The perfect Cup of Joe.

[Salv]

I've tried a lot of different coffee making methods over the years and had settled on the cafetiere/French press method as the most reliable for making a good cup of coffee. This was OK, but the coffee cooled off too quickly.

I'd tried a Bialetti stove-top espresso maker

but my wife accidentally let one burn dry once so I've been wary of them ever since.

I had some success with a stove-top percolator that I bought while on holiday in the US - a bit like this

but it didn't work very well with small amounts of water and I found I was throwing away too much coffee. But it made delicious coffee, and kept it hot as well.

Then I found the perfect solution a few days ago on the reduced item table at a local department store, down from ?Ǭ£14.99 to ?Ǭ£7.49: a mini percolator, the Bialetti Amerikana

It makes just enough coffee for two full mugs - more than enough to have with breakfast - and the coffee is strong and hot!

Here's my recipe for that perfect cup of joe:

• The Amerikana has a maximum and minimum water indicator on the central water spout - fill to the maximum with cold water.
• Measure out 3 spoons of Columbian beans and grind them on a medium grind - not too fine or you get sludge in the bottom of the pot - and place them in the Amerikanas basket.
• Place on the stove on the maximum heat on a small ring. When you see the water start to bubble up through the central tube into the lid turn the heat down to a medium-high so that the water continues to bubble but not too fast.
• Time it for 4 minutes - a few seconds extra won't hurt.
• Drink.

So how do you make yours?

 

[matei]

Good thread idea...

We tried the French Press, but it doesn't make all that much coffee and it is a bit on the weak side.

We usually make coffee by boiling it together with the water, a l?ɬ° Turkish coffee. As a matter of fact, this is even how you say it in Romanian (cafea turcească). The key is to use fine-ground coffee, as fine as possible - so that it resembles a brown dust.

You bring the coffee and sugar to a slow boil in a long-handled pot called an ibric:

or like the ones in the middle here, with the long handles.

For anyone interested, here is the procedure.
It is pretty potent stuff, and for that reason you don't drink great stonking mugs of it. Just a smallish cup is sufficient (a wee bit larger than you'd get in the restaurants). One or two of these and you're sorted!

However, if I'm in a hurry, I just bring the water to a boil, throw two heaping teaspoons of coffee in, remove it from the flame and stir. It immediately foams up and you must blow on it or stir to get it to "deflate". The coffee prepared with this "easy" method isn't as strong as the former, and works great with my official "Fedora Lounge" coffee mug! :coffee:

We used to have a coffee machine (filter), but to our taste it is rather weak. We used to use it to make coffee for our friends visiting from the US (coffee seems to be weaker there - anyone else think so?), but now we subject them to "total immersion" and force them to start their day with a cup of the hard stuff!

 

[feltfan]

Espresso.

Anyone want to take a bet on how long before
Spiridon joins this discussion? Looking forward to it...

I use a 1981 San Marco Type 80 Leva single
group 220 volt, 2000 watt espresso machine.
It's like these:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/lasanmarco.espressomachine.html
but classic Italian orange. The wiring and plumbing aren't as
challenging as they might seem, though old Italian machines
do inevitably leak. I just put on that vintage coffee brown
Borsalino extra extra superiore fedora and pull down the lever.

Espresso has a certain something other coffee doesn't have.
It tastes like no other, if extracted properly.

BTW, Matei, since people here so love it when I bring up
social justice issues, I'll point out that a lot of people, particularly
Armenians and those who care about them, call that coffee
"middle eastern coffee" or something like that. It is enjoyed
throughout the middle east. I found it all over Greece, too, where
it is ordered by level of sweetness.

And Salv, next time you get your hands on a Bialetti, fill it with
rum or brandy instead of water. Now THAT extracts the caffeine.
A heck of a drink. Just keep the flame low or you end up with a
bunsen burner.

 

[Burma Shave]

I do love my coffee...

...and I'm currently drinking a cup of very oily Sumatra made in a French press. I understand the complaint that a French press cools down too quickly, but there are insulated stainless steel presses that keep the brew hot while not allowing the coffee to over-steep. I've seen two different brands (can't remember the names) but both were made by German companies.

Up until two years ago I drank approximately 15 cups of coffee per day, and I usually poured the coffee from a French press into a large, well-insulated carafe for warmth preservation. But now I'm only allowed one cup of coffee per day because of acid reflux problems, so it's not a problem for me: I simply use a single-serving small French press, or an ibrik.

I make my Turkish coffee in the Middle Eastern fashion, heavy on the cardomom. In my opinion, Turkish coffee is the only "boiled coffee" method that tastes right. Percolators require the water to be boiling when it's introduced to the grounds and can easily scorch the coffee -- with results that aren't to my taste. I prefer to make coffee in about 170/175-degree (F) water.

My next addition to the coffee paraphernalia in the kitchen will be (hopefully) a classic Italian espresso maker from La Pavoni -- a beautiful piece of gadgetry that also happens to function wonderfully.

There's never much food in my kitchen, but I can fix coffee in about 10 different ways -- and at last count I had more than 25 different teas on hand, none of which were flavored varieties. I used to help run a coffee and tea shop and got spoiled.

 

[farnham54]

A shot of Irish Whiskey makes any cup of coffee 10 times better

Cheers
Craig

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I have really grown to love coffee. I really have no interest in the American "Starbucks" method of drinking it though. I like going to a cafe and getting it in a real cup with saucer.

 

[matei]

Ever since I saw the "Twin Peaks" series, I have been on the lookout for the elusive cuppa joe whenever we visit the US...

 

[Speedster]

On week-ends or when having guests we always make coffee on the Bodum:

We have them in 2, 6 and 8 cup versions. As for cooling off too quickly we have insulated covers similar to the ones you use for teapots.

In the evenings when its just me and the wife having a cup we use a La Pavoni Europiccola. Espresso for me and a Latte for my wife:

Bought it 13 years ago when on vacation in Italy. It was only half of what the price was in Denmark.

My dream though is this one, an ECM Giotte:

But it costs around 2,000 USD here in Denmark, and unless i win big time in the lottery or something i'm never going to convince my wife that this a sane thing to invest in.

Speedster

 

[photobyalan]

I make a pot of coffee just about every day. I will either take it black or with cream. I almost never add sugar.

Lately I've been using the Bodum French Press (as pictured above) quite a bit. I like the coffee it makes and I have learned not to be disturbed by the sediment. I don't find the coffee from the French press to be weak at all, I actually had to reduct the amount I put in because it was too strong for my taste.

I also have a common Mr. Coffee drip machine, which I was not thrilled with until I switched to a permanent gold filter instead of the disposable paper filters. The paper filters really do impart a taste to the coffee even if rinsed out beforehand.

The percolator is considered by many to be the worst possible method of making coffee.

Where do I go when I want a good cup of coffee? Dunkin' Donuts.

 

[GraveRobberGreg]

Has anyone here ever tried cold brew coffee? I'm not a big coffee drinker bought a friend of mine over at ClubObiWan ( bufflehead Jones) Has been cold brewing his coffee for some time now and he says its the best coffee he has ever had. You dont have to worry about the coffee getting cold cause your making it one cup at a time once the cold brew method is done and you will have enough coffee for like the whole week.

If you are interested you can go to COW or if you would like I could have him post something here about it.

Just looking out for you coffee drinkers

 

[shamus]

Everyone seems to be missing the best part of making a cup-o-joe... the coffee. It determines how it tastes. You can use folgers in a finest stove top coffee maker and it'll still taste like a cup of folgers.

My coffee routine is first fresh grind the beans minutes before using. I use the filter version right now for just a cup of coffee. It works well for just a cup-o-joe.

If I'm in the mood, I'll pull out my early 70's La Pavoni lever action for an espresso.

Or the local coffee house, but only if they have a sumatra or african bean. House blends just don't do it for me anymore.

 

[Burma Shave]

GraveRobberGreg:

Cold brewing is a very interesting method, but I only use it for a couple of purposes. Coffee brewed that way is in concentrate form, as you know, so it makes a superb addition to homemade ice cream, as an iced coffee with milk, or some such. At the coffee shop where I used to work, we used an old granita machine (something like an upscale Slurpee) to keep finely crushed ice blending with cold-brewed coffee. Fantastic stuff in the summer.

 

[ProperRogue]

Type of coffee is important

I split my time between coffee and tea and am actually becoming more a tea (Irish and Scottish breakfast) drinker everyday, but I do enjoy my cup or two of coffee in the morning. What a huge difference the quality of the coffee makes. I have been spoiled while in Europe and will only drink Illy Espresso Caffe from freshly ground beans anymore. I have been called a a bit of a coffee snob because I won't waste my money on the junk from Charbuck's. A great treat for after dinner is Vietnamese Coffee.

 

[J.B.]

Wahoo! Coffee concentrate makes an absolutely incredible cup! Every coffee-lover on the planet needs to at least experience this obscure 'style' of brewing...

It's a bit of a hassle for a few minutes while making it -- but then again, you're making up a week's worth of "infusion" at a whack :coffee:. The resulting cup is mild, very much like pure essence taste (think: drinking a coke made from cola syrup....), and absolutely no bite at all. Not for everyone, but everyone should try it!

...But for me -- the ultimate is vacuum brewing! It is, IMO the holy grail of "methods." It was very popular in the late 40's/early 50's for those who maintain a lifestyle of all things vintage.

 

[shamus]

I forgot one my favorite coffees is French Market coffee with chickory. If you've never had coffee with chickory then you just have to try some.

 

[Naama]

I actually don't care how my coffee is made or what sort of coffee it is. Actually, I myself, often drink instant coffee if there's no one around who makes me a cup, it's not very good, but not too bad. Oh, and I only drink my coffee ice cold! That makes the trick! Every coffee is petter if it's cold!

Naama

 

[J.B.]

And of course, no coffee discussion would be complete without mentioning the ever-popular Weasel-Ass Coffee that is sweeping (so to speak?!) the world...

Mmmm-muh! "Bottoms" up! :coffee:

 

[Big Joe]

Here's a great article about a hardworking cup of coffee:

http://www.sacbee.com/content/shopping/drivethru/story/13888617p-14727582c.html

No matter, I'm a dunkin donuts man myself.

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/

Big Joe

 

[Salv]

Lots of interesting responses - thanks guys.

I'm very tempted to get an ibric and try Matei's method. Any recommendations for a good source in London Matei?

I love a good espresso as well, but I can't drink it all day. I use one of these for my espresso

which makes a very good cup, with the proper crema. It's a solid design, and can make 1 or 2 cups at a time, and can froth milk as well for my wifes cappucino.

feltfan - espresso made with alcohol! I'm not much of a drinker and the very thought makes me nervous...

The percolator is considered by many to be the worst possible method of making coffee.

I've heard that, but I've also heard that the French press is the worst method. I've had good results with both, so I guess it all depends on getting the method right. So far I've been happiest with my mini percolator.

My dream though is this one, an ECM Giotte

Damn, but that's nice. There's one on UK eBay at the moment - with 5 days to go it has already had 23 bids, and it's currently at £206.00, but that price hasn't met the reserve.

shamus - absolutely right about the quality of the beans. I've been using organic Columbian beans from my local supermarket, and they make excellent all-day coffee. Occasionally I'll get some Java beans if I want a bit more of a kick, but the Columbian are great for regular use.

And of course, no coffee discussion would be complete without mentioning the ever-popular Weasel-Ass Coffee

Or even Sumatran Civet Coffee - it goes through the same "processing" but is even more rare and expensive. I'm very tempted to try some, if I can buy a small bag. I don't want to spend £22.95/$39.80 on coffee that I may not like.

Edit: The £22.95 for Sumatran civet is for a small bag - just 57g/2oz... hmmmm, maybe I won't try it.

 

[Salv]

Dunkin' Donuts...

I don't think there are any Dunkin Donuts outlets left in London, but we have a few Krispy Kreme outlets now, and their coffee is pretty good. Even McDonalds coffee is acceptable if there's no decent coffee shop around.