The Coffee Bean

So if you haven't figured out by this point in time, I'm a huge Aficionado for different types of coffee. And this post, I am going to be reviewing different types of coffee, different Brewing methods their flavors, and what I use them for.

For a bit of history, coffee was presumably originally discovered in the Arabian peninsula when a  Sufi shepherd  noticed his sheep and the birds nearby were gathered around a tree and acting keyed up. He came to a conclusion that this bean that fell from the tree made the sheep hyper when they ate it, and so he decided to try it, too. The coffee was then turned into kah'wa, a nomadic berber beverage made from heated water and the mush of bean from this tree, which gave way to the namesake we still use and enjoy today.

First, we will talk about regular brewed coffee. This is where a coffee bean is roasted from a green bean, cooled, and then ground into a coarse or fine grind to extract coffee in liquid form. The finer the grind, the more natural tannins and overtones will be released from the bean. This is why coarse ground coffee makes a really good coffee base for recipes or for mixed alcoholic drinks, a medium grind makes for a perfect cup of coffee, a medium fine grind makes a great cold brew, and a fine grind or Turkish grind makes for a perfect top of espresso or concentrate.

You also need to factor in the roast that you are using. Espresso roast is usually a darker roast, and the darker the roast, the stronger the coffee, but the less caffeine content there is. French roast is one of the darkest, and is essentially burnt coffee bean. Light roast and chaffed roasts have less of the traditional coffee flavor, but being that they are more related to their natural composition, they are a motherload of caffeine. This is especially helpful in the morning, which is why most breakfast blends are a light roast.

Then there are different pouring methods. You can make coffee in a variety of different manners. the most common place is a coffee machine, where a few scoops of coffee grounds are put into a filter, water is poured into a reservoir compartment, and then heated water is dripped onto the beans and pressed through the filter paper. this is done for a standard cup of coffee.

The Mr. Coffee 12-cup pot, as seen at Target.

Next is the percolator, a huge vat of water that contains a steeping tray for coffee grounds at the top. The water is steamed inside the chamber, and rich coffee comes out the other side. This form of brewing was particularly popular in the 19th and 20th centuries when coffee shops were rampantly spread, and is still used today for larger batches of coffee.

A modern percolator and strainer. Photo credits: Consiglio's.

On a complimentary note, there are the Clover Brewing methods and pour-over Brewing methods. This is where super hot water is poured over a single batch of coffee grounds through a thinner filter and then squeezed into a coffee cup. This is usually one of the better methods for select brands of coffee, such as rare coffees or high altitude coffees.

An explanation of the Clover brewing method by Starbuck's 1912 Pike site.

Arabic coffee, like Greek coffee, is made from extremely fine coffee powder and hot water.

Next, we have the K-Cup machine. This is a single pot of coffee grinds, tea leaves, that are put into a single serve machine in the form of a recyclable. Although this is not the best method for a cup of coffee, it gets the job done in a hurry.

The Traditional Keurig Machine. (Photo: Snapguide)

Last in the form of regular coffee brewing is the French press. This is a continuation of the percolator, but in this instance, it is a smaller graduated cylinder. The coffee grinds and hot water are put into a carafe, and then a plunger with a filter is pressed down on to the grinds to extract be coffee juices from the bean. this is a perfect form of brewing for camping trips, and it's one of my personal favorites.

One example of a French Press, purchasable from Crate and Barrel.

Next on the list is the cold brew method. This is where a large amounts of coffee grounds are combined with cold water and allowed to steep overnight, either in a fridge, and a cold dark place, or in a sunlit area. When brewed in the Sun, the coffee with mature through anaerobic respiration and starts to ferment a little bit which will release some acidic undertones.

Kitchn's take on Cold Brew Coffee.

And last but not least for this post, there is the espresso tamping machine. This is where finely ground coffee is compressed and packed into a pod or into a tamper, and then extremely hot water is forced through this tightly Grounds Coffee. This creates an espresso shot, which is extremely concentrated coffee and usually consist of more caffeine content and being content per ounce of coffee.

One of many examples of an espresso machine, as seen on Whole Latte Love.

In my next post, I will talk about different types of espresso beverages. stay tuned for more!

Espresso Beverages

As I mentioned in my previous post about the delectable trade to humankind known as coffee, I promised I would talk a bit about espresso beverages and coffee mixed drinks. As such, here is a bit more information on exactly that.

First, we have the red eye and the blind eye. The red eye is a regular cup of coffee that has a shot of espresso thrown in it, and the blind eye has two or more shots of espresso.

The Red Eye, as illustrated by Mike Rohde.

Then, there is a beverage I once saw called a Code Red. This is coffee mixed in with 5 or more shots of espresso. I personally call this one suicide, but to each their own.

(Note: A regular cup of coffee usually has about 20 ground beans in it. 2 oz of espresso has about the same amount. So if you have 5 shots of espresso, which takes you to 10 oz of coffee with 100 beans in that, you will have 6 oz of regular coffee to make it to a pint of coffee, which would have around 15 beans. You would be getting 150 beans of coffee with this drink. and, if a shot of espresso contains 140 mg of caffeine, and 6 oz of coffee has about 140 mg of caffeine... You're getting over 800 mg of caffeine. That's just dangerous.)

Next, we have the Americano. This beverage was created as a love letter to Americans, when they discovered espresso in its truest form in World War 1. Americans weren't strong fans of coffee if it was extremely strong, so Europeans put their heads together and created the Americano, which is a shot of espresso that is diluted with hot water. To this day, most coffee in Europe continues to be made through an espresso machine, but the name "Americano" stuck.

Notice how with the Americano, the cream of the espresso shot is still present.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is the double shot, which is a beverage comprised of two espresso shots and not much room for anything else besides maybe some ice and half & half. Of course, after this, there is the triple and quadruple which goes exactly as you would expect.

There are other methods of brewing espresso, such as the Ristretto and Lungo. Lungo is twice the amount of water as a regular espresso shot, and Ristretto is half the amount of water.

A side by side analysis by Coffee of Day.

From here, we get into next beverages, which usually have a milk-based to them. On the hot Spectrum, we have is a latte and cappuccino. A latte has steamed milk and espresso, and the cappuccino is filmed milk and espresso. To the untrained taste buds, these are extremely similar, but the cappuccino, being more froth than liquid, has a much creamier texture.

The difference between a macchiato and the aforementioned is that a macchiato means "marked" in Italian. This Mark occurs because the steamed milk is added to the cup first, and then the espresso is poured on top, instead of the other way around. This creates more of a trickle-down effect, and more of the espresso is available throughout the drink instead of concentrated at the bottom. An Americanized macchiato is a full beverage with lots of milk and a little espresso, but a true European macchiato is just enough steamed milk foam (approximately one or two ounces) to contain the espresso shot.

The doppio, also known as a cortado, is a beverage that combines froth and steamed milk with espresso, having equal portions of each. These are not really sold in American stores unless specifically requested.

Next, there is the Frappuccino, or coffee frappe. This is shaved ice, cold milk or milk substitute, and espresso, blended into a frozen smoothie. these are very popular in the South Mediterranean and America. Greece also have their version, which combines sweetener, instant coffee powder, milk, and ice, and has a much more prominent taste.

Huffington Post released this glossary to help us out.

That essentially covers the basics of coffee. check out my other coffee related post here!