How to Make Coffee

Edited by Conor Reis, Maniac, Blondeambition, Maluniu and 35 others

Seven Methods!sin" a Standard Coffee Maker!sin" a #rench $ress!sin" a Cheme%
Brewer!sin" a Sin"le Cu& ConeBrewin" Es&resso!sin" a Moka $otStartin" 'ith (ood
Coffee
)round the world, &eo&le are wakin" u& to the rich aroma of coffee*or they+re headin"
out the door to "et that first cu& in them, )s coffee drinkers, we+re faced with that sim&le
choice make it or buy it- Buyin" it has its advanta"es, but for the &rice of a cou&le .entis
at Starbucks, you can have a week or two of "ourmet brew, ri"ht from your kitchen- 'e+ll
show you how-
)d
Method / of 0 !sin" a Standard Coffee Maker
Make Coffee Ste& 1-2&"
/
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need a coffee maker with a clean carafe and filter, a
"rinder, and a cu&-
)d
1
(rind the beans- Set your "rinder to medium 4or whatever the machine maker
recommends5- 3ou can also use &re6"round coffee, at the e%&ense of a little flavor-
Selection of beans is key- 7f you want somethin" li"ht and &leasant, try a flavored coffee
or a mild blend- 7f you want a hard, ener"i8in" 9wake6u&9 brew, you mi"ht want es&resso
or :ona beans- Mi%in" beans often "ets you some "reat combinations-
3
$lace the filter into the brewin" basket- #ollowin" the instructions for your &articular
coffee maker, use the ri"ht si8e filter and &lace in the basket- 7f it+s removable, you can
rinse the filter and basket in hot water to remove any &a&er flavor-
;here are also reusable "old filters available for many coffee makers- ;hese cut
down on &a&er waste, add no flavor at all to the brew, and are easily cleaned-
<
)dd the "rounds- Most coffee makers like to have about 1 tables&oons &er cu&- )d2ust
this &ro&ortion to taste stron"er coffee means more "rounds, li"hter coffee means less-
7f you brew it too stron", you can always add some hot water to your cu&-
5
#ill the reservoir- !se the carafe as a measurin" cu& by fillin" it with the a&&ro&riate
amount of water for the amount of coffee you have used- 4Most coffee &ots have
measurements on the side-5
=
;urn it on- $ress the >n or $ower button?switch- )fter a minute or two as the machine
&re6heats the water, your coffee should be"in brewin"- Some machines brew @uickly, but
others brew slowly- Slow isn+t actually all bad thou"hA it "ives the end result a more
rounded flavor- $lay some music or entertain yourself for a few minutes while your coffee
is brewin"- ;he coffee is done when you sto& hearin" bubblin" sounds-
0
Brink u&, $our yourself a cu& and add cream and?or su"ar if desired-
Method 1 of 0 !sin" a #rench $ress
7 like Coffee in the Mornin"s-2&"
/
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need a #rench &ress 4aka &ress &ot5, coarse "round
coffee, a wooden or &lastic s&oon, a timer, and cu&s-
1
(rind your coffee- #or a #rench &ress, aim for a coarse "rind for even flavor e%traction
and a fuller6bodied cu& of coffee- 7f you are sho&&in" for a coffee "rinder, burr "rinders
are much &referred over blade "rinders for their more consistent "rind-
3
)dd "round coffee to the carafe- $ut the "rounds directly into a clean, dry carafe- )
"ood rule of thumb is one tables&oon of "rounds for every cu& of water- ) <6cu& &ress,
then, would "et < tables&oons of coffee-
<
Brin" the water 2ust to a boil- $our it into the carafe, movin" the stream around to
saturate all the coffee, until it+s about an inch under the to& metal rin"-
Ceavin" room at the to& allows the "rounds to e%&and, or bloom, and form crema,
that foamy to&&in" you usually see on es&resso-
5
Start a timer- ;he key to a "reat cu& of coffee from a #rench &ress is timin"- Set your
timer for < minutes, and when you are done with the &revious ste&, start your timer-
)t the /6minute mark, stir the "rounds to break down the bloom and distribute the
"rounds evenly- ;o& off the carafe with near6boilin" water, fillin" it to the to& of the to&
metal rin"- )void usin" a metal s&oon, which could lead to accidental breaka"e- 7nstead,
use a wooden or &lastic s&oon or stir6stick- Cac@uered cho&sticks work well for this, too-
=
$ut a lid on it- $lace the vented lid and &ress assembly onto the carafe, makin" sure
the vented &ortion of the to& is ali"ned with the li& of the carafe-
0
$ress, )t the <6minute bell, "ently but firmly &ress the &lun"er down to the bottom-
;his will filter out the "rounds, and sto& the brewin" &rocess-
Dote should you for"et to stir at the / minute mark, you may find this ste& difficult-
Bo not force the &lun"er down, sim&ly &ull it back u& a bit, then re&eat, workin" your way
down- #orcin" it could result in breaka"e, which could result in a real mess*and you will
not have even had your first cu& of coffee for the day,
E
$our and en2oy- $our what you can into your cu&, and &our the rest into a thermal
carafe to kee& it hot and tasty- )dd cream, su"ar, and flavorin"s to taste-
Method 3 of 0 !sin" a Cheme% Brewer
More Se%y Cheme% ;he :one-2&"
/
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need a Cheme% brewer, filter, medium6coarse
"round coffee, and cu&s-
1
(rind the coffee beans- !sin" a burr "rinder, set it for a medium6coarse "rind- 3ou will
want about = tables&oons of "round coffee when finished-
3
Set and rinse the filter- $lace a folded Cheme% filter into the cone of the carafe, with
the folds toward the s&out-
$our hot water throu"h the filter to remove any &a&er flavor, and &reheat the carafe-
Cet the water drain com&letely, then &our it out- :ee& the filter sealed a"ainst the walls of
the cone-
<
)dd the coffee "rounds- $our = tables&oons of the medium6"round coffee into the
filter-
5
Bloom the "rounds- Brin" the water 2ust to a boil, and &our only 2ust enou"h into the
filter to saturate the "rounds- Move the stream of water around to saturate all the
"rounds evenly, but avoid &ourin" too much*you want very little water actually dri&&in"
throu"h on the first &our- Cet bloom for about 3F seconds-
=
#ill the cone- $our water around the cone, breakin" down the bloom and saturatin" all
the "rounds evenly- #ill the cone till the water+s about /?< inch from the to&, and let the
water filter throu"h the coffee, into the carafe-
0
;he third &our- 'hen you see about an inch of "rounds clin"in" to the sides of the
filter, fill the cone a"ain, &ourin" around the sides to wash off the dry "rounds back into
the mi%, and fill to the to& of the cone-
E
Remove the filter- 'hen the water has filtered throu"h, remove the filter and &ut it
where it can finish drainin" without makin" a mess-
G
Brink u&, Serve your coffee, creamed and sweetened and flavored to your tastes-
(ood mornin",
Method < of 0 !sin" a Sin"le Cu& Cone
Hario-2&"
/
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need a sin"le6cu& cone, matchin" filter 4"enerally a
Melitta H15, a "rinder, a waste cu& for overs&ill, and of course, a mu"-
1
(rind the beans- #or a sin"le6cu& cone, "rind your coffee to medium6fine with a burr
"rinder-
3
Set and rinse the filter- $lace the cone onto the cu&- #old the filter at its seam, and
&lace in the cone- Run hot water over the filter to rinse out any &a&er flavor and &reheat
cone and cu&- Make sure you drain both com&letely before brewin" the coffee,
<
)dd the coffee "rounds- )dd about 3 tables&oons of "round coffee to the filter-
5
Bloom the "rounds- Brin" the water 2ust to a boil, and &our only 2ust enou"h into the
filter to saturate the "rounds- Move the stream of water around to saturate all the
"rounds evenly, but avoid &ourin" too much*you want very little water actually dri&&in"
throu"h on the first &our- Cet bloom for about 3F seconds-
=
#ill the cone- $our water around the cone, breakin" down the bloom and saturatin" all
the "rounds evenly- #ill the cone till the water+s 2ust about at the to& of the cone, and let
the water filter throu"h the coffee, into the cu&-
0
;ake your cu& of coffee- 'hen it+s about full, @uickly move the cone from your drinkin"
cu& to the waste cu& so that it can finish dri&&in" throu"h-
Method 5 of 0 Brewin" Es&resso
Mmm --- .ivace+s Es&resso,-2&"
/
!nderstand es&resso- Es&resso is a sli"htly different beast than your standard dri& or
filtered &re&aration methods- 7t not only re@uires a s&ecialty machine, it als re@uires a
&articular ty&e of roast, "rind, and e%&erience with &ackin" the basket correctly- 'hile it+s
more com&le% 4and will likely result in a few less6than6delicious cu&s of coffee at first5,
once you "et the han" of it you may never visit that mermaid &lace a"ain,
1
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need an es&resso maker with a clean basket and
filter, a "rinder, a brewin" cu&, and the &ro&er cu& for your finished brew-
3
Steam your brewin" cu&- Shockin" the freshly6brewed es&resso with a cold cu& will
not do your coffee flavor any favor- 3ou may also wish to &reheat your servin" cu& at this
time, too-
<
(rind the beans- Set your "rinder to fine, and if &ossible, "rind directly into the filter
and basket- #ill so that it is rounded above the basket-
5
;a& and level the "rounds- Shar&ly ra& the basket on the counter to 9settle9 the coffee
in, and with your fin"er or the back of a s&oon, scra&e the "rounds level with the to& of
the basket-
=
;am& it down- !sin" your tam&er, a&&ly even, firm &ressure on the "rounds- :ee&
your tam&er flat so that all the "rounds are evenly &ressed so that the e%traction doesn+t
have any 9hot s&ots9 where the coffee is &acked looser than other &arts-
0
)ttach the filter to the head- #irmly attach the filter onto the head, and start the
machine-
E
:ee& an eye on the brew- 7t will come out of the s&out in one or two thin, creamy tails,
and not s&urt out- )fter about 15 seconds*until you have /-5 o8*remove your cu& of
es&resso, and taste it-
Make notes when you first "et started, so that you can ad2ust your "rind to make
the &erfect cu& every time- 7f it comes out fast and is too thin, make the "rind finer- 7f it+s
too thick and takes too lon" to come out, make the "rind coarser ne%t time-
G
Brink u&, Either drink it strai"ht, or with a cube of brown su"ar, or however you like
your es&resso- Here are some @uick drink "uides
Macchiato ) sin"le shot of es&resso with a dollo& of foamed milk-
Con &anna ) sin"le shot of es&resso with a dollo& of whi&&ed cream-
Ca&&uccino ) sin"le shot of es&resso to&&ed with one shot of steamed and one
shot of foamed milk-
Catte ) double shot of es&resso, to&&ed with < shots of steamed milk, and
"arnished with foamed milk-
Cafe )mericano >ne or two shots of es&resso in a coffee cu&, to&&ed off with hot
water-
Method = of 0 !sin" a Moka $ot
Moka $ot-2&"
/
'hat it is- ) moka &ot 47nvented by the 7talian com&any, Bialetti5, also known as a
stoveto& es&resso maker, does not really make 9es&resso9 in the traditional sense of the
word, but it does &roduce a small amount of very full6bodied, rich coffee-
1
(ather your in"redients- 3ou will need a stoveto& coffee maker with a clean filter, a
"rinder, and a cu&-
3
$re6heat your water- 3ou will finish the coffee in the &ot, but startin" with &re6heated
will &revent the coffee &ot from "ettin" too hot and scorchin" the coffee, which will result
in a nasty taste 4that+s the technical term5- )t the same time, &reheat your stove+s burner
on medium 4if electric5-
<
(rind the beans- Set your "rinder to medium6fine to medium usin" a burr "rinder-
5
#ill the bottom of the &ot- #ill as full as the &ot indicates, for best results-
=
#ill the filter- Bro& the filter into the bottom section of the &ot, and fill it with the "round
coffee- Cevel it off with your fin"er or the handle of a s&oon-
0
Screw on the to& section- Re6assemble the stoveto& brewer, bein" careful not to s&ill
either coffee or hot water- !se a towel to avoid burnin" yourself on the bottom of the &ot-
E
$lace the &ot on the burner- Make sure the handle is not directly over the heatin"
element, be it "as or electric, Ceave the lid o&en so you can observe the brew in
&ro"ress, and remove when done-
G
Remove when done- )s the water comes to a boil, coffee will be"in to fill the u&&er
section- 7t will start out dark, then li"hten u& as the brewin" &ro"resses- 'hen the coffee
stream becomes &ale or blonde, remove the brewer from the stove, and close the lid- Be
careful*it will be hot,
/F
Sto& the brewin"- $lace the base in cold water, or wra& with a towel soaked in cold
water- ;his will halt the brewin" and kee& the coffee sweet and rich-
//
Serve and en2oy- 'hen the brewin" has sto&&ed, serve your coffee as desired- $our
any e%tra into a thermal carafe to kee& it tastin" "ood-
Method 0 of 0 Startin" 'ith (ood Coffee
Coffee Beans 1-2&"
/
:now your beans- Before you &our a dro& of hot water into those "rounds, you+ll want
to know what to e%&ect- Start by askin" your friendly barista what they use for your
favorite brew-
;he flavor of the coffee de&end on a lot of factors where the beans were "rown, at
what elevation, the varietal of coffee tree, and how they are &rocessed, dried, and
roasted-
'hen you ask, take notes the answer could ran"e from Hawaiian :ona to
Ethio&ian Heirloom to 9a can of Ma%well House instant-9
7f it+s &ossible, buy beans from a local roaster, and "rind them at home as needed,
to ensure the freshest, most flavorful cu& of coffee-
)d
)dd your own method
/- Save
.ideo
;i&s
Coffee "rounds can "o stale @uickly if it is not ke&t in an airti"ht container- :ee& it in a
Ii&loc ba""ie or somethin" similar-
7f you have a sweet tooth, &ut a bit of chocolate or su"ar in with the "rinds, it will brew
with a sweeter flavor-
#or some &eo&le, half6and6half and su"ar are what makes coffee taste "ood- 7f you+re
not very used to caffeine, you mi"ht want to &ut a bit more half6and6half in, but those
who want a harder taste, or those who have "ood caffeine tolerance mi"ht want less-
Su"ar drastically chan"es the taste, so &ut it on slowly, and kee& testin" the taste, little
by little, until it+s 2ust ri"ht for you-
Some &eo&le brew coffee because of the &leasant, odor6maskin" aroma- #or this, you
may want to use sweeter beans- Consider a /FFJ 7rish creme or a /?1 ha8elnut, /?1
7rish creme- 7f you really need to mask a hu"e stench, use a &otent es&resso brew-
Selection is key- 7t can make the difference between a le"endary cu& of coffee and
mud-
Some stores have more &otent beans than others- E%&eriment with @uantity-
Boin" a &re6run, lettin" water trou"h your &a&er filter 4without coffee in it5 will wash out
&articles that could otherwise cause your coffee to taste 9sour9- ;his hot water can be
used to &re6heat a thermos,
)d
'arnin"s
Bon+t randomly &our "rinds into your mi%- ;his will lead to instability in the taste of
your coffee, and often times a sub6&ar brew- E%&eriment, but make note of your
&ro&ortions-
Coffee is hot- 7t will scald so wait for it to cool-
Bon+t overuse "rinds when you+re 2ust startin" with coffee- 3ou+ll start bouncin" off the
walls and "et a terrible stomachache after that-
#or those of you who wish to double6brew 4or &our once6brewed coffee back into the
coffee maker to brew a"ain for a stron" taste5, don+t overdo it or your coffee will taste
distinctly burnt-
Bon+t drink too much coffee, or you+ll "et headaches, stomachaches, and diarrhea-
;his is very un&leasant and &ainful, not to mention hard on tooth enamel-
;hin"s 3ou+ll Deed
Coffee brewin" device
(round coffee or coffee beans
(rinder 4burr "rinder is best5
$a&er filters
'ater 4filtered is best5
Su"ar and milk 4o&tional5
Mu"s
S&oons
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)rticle 7nfo
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