The Evolution of Coffee
If you’ve ever been to an Ethiopian restaurant and ordered a coffee, it would have been very sweet, thick, and black. Traditional ceremonies of serving and drinking coffee also include frankincense and myrrh, which mingles with the aroma of the hot coffee.
Of course, this isn’t the way that the average North American has their cuppa joe. Over the years, different methods of extraction have been invented. Each of these can highlight different aspects of a specific type of coffee and its roast.
The extraction process truly becomes a matter of individual taste. Whatever method you prefer, you must remember to:
- Use clean equipment
- Use freshly roasted coffee (wink wink)
- Use the right grind
We recommend using two tablespoons of coffee grounds per six ounces of water, but feel free to adjust this according to your taste. For the best results, drink your coffee immediately, and do not reheat it.
The Proper Brewing Methods
Just How the Turkish Does It
The Turkish method is a bit of a misnomer because of its popularity throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean regions of the world. This entails the use of a small, specially shaped pot with a long handle called an ibrik or cezve, the finest grind of coffee available, and sometimes the addition of spices such as cardamom.
The pulverized coffee is boiled in sugared water until it foams. At this point, it is removed from the heat, stirred, and then placed back on the heat.
This process is repeated several times, and then the thick, sweet drink is decanted into small cups. The grinds are then allowed to settle before drinking. This brew sounds like the original energy drink.
Through an Old-Fashioned Percolator
Using the percolator for brewing coffee is a method that belongs to poodle skirts and saddle shoes. This method involves recycling coffee inside the pot, which often leads to a bitter brew.
Water in the lower part of the pot is heated, and the steam pressure causes it to shoot up to the top of the pot through a pipe.
The hot water then trickles down through a basket of coffee that rings the pipe. The liquid then heads back to the bottom of the pot, where it is heated and shot up once more.
Using a Handy French Press
The French press, which was ironically called the Italian press in France, is considered by many to be the best method of coffee brewing. This produces a stronger-bodied, better- balanced, and earthier brew than other methods.
The water is mixed directly with coarse grounds, which are sieved away to the bottom of the pot by a metal mesh. However, the extracted oils and tiny solids aren’t filtered away before consumption.
This brew is a bit brawnier than those made using other methods, but it delivers a great coffee experience. Using the French press is our preferred method.
Easy-Peasy Pour Over
This is probably the easiest coffee brewing method in this terrestrial realm and beyond. Medium-fine coffee is scooped into a cone filter that rests in a funnel. Hot water is then poured over the grounds and allowed to drip through to a vessel underneath.
Some improvements to this methodology include grooves in the funnel. This distributes the water through the grounds more evenly. Better filter weaves, such as for the Chemex filter, are also used to optimize the brew time.
Contemporary Auto Drip
Using an auto drip is the most common method of coffee brewing. The auto drip pumps heated water over coffee grounds sitting in a paper or metal filter, and gravity causes the water and extracted goods to drip down into a receptacle.
One of the biggest problems you might encounter with an auto drip is its inability to heat water to the correct brewing temperature. This is often overlooked because the machine also offers the convenience of automatic timers, quick cleanup, and large capacity. Auto drip coffee makers are now a standard household appliance and a staple of university student dorms.
With a Flashy Vacuum Pot
This appliance may look like an illegal drug production apparatus, but it delivers an extremely clean cup of coffee. Similar to the percolator, the machine forces water into an upper chamber, but the liquid does not trickle back down to be reheated. Instead, heated water mixes with the grounds in the upper chamber.
When removed from the heat source, the cooled bottom creates a vacuum that draws the coffee through a filter. This leaves the grounds in the top chamber and the drinkable coffee at the bottom.
The Signature Espresso Fashion
Most people assume that espresso is a type of bean or level of roast, but it is essentially a brewing technique. Espresso literally means “express” since it is generated and served quickly.
Espresso is also the essence of coffee. Fine grounds are pressurized then heated water is forced through them to extract the oils and solids that make up coffee. This is then concentrated into a very small volume. This method can be done with a stovetop espresso pot or an espresso machine.
No matter how you make it, espresso can take nuances in a coffee and turn them into prominent notes. This is why some coffees may not be typically pleasing when brewed in this manner.
Espresso-Based Beverages
Espresso is both the bane and the pride of the barista because it can be so difficult to make the perfect shot. Pressurized and heated water is forced through very finely ground coffee, and the resulting syrupy emulsion is collected.
It may sound simple, but several factors must be controlled to achieve a good result. Temperature, grind setting, pressure, length of extraction time, and how tightly the grinds are packed all affect the process.
The espresso machine plays a big part in this brewing method, but the person drawing the shot is also responsible for its quality. When the process is done correctly, it is a thing of beauty. The shot is syrupy and intense, and it is also coated with a rust-coloured, thick, foamy crema.
As previously mentioned, espresso is a very concentrated form of coffee that can accentuate certain tones and flavours. For this reason, it has become the base of several coffee beverages and is often served with skilfully poured milk, also known as latte art.
The Kinds of Coffee Available
Blended Coffees
While single-origin coffees boast of unique flavours, a single bean may not carry all the qualities we look for in an ideal coffee. For example, a very bright or fruity coffee may need to be balanced out with an earthier tasting bean.
Our signature blends of coffee are roasted, blended, and tasted to ensure its balance and provide you with an all-around, great-tasting cup. But this isn’t Brave New World, and we want our brews to have their own personalities as well.
Organic Coffee
These days, organic produce and goods are enjoying wider popularity. This growing movement is in response to peoples’ increased awareness of health benefits, ecological sustainability, and support of local commerce.
When you walk through your local supermarket, the growing organic section is quite noticeable. The number of farmers’ markets specializing in organic produce is also on the rise.
Organically grown coffee is cultivated without the use of dangerous pesticides or synthetic fertilizers that could augment or protect the crop. Most often, they are grown in the shades of trees that protect the shorter coffee plants. This keeps them at their preferred growth temperature and also maintains bird habitats.
However, one setback is that coffee matures slower under these conditions and costs more for the farmer and the buyer. This explains the premium price that organic goods garner on the shelf.
Given the increased cost, how can you be sure that you are paying for a genuinely organic product? Then, the government gets into the picture. Any product that is to be retailed as organic must pass investigation and adhere to strict national standards.
In Canada, these are set by the Canadian Organic Regime (COR). The United States, on the other hand, follows standards set by the National Organic Program. These rules and regulations are then enforced by third-party organizations.
Any deviation results in products being recalled, and its organic status will be revoked. For more information, visit www.ocpro.ca.
The Fair Trade Coffee
If you’ve ever delved into the history of coffee, particularly of South or Central America, a saddening trend emerges. With the rise of coffee’s value as a commodity, many countries pushed to increase their production, with immigrants enslaving the indigenous people or importing African slaves to work the farms.
This blatant imbalance of power and wealth incited rebellions, led to the unlawful appropriation of the natives’ land and caused environmental damage. Unfortunately, to this day, coffee farmers still suffer from exploitation.
To change this status quo, fair trade practices have been implemented. This means that coffee farmers get a guaranteed price for their coffee. Should the value of their crops rise, farmers also see an increase in prices.
These returns help improve working conditions and provide the means and infrastructure for educating farmers and their families. Aside from these, fair trade standards promote better and more sustainable farming practices.
23 Degrees Roastery only purchases fair trade coffee and is accountable to Fairtrade Canada. We keep an open book policy with full transparency and regular audits. This ensures that we can enjoy our coffee while we improve the lives of the people who produce it. For more information, go to fairtrade.ca.