are looking not necessarily for the perfect cup of coffee, but more for the best cup of coffee available within certain constraints.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:18 AM on January 19, 2016
a lot of people are looking not necessarily for the perfect cup of coffee, but more for the best cup of coffee available within certain constraints.
If you do want the most control over the coffee flavour though, you do need to spend time or money. There's no $25 unit that can make it automagically in less time right now, better than the average drip coffeemaker. Well, aside from the nice folks at Starbucks or Tims/DD depending on your tastes.
The K-cup machines, btw, are considerably more that what I outline above, especially when you look at how much they are to run for a year or two. And they produce middling to poor coffee, imo.
There are a few alternatives if you're prepared to give up the taste of drip coffee: the french press, cold-brewing in bulk or things like the aeropress. But that's not what we're looking for in the morning, which is why we've gone to some trouble and expense. It's a taste preference that is worth it for us (with results better than any commercial cup, imo).
posted by bonehead at 9:33 AM on January 19, 2016
If you do want the most control over the coffee flavour though, you do need to spend time or money. There's no $25 unit that can make it automagically in less time right now, better than the average drip coffeemaker. Well, aside from the nice folks at Starbucks or Tims/DD depending on your tastes.
The K-cup machines, btw, are considerably more that what I outline above, especially when you look at how much they are to run for a year or two. And they produce middling to poor coffee, imo.
There are a few alternatives if you're prepared to give up the taste of drip coffee: the french press, cold-brewing in bulk or things like the aeropress. But that's not what we're looking for in the morning, which is why we've gone to some trouble and expense. It's a taste preference that is worth it for us (with results better than any commercial cup, imo).
posted by bonehead at 9:33 AM on January 19, 2016
I've been using a quart-size Mason jar lately. Three or four heaping tablespoons of fine-grind goes in followed by cold water nearly to the rim, shake, fill the last bit, leave on the countertop overnight. In the morning, I use a plain old paper filter sandwiched between two funnels (the top funnel is the kind used for canning, with a wide bottom opening, that keeps the filter in place). Then a minute or 90 seconds in the microwave. Perfect every time, easy clean-up.
posted by Camofrog at 10:13 AM on January 19, 2016
posted by Camofrog at 10:13 AM on January 19, 2016
Upgrade with a $20 blade grinder and a $20 thermos bottle to store your coffee and you're most of the way there.
I know, I have the $20 blade grinder and by upgrading the rest of the process I've started to notice the faults. I mean, I'm still in the upper echelons of totally decent coffee. My chill, mediocre method was decent-but-not-the-best beans, blade grinder, French Press. And it was better than a lot of coffee, but I was pretty happy with knowing that it was a good middle ground between not giving a shit and spending too much energy and money on the PERFECT brew.
I've got a Zojirushi water heater that keeps the water at 208, which is mildly infuriating because the little coffee app I have calls for 202. If I'm going to be precise, I want PRECISION. I have to let that go.
It's all fine, as I said, now it's these tiny details that I'm noticing as I'm tweaking the process. I'll settle into a new routine soon enough.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:41 AM on January 19, 2016
I know, I have the $20 blade grinder and by upgrading the rest of the process I've started to notice the faults. I mean, I'm still in the upper echelons of totally decent coffee. My chill, mediocre method was decent-but-not-the-best beans, blade grinder, French Press. And it was better than a lot of coffee, but I was pretty happy with knowing that it was a good middle ground between not giving a shit and spending too much energy and money on the PERFECT brew.
I've got a Zojirushi water heater that keeps the water at 208, which is mildly infuriating because the little coffee app I have calls for 202. If I'm going to be precise, I want PRECISION. I have to let that go.
It's all fine, as I said, now it's these tiny details that I'm noticing as I'm tweaking the process. I'll settle into a new routine soon enough.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:41 AM on January 19, 2016
So you can just buy the kind of tea you like, and follow the brewing instructions, and you're all set.
Well, except for the fact that even the best properly-made tea tastes like wan astringent suck to me, compared to a decent cup of coffee. So no, not an acceptable alternative.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:53 AM on January 19, 2016
Well, except for the fact that even the best properly-made tea tastes like wan astringent suck to me, compared to a decent cup of coffee. So no, not an acceptable alternative.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:53 AM on January 19, 2016
IME, the step between the blade and the burr grinder is probably the least important tweak for drip coffee. It's hugely important for other methods, but it doesn't make a that big a difference difference for drip. Most burr grinders you just load and turn on though, so they're rather simpler to use.
Water temperature, though, is pretty darn important to get the right balance of extracted flavours, caramelized vs bitter compounds. I usually try for 205F, but I may like a more bitter cup than you.
posted by bonehead at 10:56 AM on January 19, 2016
Water temperature, though, is pretty darn important to get the right balance of extracted flavours, caramelized vs bitter compounds. I usually try for 205F, but I may like a more bitter cup than you.
posted by bonehead at 10:56 AM on January 19, 2016
I've been making my coffee with vacuum pots exclusively for the last 20+ years (I have about 30, down from 50), and I think all of the procedures recommended under the siphon/vacuum heading would produce decidedly sub-optimal coffee.
The worst offenses are using a cloth filter over a metal frame -- because the cloth absorbs too much of the tasty oil and can never be completely cleaned after the first use, imparting a slight but perceptible taste of old coffee to every subsequent pot, and the metal frame, in my opinion, catalyzes changes which make the coffee taste subtly like it's been in the thermos too long right out of the brewer -- and brewing with water that's about 10F too hot.
I use glass filter rods made by Cory, Silex, GE, Cona, and others, but are no longer in production, except possibly from Cona, which leave the oils intact at the cost of grounds in the coffee which range from almost imperceptible by sight to much less than 1% of the grounds you'd get from a French press, depending on the fit between brewer and rod, and which add no flavors of their own.
I disagree strongly with the idea of preheating the water because I think having the coffee in contact with the water as it goes all the way from cold to brewing temp (165-175F) makes for much better body and richness in the final cup, and because adding the coffee only after all the water is in the upper bowl defeats the segregation of grounds induced in the bowl by the upward flow of water through the grounds, such that the larger grounds are at the bottom and the finer grounds on top, which is the secret of the self-filtering effect that makes the coffee relatively grounds-free.
posted by jamjam at 11:26 AM on January 19, 2016
The worst offenses are using a cloth filter over a metal frame -- because the cloth absorbs too much of the tasty oil and can never be completely cleaned after the first use, imparting a slight but perceptible taste of old coffee to every subsequent pot, and the metal frame, in my opinion, catalyzes changes which make the coffee taste subtly like it's been in the thermos too long right out of the brewer -- and brewing with water that's about 10F too hot.
I use glass filter rods made by Cory, Silex, GE, Cona, and others, but are no longer in production, except possibly from Cona, which leave the oils intact at the cost of grounds in the coffee which range from almost imperceptible by sight to much less than 1% of the grounds you'd get from a French press, depending on the fit between brewer and rod, and which add no flavors of their own.
I disagree strongly with the idea of preheating the water because I think having the coffee in contact with the water as it goes all the way from cold to brewing temp (165-175F) makes for much better body and richness in the final cup, and because adding the coffee only after all the water is in the upper bowl defeats the segregation of grounds induced in the bowl by the upward flow of water through the grounds, such that the larger grounds are at the bottom and the finer grounds on top, which is the secret of the self-filtering effect that makes the coffee relatively grounds-free.
posted by jamjam at 11:26 AM on January 19, 2016
i read TFA and this thread and now i no longer understand how to make coffee
posted by murphy slaw at 11:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 11:53 AM on January 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
I switched out my kitchenaid drip maker to the Bonavita machine and it made a world of difference in flavor extraction. This thing actually brings the water to consistent temperature before beginning to brew and it yields a tasty cuppa. It's not espresso shot flavor like I can get from my aeropress (which I use when I have the time) but it consistently makes the two to-go cups in the morning for my husband and I. Best upgrade out there for the constraints of not being fussy.
posted by msbutah at 12:35 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by msbutah at 12:35 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
ooh! Frayed Knot, Cleaning a french press is really easy using this trick I learned from a coffee friend.
Rinse the pot out. Put a dot of soap in it. Put in some hot water. Put the top on the pot, and plunge plunge plunge
Then rinse. Done.
posted by rebent at 1:30 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Rinse the pot out. Put a dot of soap in it. Put in some hot water. Put the top on the pot, and plunge plunge plunge
Then rinse. Done.
posted by rebent at 1:30 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
However, if you want to get the simplicity back, you do need to spend some dollars.And what could be simpler than the Moka design?
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Nicer drip rigs like the Bonavita are attractive, but (for me at least) every automatic drip machine INEVITABLY absorb weird flavors in the water path that can't be exorcised because you can't get in and really clean it. It's what drove me to what people now call "pour over" and Chemex.
It's not so fussy. I'd be weighing and grinding beans, loading the filter, and measuring water anyway, so the only additional work I incur is the water pour. I'll do that work for cheap, great coffee and call it a bargain.
(All this is true for French press, too; I just don't particularly like French press coffee - though it's typically better than drip machine coffee.)
posted by uberchet at 2:48 PM on January 19, 2016
It's not so fussy. I'd be weighing and grinding beans, loading the filter, and measuring water anyway, so the only additional work I incur is the water pour. I'll do that work for cheap, great coffee and call it a bargain.
(All this is true for French press, too; I just don't particularly like French press coffee - though it's typically better than drip machine coffee.)
posted by uberchet at 2:48 PM on January 19, 2016
My latest revelation on the journey to find the easiest low acid brew has led me to the Toddy T2N cold brew machine. The term machine is used loosely as there are no moving parts, but 12 hours produces enough concentrate to last about a week and a half or more and it's probably the smoothest and easiest on the stomach of anything I have tried which includes basically every other method not involving a thousand dollar machines.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Frayed Not: I love French Press coffee, cacofonie. I despise cleaning a French Press. I don't have a disposal, so I need zero grounds to go down the sink. Damn near impossible.
I just take plunger, rinse in water, add about a full french press worth of water, stir and pour the whole thing down the sink. It takes 30 seconds. I don't even use soap!
Every couple uses, I'll do the plungy thing mentioned above too.
Maybe I'm due for a plumbing disaster, but it seems to have worked ok for me.
posted by cacofonie at 4:50 PM on January 19, 2016
I just take plunger, rinse in water, add about a full french press worth of water, stir and pour the whole thing down the sink. It takes 30 seconds. I don't even use soap!
Every couple uses, I'll do the plungy thing mentioned above too.
Maybe I'm due for a plumbing disaster, but it seems to have worked ok for me.
posted by cacofonie at 4:50 PM on January 19, 2016
I love my aeropress so much that I feel that I'm in danger of becoming one of those tiresome people who drones on and on about their stupid coffee contraption.
Aeropress is love. Aeropress is life.
posted by naju at 4:50 PM on January 19, 2016
Aeropress is love. Aeropress is life.
posted by naju at 4:50 PM on January 19, 2016
great! only one totally smug ass comment in a whole thread about coffee!
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:24 PM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:24 PM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
yo I tried a Moka for the longest time but it always ended up being incredibly bitter, was I doing it wrong? (y/n)
also, any tips on cleaning it? the bottom half in particular got funky in parts that I couldn't reach
posted by indubitable at 5:45 PM on January 19, 2016
also, any tips on cleaning it? the bottom half in particular got funky in parts that I couldn't reach
posted by indubitable at 5:45 PM on January 19, 2016
too bad there's not any recipes for low-effort coffee machine brewing
My coffee machine has no settings, so it's hard to have much of a recipe.
Most mornings, though, I go with instant Nescafe (the Mexican Classico kind, I'm not a total heathen) because it is zero effort and I don't have to worry about the noise of grinding while the rest of the world sleeps.
My favorite is french press, but it's a rare morning that I want to take the time and fuss to make it. It's a pity, because the flavor is so exactly to my tastes.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:23 PM on January 19, 2016
My coffee machine has no settings, so it's hard to have much of a recipe.
Most mornings, though, I go with instant Nescafe (the Mexican Classico kind, I'm not a total heathen) because it is zero effort and I don't have to worry about the noise of grinding while the rest of the world sleeps.
My favorite is french press, but it's a rare morning that I want to take the time and fuss to make it. It's a pity, because the flavor is so exactly to my tastes.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:23 PM on January 19, 2016
I've been using a quart-size Mason jar lately. Three or four heaping tablespoons of fine-grind goes in followed by cold water nearly to the rim, shake, fill the last bit, leave on the countertop overnight. In the morning, I use a plain old paper filter sandwiched between two funnels (the top funnel is the kind used for canning, with a wide bottom opening, that keeps the filter in place). Then a minute or 90 seconds in the microwave. Perfect every time, easy clean-up.
Yes, this is essentially cold-brewing. Not to sound like a jerk, just: this very simple method is one of the ones on offer, even if it's been jazzed up some. It's how folks in New Orleans have done it for years.
posted by listen, lady at 6:32 AM on January 20, 2016
Yes, this is essentially cold-brewing. Not to sound like a jerk, just: this very simple method is one of the ones on offer, even if it's been jazzed up some. It's how folks in New Orleans have done it for years.
posted by listen, lady at 6:32 AM on January 20, 2016
(I once started a road trip with a ziploc bag full of grounds and water & then had good iced coffee every morning.)
posted by listen, lady at 6:35 AM on January 20, 2016
posted by listen, lady at 6:35 AM on January 20, 2016
Not to sound like a jerk, just: this very simple method is one of the ones on offer, even if it's been jazzed up some.
Yes, my sincere apologies for commenting on something you knew.
posted by Camofrog at 5:58 AM on January 21, 2016
Yes, my sincere apologies for commenting on something you knew.
posted by Camofrog at 5:58 AM on January 21, 2016
I tried a Moka for the longest time but it always ended up being incredibly bitter, was I doing it wrong?
It's a common problem with the mokas. The best advice seems to be to keep the heat to boil time as short as possible to avoid cooking the coffee. Prewarm the water, then add it to the pot, then there's a short time to boil. Here's a video going over what to look for.
For cleaning, I've found nothing better than Puro powder, recommended to me by a barista who has to clean commercial machines every day. A bottle can be had for $10 to $15 (amazon) and it lasts forever, since you only need a teaspoon or less each clean. I've used vinegar (useless), descalers (great for scale, useless for coffee oils and stains), even denture cleaner tablets (which actually work okish); a half-hour soak in boiling water and Puro works better than all of them. Scrubbing not really necessary. Even the tight corners seem to get clean.
posted by bonehead at 7:27 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's a common problem with the mokas. The best advice seems to be to keep the heat to boil time as short as possible to avoid cooking the coffee. Prewarm the water, then add it to the pot, then there's a short time to boil. Here's a video going over what to look for.
For cleaning, I've found nothing better than Puro powder, recommended to me by a barista who has to clean commercial machines every day. A bottle can be had for $10 to $15 (amazon) and it lasts forever, since you only need a teaspoon or less each clean. I've used vinegar (useless), descalers (great for scale, useless for coffee oils and stains), even denture cleaner tablets (which actually work okish); a half-hour soak in boiling water and Puro works better than all of them. Scrubbing not really necessary. Even the tight corners seem to get clean.
posted by bonehead at 7:27 AM on January 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
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I put the beans in a grinder and then in a Mr. Coffee and then: there is coffee. This looks like it's the pour over method?
It tastes pretty good.
coffeecoffeecoffee
posted by curious nu at 6:07 AM on January 19, 2016 [4 favorites]