How to make quality coffee at home

Today we are going to talk about how to make quality coffee at home, because knowledge is not a burden and there are certain guidelines to make it perfect. We will tell you all about it.

What is coffee?

Coffee is a drink obtained by hot (and sometimes under pressure) infusion of the roasted and ground seeds of the coffee plant.

The coffee plant is native to tropical Africa , specifically Madagascar and the surrounding islands in the Indian Ocean. Exported to other countries around the world, it is currently cultivated in large equatorial regions of South America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. The first evidence of coffee consumption, as we know it today, dates back to the 15th century in Yemen.

Coffee has a slightly stimulating effect due to the presence of the well-known caffeine . This has made it one of the most popular drinks worldwide.

Methods of preparing coffee

Throughout history, humans have invented various methods to extract the best from coffee beans. The different devices used require different degrees of grinding of the bean, but current methods can be summarized as follows:

1. Italian-style coffee maker

We all know them, as they have been and are very popular in our country. The design may vary, but the principle is the same: two containers separated by a siphon into which the ground coffee is placed. The water in the lower container is heated and rises by pressure through the coffee, leaving the prepared drink in the upper container. I love the ones from Bra , which are made of stainless steel.

Kaffe Bra Coffee Maker and Lucino Espresso Coffee Maker by Gefu

2. French press or plunger coffee maker

In this coffee maker, a mixture of coffee and boiling water is prepared, which is left to flavour, and then the infusion is pressed and the liquid obtained is filtered with a plunger filter. These are coffee makers that you can use to make coffee, but they can also be used to prepare other types of infusions, such as teas and herbs.

Le Creuset Press Coffee Maker

3. Espresso coffee maker, in manual or automatic coffee machines

Very common in bars and restaurants, these coffee makers have become popular in the home. They require electricity to generate the pressure and temperature that forces the water through a metal filter containing the ground coffee.

Both manual , automatic and super-automatic machines are very easy to use and can quickly extract coffee at the right pressure and temperature, all in an automated way. Some models also allow you to grind coffee instantly.

If you want to discover the advantages of automatic coffee machines, with their pros and cons and know how to choose the right one for you, we recommend you read the post " Automatic coffee machines: advantages and how to choose the ideal one "

WMF Lumero espresso machine and Sage Breville Barista PRO manual coffee machine

4. Drip coffee makers

These include the Melitta type coffee makers, which we all know, and the Chemex coffee makers , which are so popular. In both types, coffee is obtained by passing boiling water through a paper filter containing ground coffee. The coffee is collected by gravity. We will discuss the particularities of the Chemex later on.

Chemex coffee maker

5. Siphon coffee makers

For coffee connoisseurs, this type of coffee maker uses a burner to heat the water in a glass container connected to another container, placed on top of it, containing the coffee. The water boils and rises to the upper container, flavouring it with the coffee in a similar way to what happens with an Italian coffee maker, but then the burner must be turned off. When the lower container cools, the coffee is sucked in and descends to the lower container, ready to be consumed.

Making a good coffee with an Italian coffee maker

As we have said before, Italian coffee makers, such as the Lucino by Gefu , are among the most popular in our country, due to their ease of use, their good value for money and their excellent results. The Kaffe coffee maker by Bra, like its sister, the Efficient by Bra , combines the virtues of Italian coffee makers with a beautiful design that makes it perfect for serving at the table. In addition, these are made of stainless steel and can be used on all types of cookers, including induction.

We tell you how to make a good coffee with any Italian coffee maker:

1. Use good coffee : It may seem obvious, but not everyone does it. You can buy it ground, or grind it to your liking using a grinder, such as the Krups Fast Touch or the WMF coffee grinder .
   
2. Measure the water well : Italian coffee makers usually have a valve on the body and it is recommended to fill the water up to the height of this valve.
3. Treat the coffee with care : the coffee should be dropped onto the metal filter, without crushing or forcing it to fit a large quantity. To flatten it, we will hit the side of the filter with a spoon.
4. Keep the heat constant : sudden changes in temperature affect the taste of the coffee. Once the heat is lit, keep it at a constant intensity, without the flame protruding from the bottom of the pot, and do not turn off the heat until the last drop of coffee has come out of the inner tube.
5. Stir the coffee before serving : few people know that it is advisable to stir the coffee obtained, since the concentration of the liquid obtained at the beginning is not the same as at the end of the extraction and it can become somewhat stratified. If we do not stir, not all the cups we serve may have exactly the same concentration.

Kaffe Bra coffee maker

Making great coffee with a Chemex coffee maker

We're sure you've seen the gorgeous Chemex coffee maker before. This drip coffee maker was invented by a German chemist, Peter Schlumbohm, who patented it in 1941.

The Chemex coffee maker is made of glass, shaped like an hourglass, and uses patented, specially treated paper filters that separate most of the coffee oils and sediment . In this way, the manufacturer claims that bitterness is eliminated.

The coffee obtained with the Chemex coffee maker is of the American type , more diluted, perhaps than what is usually seen in our country, but its flavor is intense and pure.

We tell you how to make a perfect coffee with the Chemex coffee maker:

1. Position the filter correctly : the filter must be opened in a cone shape, so that one side has 3 layers of filter. The drain must be covered with this 3-layer area.
2. Measure the coffee carefully : the recommended dosage is one heaping tablespoon for each 140 ml cup you want to prepare. Although of course you can vary it if you want a stronger coffee.
3. Moisten the coffee : Heat the required amount of water, wait for it to stop boiling, and pour enough water over the ground coffee to moisten it. Wait 30 seconds. The perfect water temperature at this point is 93°C.
4. Pour the water : After moistening the coffee, slowly pour the water, keeping the level well below the top edge of the coffee maker. Do this in a circular motion (starting from the outside) or back and forth over the ground coffee so that it all soaks evenly.
5. Wait for all the brewed coffee to drip out : the liquid falls by gravity from the filter and collects at the bottom of the coffee maker. Discard the filter.

You can now serve excellent coffee prepared with your Chemex coffee maker. If you also use the matching sugar and milk jug set , with the same design as the coffee maker, or the Le Creuset milk jug , you will leave your guests speechless... And that is priceless.

In summary:

What makes the Chemex coffee maker so special

1. Its design, but
2. especially its filters, which are thicker and filter more thoroughly.

References:

• Coffee making methods from the past that have survived to this day . My Philips world
• Main methods of preparing coffee . Federation of coffee growers
• How to master the art of the Italian coffee maker . Café Saula
• Brewing 101 with Chemex . Chemex Coffee Maker