By Sanuri Perera and Shabna Mowlana
If you are not the average coffee drinker (and it is safe to say you are not), you’ll pretty soon found out how to brew a good cup of coffee.
First off, understand that there are many ways to brewing your coffee. This also differs according to the brewing equipment used. The most common is using a caffetia – which is a glass jar. Step one is to pour your ground coffee into the glass jar, add steaming hot water and give it a good stir. This specific glass jar will also have a mesh that will allow you to press down. What it does when pressed is separate the remaining bit of ground coffee. Pour it into your favourite mug or cup and there you have it! You can drink it as black as it is, or with milk depending on your preference. The best method is to taste it black and then add your sugar and milk.
You could also use what is called a percolator which is an old-school style brewer. The down side of using this to brew your cup of coffee is that you could actually end up burning the liquid before you get to enjoy it. You can give the softbrew a miss as well simply because it doesn’t bring out the flavour of the coffee when brewing it. What’s coffee without flavour?
Whilst an automatic coffee maker might be a good choice, give it a pass for the French press. This one you could invest in for your home without batting an eyelid. It is a popular choice amongst coffee lovers all over the world and for a very good reason. It’s hardy, durable and produces a cup of coffee that is full of flavour and great quality.
When using a French press, be sure to use finely ground coffee. Add the required amount of coffee after removing the lid and plunger out of the glass beaker. Next, add water and allow the coffee to float to the surface. Mind you, do not let it overfill. Pick up the plunger by the knob so that the lid is down against the screen. Place it lightly on top of the press so that it keeps the heat in, but does not start to push down on the coffee at all. Leave it for a minute. Afterwards, slowly remove the lid and briefly stir the coffee with a spoon. Place the lid back and let it sit for 4-6 minutes. Hold the lid in place with one hand, and carefully start to push on the knob at the top to force the plunger screen downward, pushing the grinds with it to the bottom. Serve right after.
Now each of these brewing equipments come with instructions on how to brew your coffee. Follow them to the tee (occasionally giving some a miss as you go) and you’ll be more than happy with your choice.
Depending on the coffee you want there are other ways of brewing coffee, but the key to all brewing is fresh coffee.
Have you heard of other brewing methods? If you have or found this write-up helpful, do comment below and let us know!
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