Making Coffee, Brewing Coffee, Drinking Coffee, Preparing Coffee ...

* It's all about just making that perfect cup of coffee every morning*

A guide to making coffee

Coffee beans

Nothing more satisfying than a well-made, hot, aromatic cup of coffee...a pleasure that is enjoyed by countless numbers everyday.

 

The Coffee History

What is Coffee

Coffee Pest &Problems

Harvesting and Processing

Grading Coffee

Coffee Tasting

Grading Terminology

Tasting Terminology


Coffee Recipes

Coffee Drinks

Coffee and Fruit Desserts

Coffee Desserts

Souffles & Meringues

 

Making Coffee

Traces the mysterious and conflict-ridden journey of the coffee bean from its Ethiopian birthplace, through Arabia and the Middle East, and on to Europe and the New World. The crucial role of the beverage in shaping the spiritual and social life of medieval Arabia and Turkey is explored and how it became irrevocably entrenched in the Western cultures. A site devoted to the myriad methods of early coffee brewing and a wealth of info on coffee-drinking and coffee products.

 

"...the roast, the bean, the equipment, the blend, and how to make a perfect cup..."

  

Be a connoisseur

The coffee tasting process is a delicate one, involving several key factors to assess and discern coffee qualities. The experienced coffee taster usually starts assessing the color and appearance of a cup of coffee, followed by the appreciation of aroma, flavor, bitterness and texture:

Coffee Beans: Different types of coffee beans provide for different aromas and flavors. Arabica (Coffea Arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora) make up for about 90% of the coffee beans sold worldwide.

Coffee Aroma: Generated during the roasting of the beans, the aroma is a mix of over 800 aromatic compounds that make up for the subtle balance between fruity, nutty, roasty and more caramel-like aroma notes.

Bitterness: An integral part of the coffee tasting experience, bitterness provides that sharp, vibrant quality, without which the beverage would taste flat.

Coffee Texture: By accessing texture, a trained coffee taster can assess attributes like the body (weight and richness), smoothness and aftertaste of a coffee. Texture attributes are key when selecting a type of coffee over another.

Coffee Flavor: Strong linked to aroma, the flavor depends very much on the coffee species. Experts consider Arabica to be richer and more aromatic, and Robusta to be more robust and stronger. The beans' origins and the coffeemakers' expertise do the rest for the flavor experience.

Brewed or Instant Coffee?: There are many ways to enjoy coffee. Some people percolate their coffee; others use French presses or coffee plunger. Then there are also espressos, concentrated coffee beverages brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through ground coffee. However, all these take more time to prepare, compared with the convenience of instant (soluble) coffee. Just add hot water to coffee powder or granules and you'll be savoring the perks and pleasures you'd expect from a great cup of coffee!

 

Coffee beansAbout Espresso

Espresso is a strong, dark-roasted version of coffee that is brewed through a special steam-extraction process. Espresso originated in Italy, but it is now popular all over the world. Many of the recipes in this site use espresso as the main ingredients. In the past, most people associated the term espresso with a concentrated and bitter brew. However, there has been a new awareness of espresso and high quality coffees in general created within the last several years due to articles in magazines, newspapers and promotions by the coffee industry. As a result, the general public has become more sophisticated and discerning in their taste, and the old reputation for espresso has been replaced by an enthusiasm for espresso-based drinks as evidenced by the long lines at the espresso stands.

 

The term espresso is Italian for fast and primarily describes the method of preparation. The espresso brewing method uses pressure rather than gravity to rapidly extract the essence of the coffee in a concentrated form. Espresso is also used to describe the blend of beans and the degree of roast for the beans used to prepare espresso. Espresso roast is one of the darkest roasts and is characterized by a slightly burnt flavor.

 

Almost all coffee specialty shops now have commercial espresso machines and serve both espresso and espresso drinks to a growing number of enthusiasts. In addition to the specialty shops, curbside espresso carts and drive-through espresso windows have sprung up throughout the greater metropolitan area. Now, it seems that every shopping mall and supermarket has its own espresso station.

 

From the coffee orchard to your cup

  • Harvest the coffee beans:
    The coffee 'cherries' change from green to deep red or yellow as they ripen over 9 months, then they are harvested by hand. The cherries are then either sun-dried or soaked in water to separate the coffee beans from the skin, pulp and parchment.

  • Roasting coffee beans:
    This is when the sugars, fats and starches within the beans are emulsified, caramelized and released, creating the delicate coffee oil which provides for the aroma. The temperature and roasting time affect the color, which in turn determines the strength of the brew.

  • Grinding the coffee beans:
    The beans are then ground into the desired size; course, medium, fine or very fine.

  • Making instant coffee:
    The ground coffee is put into an industrial percolator containing pressurized hot water to brew highly concentrated liquid coffee. The coffee liquor, as it is called, can then be either spray dried or snap frozen then ground again into fine particles.

How about a decaff?
For those of you who prefer to enjoy the full flavor of coffee without its stimulating effects, there is decaffeinated coffee, which contains less than 0.3% of caffeine. But how is it made? Most decaffeination methods consist of soaking the beans in water to dissolve the caffeine, extracting the caffeine with a solvent, and then re-soaking the beans in the water to reabsorb the flavor, creating that some flavorful beverage.

Essence of Coffee
Coffee, the beverage we all relish, has touched our hearts in so many ways with its rich aroma and irresistible flavor, But those aren't the only great things about coffee; its benefits on the mind and body are key in how coffee has found an intimate spot in your lives.

Coffee and your Mind
Just one cup can result in contentedness, lower anxiety, more self-confidence and higher motivation! In the morning, it gives us exactly what we need to tackle the tasks ahead to make it a great day. At work, coffee enhances cognitive performance, allowing us to better process information from the world around us. If you're on the road and fatigue creeps up, get a coffee and take quick nap to restore alertness. Times with friends and family are special. Drinking coffee uplifts our mood and lets us enjoy those special times with our loved ones. Working night shifts? Drinking coffee can help us maintain day-time alertness levels at night.

Coffee and your Body
It has been shown that coffee can enhance muscle contraction, improve neuromuscular transmission and increase peak force generation. That means you get to exercise at a more intense pace, for a longer period and gain more from your workouts!

Not only that, in some studies, coffee demonstrated an increase in metabolism after consumption. The higher you fat metabolic rate, the faster your body breaks down fat and the better you look and feel.

There are misconceptions that drinking coffee promotes diseases. However, the years of research until today have not uncovered any sound evidence to support them. Conversely, studies are increasingly pointing towards coffee's possible preventive effects on certain diseases!
 

Coffee Myths and Mysteries

So great was the mystique ascribed to coffee, that conjecture over the who, how and when of the invention of the beverage and the discovery of its properties was intense. Doctors, lawyers, poets and philosophers all had their pet theories and great kudos was linked to association with the so-called "discovery". As a result, in medieval Arabia and later in the 17th century Europe, stories and legends were rife.

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* New Coffee Recipes *

 

 
 

The History of Coffee  |  About Coffee  |  Pest & Problems  |  Harvesting & Processing

Sorting & Grading  |  Coffee Tasting  |  Grading Terminology  |  Tasting Terminology  |  Recipes

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