How to brew coffee beans: subtleties of selection and preparation

History of coffee

Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee. Initially, coffee beans were used to prepare a drink that tasted like wine. For Muslims who, by religion, cannot drink alcohol, the drink has become an excellent substitute for alcohol. Then the Arabs tried to grind the grains and cook them. This is how the drink turned out, which is still drunk today.

In Russia, bean coffee was not so popular. In the USSR, people preferred to drink instant drinks, which were considered a curiosity. Now gourmets have tasted the taste of the drink of vigor and drink it exclusively.

Roasting Tips

Can hide flaws

When choosing, it is better to stick to Arabica. Robusta is characterized by sourness and a high caffeine content. Tasty and high-quality bean coffee cannot be sold at a low price . The degree of roasting plays an important role. It is divided into several types.

For home preparation, it is better to buy medium-roasted beans; the drink will be strong and aromatic.

By roasting too intensely, unscrupulous companies try to mask defects in the beans (mold, cracks, uneven structure).

Two simple home methods

True gourmets buy green coffee beans and roast them themselves. To do this, use two methods: in a frying pan or in the oven.

Take a frying pan with high sides and a thick bottom. It is washed cleanly, eliminating extraneous odors so that the coffee does not lose its taste and aroma. Pre-washed and dried grains are laid out in a thin layer on a heated frying pan and fried for 7 to 25 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula. After frying, allow to cool on a tray.

For frying in the oven, it is heated to 230 degrees. The grains are placed on a special baking sheet with a large number of holes. Fry for 15-20 minutes. Stir and check the degree of readiness preferably every 2 minutes.

Read more about roasting methods in the article “How to Roast Coffee Beans at Home.”

How they used to make coffee

Almost all the coffee that was made before tasted terrible and was almost undrinkable. Some people fried it at home in frying pans, which completely ruined the taste of this drink.

The owners of coffee plantations always boiled coffee beans in boiling water before selling them and then roasted them: this attitude also spoiled the taste of the drink.

True gourmets prepared the aromatic drink in almost the same way as we do now - they ground the grains by hand and boiled them over a fire.

Methods of roasting beans

Coffee beans can be of varying degrees of roasting. The final taste depends on how the grains were roasted. There are the following degrees of roasting of beans.

Strong. The cracks on the coffee beans are bright and deep, the grain has a dark brown color. Highly roasted beans make a very strong drink. High roast is the most popular and is used to release as much caffeine as possible from the bean. Beans roasted using this method produce a very tonic drink. Just be careful with this type of roasting. It often happens that unscrupulous producers hide the low quality of beans behind a high degree of roasting.
Average. This degree of roasting is made specifically for espresso. This roasting is ideal for releasing some of the oily resins from the grain.
Weak. Cracks in the grain are almost invisible, the color of the grain is light brown.
Initial. This degree of roasting is used for elite Arabica beans. The taste of the drink is revealed only slightly, the aroma is light and barely perceptible.

There are several intermediate degrees of roasting of coffee beans. Typically, the name of the roast depends on the area where this method of processing coffee beans is typical. For example, there are American, French and Mediterranean roasts.

It is worth paying attention: there is a separate type of coffee beans that are not roasted. The drink made from these beans is called “Green Coffee”. Recently, unroasted grains have become especially popular due to their tonic and fat-burning properties.

Popular coffee bean producers

According to the ratings for 2021, the top 5 best manufacturers were:

Molinari is a premium product, expensive, but very high quality. It is represented by a wide range of both single varieties and mixtures with Robusta. It effectively invigorates due to its high caffeine content, has a bright aroma and a unique taste with a tart bitterness.
Blasercafé presents a collection of blends of selected Arabica and washed Robusta. Balanced taste without excessive bitterness and acidity, with light sweetness.
Julius Meinl is a Viennese roasted coffee with a rich chocolate flavor without sourness, but with noticeable bitterness.
Tasty Coffee is a Russian company that supplies blends and single-origin coffees. Suitable for preparation using different methods (both in coffee machines and in Turks).
Lavazza is one of the most popular brands in the global coffee industry. Supplies beans to Starbucks and other coffee chains.

How to choose coffee

Among today's variety, it is easy to choose a variety to suit your taste. When choosing, you should pay attention to the following factors:

The region of growth, which, in turn, is divided into smaller areas. Literally everything affects the taste of coffee beans: the mineral composition of the soil, the height of the coffee plantation above sea level (the higher, the better).
Type of coffee – Arabica or Robusta. Arabica is more aromatic and softer in taste. Robusta has an unpleasant sour taste, but contains a lot of caffeine, so it is added to coffee blends for strength.
Processing method. After collecting the grains, they must be cleaned. This is done dry or wet. Washed coffee (that is, processed wet) produces a drink with a more pronounced acidity.
Roasting degree. The longer the beans are roasted, the stronger the bitterness will be in the taste, and a short (light) roast will bring out the acidity.
Single variety or mixture (blend, blend). It makes sense to start getting acquainted with basic single varieties, and then try interesting mixtures.
Compatibility with additives. The debate between those who do not accept any additives and those who like to experiment with them has been going on for decades. Meanwhile, milk, sugar and cream have long become classic additions to drinks, and cappuccino, latte and Viennese coffee have joined the menu of world coffee shops. Some varieties harmonize with the taste of milk and cream, as well as spices, better than others, and this should also be taken into account when choosing.

Recommendations for proper grinding

To make coffee aromatic and pleasant to the taste, you need to grind it well. The basic rule for grinding coffee beans is: “The faster you want to brew coffee, the finer you need to grind the beans.”

For example, espresso takes no more than a minute to brew, which means that the beans need to be ground quite finely.

In a coffee pot with a piston, the drink of vigor is prepared for more than 6 minutes, which means that the grinding is necessary to be coarse and coarse.

In order for the coffee to be aromatic, you need to choose the right coffee grinder. Usually everyone buys coffee grinders with two propeller blades. Unfortunately, they cannot provide high-quality grinding. If you grind beans for more than a minute, such a coffee grinder will heat up, and as the temperature rises, the coffee aroma will escape into the air and not into the cup.

The result of good grinding is cold and equal particles of the ground mass. The ideal coffee grinder is a manual burr grinder with two blades. In such a coffee grinder, the position of the blades can be changed and thereby adjust the degree of coffee grinding. This method is quite slow, but only it will provide a good result - a flavorful drink.

Before you begin the grinding procedure, carefully read the coffee grinder manufacturer's instructions, which indicate how long it takes to grind the beans.

For the most popular propeller coffee grinder, the following grinding rules apply:

grains must be crushed larger than necessary;
Do not grind for more than 10 seconds at a time to prevent overheating of the coffee beans;
You need to grind no more than 4 tablespoons at a time.

A method originally from Brazil

A special feature of brewing the Brazilian drink is the use of coarsely ground coffee.
The Brazilian version of preparation is widespread not only in the country itself, but in many other South American cities.

Ingredients:

coarse coffee 2-3 tsp;
sugar (to taste);
boiling water – 200 ml.

Preparation:

Boil water and cool slightly.
Mix the ingredients in a cup, after pouring boiling water over it.
Pour boiling water over the mixture and leave. With this method, there is no need to cover the mug, since due to the coarse grinding, foam rises, which retains heat and aroma.
Wait 3-5 minutes.
Stir and the drink is ready to drink.

Coffee experiments

Already knowing how to brew coffee beans in a Turk, you can start experimenting with the drink. Every day you can choose which drink you will drink. For example, today at breakfast you will drink a delicious Italian blend, and tomorrow - an extraordinary Ethiopian single-origin or indescribable plantation coffee from Jamaica.

You can add some seasonings to the drink. Gourmets usually use the following flavorings:

ground cloves;
sea salt;
lemon;
black pepper;
vanilla;
honey;
ginger root;
star anise;
ground walnuts or hazelnuts;
cinnamon;
garlic;
cocoa.

But frankly speaking, real coffee does not require any additives. Its taste is indescribable and its aroma is delicious.

Cuban version

In Cuba, this drink has been drunk for several hundred years, and its recipe remains unchanged to this day.
This method has its roots on the island of Cuba.

Ingredients:

ground coffee – 1-2 tsp;
cane sugar (to taste);
water – 200 ml;
rum – 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Boil water, cool slightly.
Rinse the inside of the mug with hot water.
Mix coffee and cane sugar in a cup. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use regular sugar, a sweetener, or drink it without adding sweets. Alternatively, refined cane sugar can be consumed as a snack with a drink.
Pour hot water over the dry mixture, cover and let sit for 5-7 minutes.
Stir the finished drink a little and add rum.
Wait until the mixture settles and the drink is ready to drink.

Automatic coffee machines

They will do all the work themselves. All you have to do is enjoy the aroma and taste of the prepared drink. Automatic coffee machines are equipped with built-in coffee grinders, a temperature regulator, a coffee bean grinding regulator, and some models even contain a cappuccino maker.

An automatic coffee machine has only one drawback - its cost, otherwise it is ideal. The automatic coffee machine does not require any manipulation from a person. All you need to do is pour the coffee beans into a special container and set the preparation parameters.

Carob coffee machines

Carob machines are similar in size to automatic coffee machines. But there are exceptions. There are quite large carob coffee machines, which are usually used in restaurants, bars and cafes.

Massive carob coffee machines are equipped with a large water tank - from 10 liters or more. Small carob coffee machines (for home use) have a water tank with a capacity of about two liters.

A coffee machine for home use differs not only in the capacity of the water tank, but also in the number of horns. A coffee machine with one horn is quite suitable for a home, but for a cafe - with two or more.

Some horn machines are equipped with a special device that froths milk using steam.

How to prepare a drink in a carob coffee machine?

If necessary, froth the milk in a cup using a special device located on the coffee machine.
Grind the beans using a manual coffee grinder.
Place the ground grains into the cone. Compress the contents of the cone.
Pour water into a special container.
Place the coffee horn in the coffee machine. Secure it tightly so that it cannot fly off during cooking.
Set the “Cooking” mode.

The operating principle of a carob coffee maker is as follows: due to the pressure created, hot steam ends up in the carob. Here it passes through the ground beans, and the finished drink is sent into the cup.

The cost of such a coffee machine directly depends on its performance, brand and volume. The most popular are Italian coffee makers.

How to grind beans without a coffee grinder?

Which coffee is better to buy: ground or bean? For many, the process of grinding beans seems long and tedious, but it is worth it, because the freshly ground drink has a stunning, incomparable aroma. In addition, by buying bean coffee, you will reduce the risk of buying a low-quality product.

The grinding for each type of brew is different. For example, finely ground grain is suitable for Turks.

If you don’t have a coffee grinder, the right kitchen appliances will come to the rescue:

Mill for coffee or spices. A budget option, but you will have to work a little with your hands.
Meat grinder. Suitable for coarse grinding. You should pass the grains through a meat grinder several times for better results.
Blender. Is it possible to grind coffee beans in a blender? It's difficult to get an even, fine grind using a blender, but it's a quick and easy way.

Coffee can also be ground without special mechanisms:

Mortar and pestle. Traditional way. Labor intensive, but very effective. Allows you to get the perfect grind.
Rolling pin and hammer. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a rolling pin or hammer. Additionally, you will need a freezer bag to prevent the grains from scattering in all directions.

Capsule coffee machines

Nowadays capsule coffee machines are no less popular. It’s just worth noting that the cost of one serving of a drink prepared in a capsule coffee machine is much higher than the cost of coffee prepared in a carob coffee maker.

How to brew in a capsule coffee machine?

Insert the capsule into the special compartment in the coffee machine.
Click the button.
The capsule will be punctured, and water of a certain temperature will flow into the resulting hole.
The prepared invigorating drink will be poured into the cup.

How to prepare a grain version in a coffee machine

A coffee machine is an indispensable home unit for real coffee lovers. In a matter of minutes in the morning, a cup of an invigorating drink is ready, and the kitchen is filled with a divine aroma.

The main advantage of the coffee machine is its ease of use. At the same time, even the simplest models of coffee machines make it possible to brew various coffee-based drinks by simply experimenting with the ingredients and choosing the appropriate program.

To prepare a cup of espresso, beloved by many, you need to boil boiling water through about 10 grams. ground coffee under high pressure. The peculiarity of espresso is that it is served in heated cups with thick walls, the so-called demitasse, filled 2/3 full.

The main advantage of the coffee machine is ease of use

Traditional espresso delights with its amazing softness, bright aroma and delicate foam. Espresso is the basis for preparing most coffee drinks.

Some coffee machines are equipped with a special function that allows you to quickly prepare cappuccino. By adding syrups, milk foam, whipped cream, cinnamon, vanilla, liqueur, lemon zest to coffee brewed according to the classic recipe, you can prepare various coffee drinks: this is a latte, Viennese style, Raf - there are many options.

Filter coffee makers

Using coffee makers with a special filter is another way to prepare a flavorful drink at home.

This device is quite easy to use. The coffee maker contains a cone-shaped filter into which you need to pour pre-ground beans.

Filters for such coffee makers can be disposable or reusable. The latter are made of nylon and equipped with plastic frames. Reusable filters can be used more than 60 times.

Any gourmet can afford a filter coffee maker – this device is quite cheap.

The principle of operation of a filter coffee maker is as follows: water is heated in a special tank, then it enters the filter, where the ground beans are located. The finished drink already flows out of the filter into a special bowl.

Cooking in this device is simple:

Fill the special reservoir with water.
Place the ground coffee into the filter.
Press the power button.

It is worth noting that coffee prepared in a filter coffee maker is significantly inferior in taste to a drink made in a Turk.

Features of preparing the drink

Revealing the taste

To make coffee at home have an unforgettable aroma and excellent taste, follow a number of simple recommendations.

Interesting! How many grams of coffee are in a teaspoon and a tablespoon?

Firstly, you should grind coffee beans no earlier than ten minutes before preparation. Otherwise, taste and nutrients are lost. Secondly, the prepared drink must be poured into a preheated and dry container. Thirdly, to obtain good taste, it is better to buy a single variety.

Do not use boiled water or directly from the tap (chlorinated). Give preference to filtered or bottled. Before cooking, add a couple of crystals of salt, this will allow you to fully reveal the flavor palette of the drink.

To reveal the taste, it is important to maintain the proportions of water and coffee; those starting to use electronic scales better.

We look at the clock

The grinding option of the beans affects the brewing time of the drink. For thin, cook for no more than 3 minutes, for medium for up to 6 minutes, and for large for up to 8 minutes. Beginner coffee lovers need to use a watch to maintain the exact brewing time.

Do not bring the drink to a boil and remove it from the heat immediately after the foam rises, otherwise the taste will deteriorate. Additives are added to the finished drink to give it a more refined taste and aroma. Gourmets add: cream, milk, honey, chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, nuts.

Read more about additives in the article “What else is added to coffee for taste and aroma”

How to brew bean coffee without a Turk and a coffee maker

By the way, don’t be upset if you don’t have a good Turk or coffee machine at home. You can brew coffee beans in a saucepan on the stove. How to do it? Just as if you were brewing coffee in a Turkish coffee pot. You should choose a small saucepan.

The second way to make coffee without using a Turk and a coffee maker is to prepare the drink in the microwave. How to make coffee using this method?

Pour cold boiled water into a small mug.
Add ground coffee to water (about 2 teaspoons per 200 milliliters of water).
Add sugar to taste and other seasonings if needed.
Mix the contents of the mug well.
Cover with a saucer and place in the microwave for one minute (microwave on full power).

As you can see, it doesn't take much time to make coffee in the microwave. Just one minute - and you will enjoy aromatic and delicious coffee. A drink prepared in a microwave is no different in taste from coffee prepared in a Turk or a coffee machine.

There is another way to brew bean coffee in a Turk without a coffee maker - this is brewing coffee in the sand. This method is quite refined and is unlikely to be suitable for the average Russian kitchen. The drink is prepared on the sand in the same way as on the stove, only the Turk is placed not on the fire, but on the hot sand.

Main types of grinding

It makes no difference how the coffee beans are ground, what matters is the particle size and consistency.

Fine and medium grinding are more suitable for cooking in a Turk. This is an oriental classic when, after emptying the cup, a lot of suspension remains at the bottom, which is used for fortune telling. To obtain such particles, it takes 15-20 seconds of operation of an electric coffee grinder.

To obtain a medium grind it takes 10-13 seconds of work, for a coarse grind it takes 7-10. Brew in coffee machines and coffee makers, since larger particles do not clog filters.

Read more about grinding methods in the article “Types of coffee grinding and what it affects.”