Coffee Making Knowledge

Coffee Making Knowledge With Banks!

mmmm who can resist that wonderful smell of coffee!

But the big question is, how to make the perfect cup! There are so many different ways to make coffee....and so many new "coffee snobs" on the scene...so we thought we'd arm you with some coffee making knowledge. We recommend you try them all to see which you like the best. But if not, at least you'll be able to keep up the conversation with a hipster coffee connoisseur.

So if you're lazy like me and simply enjoy a quick cup of instant coffee - scoop coffee into cup and pour water - this might be ground breaking stuff. If you are the coffee connoisseur, this is probably going to be too simple for you... but we would love for your to leave your tips, suggestions and comments below please!

There are many different ways of brewing coffee but we are only going to touch on a few. There is brewing under pressure, brewing via seeping, brewing using filtration or dripping.

Brewing under pressure

includes methods such as an Espresso Machines or a Moka Pot, and simply put means extracting coffee using pressure which results in quicker extraction time and and more intense brew.

We are going to talk about the Moka Pot...also known as a "stove top espresso maker" or "stove top perculator"

How it works? The Moka pot has a 3 chambered brew process where the water in the bottom chamber boils, and the steam causes pressure that pushes water up through the coffee grounds into the top chamber.

Attributes - quick, portable, bold strong espresso, inexpensive, easy to use, and reliable, finely ground coffee, less aromatic oils.

Brewing via steeping

includes methods such as the French Press, the soft brew and the vacuum pot, and simply put means coffee grounds steep or immerse in hot water and then separates out the grounds.

We are going to talk about the French Press which is often called a "coffee plunger" or a "cafetiere". Its really easy to use, although there is a bit of waiting time while you wait for the steeping to happen. Its a simple coffee brewing device with a beaker and a plunger/filter. Pour hot water over coffee grinds, let it steep and then press the filter/plunger down to separate the grinds. The coffee connoisseurs can get a bit technical making sure the time, measurements and ratios of coffee to water are exact as well as the water temperature. For this you'll need a reliable scale and thermometer.

There are variations in the kind of French Press and each have their outstanding feature. The glass French Press is well liked because you can watch the steeping happen and use the visual cues to know when your brew is ready. The negatives are that glass is breakable and besides the risk of being dropped or smashed against something, sudden changes in temperature can result in it shattering - but the most common complaint is that the coffee gets cold quickly. These problems have been resolved by the durable stainless steel double walled French Presses, where the double wall insulates the brew making your coffee stay hotter for longer.

Attributes - easy to use, rich full bodied flavour with a full aroma, course ground coffee. French press coffee has a medium body, less intense than espresso but denser than drip coffee.

A soft brew, is very similar to the French press but simpler. Basically it works the same as a tea kettle. Fill your ground coffee into a stainless steel filter, add it to the water, let it steep and serve. This is perfect if you're not too fussy but may be too simple for the coffee hipsters out there.

The Vacuum Pot is definitely more technical and requires a lot more effort....but looks like a very cool science experiment. It's also known as "Siphon coffee". It combines the brewing method of immersing you coffee in the water with the siphon action to create a pure tasting coffee as your coffee is only in contact with glass.

Brewing with filtration or dripping

includes methods such as pour over coffee, cold brewing and drip coffee makers and seems to be the current trend. It basically means pouring hot water over ground coffee beans and straining it through a filter. Gravity helps push the water through and this results in a clean, clear light bodied brew with a relatively high caffeine content. This method allows for more control over the brewing process. Precision is required so you will need a coffee scoop, timer, scale, thermometer and using a pouring kettle with a narrow spout helps control the rate of your pour.

There are many different types of pour over and drip coffee makers available. The quality/type of the filter, shape, and hole size of the coffee brewer device can affect the taste and aroma of your coffee (and price).

Attributes - often small, portable and inexpensive, light body clean taste, grind size depends on type used, easy but takes time, need to buy filters

The cold brewing craze it a big deal! Basically its slowly dripping cold filtered water through freshly ground coffee beans for a long period.The brewing method is steeping coffee grinds for extended periods and then straining it before serving it and is a favourite for people with stomach issues as it results in a less acidic coffee.

There are so many different methods and levels of complexity, technicality and time for making coffee, but once you get into you can have a lot of fun and really start to appreciate the differences in taste and aroma you get from each method.

Click this link to find some coffee making favourites, tools and accessories to help you make that perfect cup of coffee!