Coffee Making Ideas

Making coffee involves grinding the beans, brewing and serving. Methods of grinding, brewing and serving depend greatly on both the style of coffee you are making and the coffee maker / machine you are using.

These guidelines will help guarantee fine coffee no matter what coffee style you are making, and no matter what coffee maker or

Always:

1. Clean and rinse utensils after each brew. Coffee leaves an oily film on pots and equipment and can turn rancid if left without washing. Be sure to rinse detergent residue that can taint the taste of the next brew Start with fresh, cold water (preferably filtered)  
2. Use generous amounts of coffee (which is easily diluted but cannot be made stronger)
3. Ensure the water is just off the boil before it comes into contact with the coffee grounds (to avoid scalding the coffee)  
4. Drink the coffee as soon as possible after brewing 

Never:

1. Re-use coffee grounds
2. Re-heat coffee
3. Drink coffee that has been left on a hot-plate for over 45 minutes
4. Boil the coffee (unless you are making Turkish coffee in an Ibrik)  

Styles of Non-Espresso Coffee

Although the styles of coffee commonly served in cafés (long black, flat white, cappuccino, macchiato, latte, etc.) are espresso-based, there are other styles that can be made from non-espresso coffee. These include:

1. Café crème - regular, non-espresso coffee served with cream.
2. Café Melange - two parts non-espresso coffee to one part hot milk, served with a dollop of whipped cream. 
3. Iced Coffee - ice cubes placed in a tall glass before being filled with equal portions of cold coffee and milk. Vanilla essence, cream and sugar are added to taste. 

Serving Coffee

Serving regular (non-espresso) coffee depends on the style of coffee. Anything from a coffee cup, to a mug or glassware is considered appropriate.

Coffee Beans

Choose high quality Arabica beans. The darker the roast, the stronger the coffee. Pre-ground coffee will be more convenient, but will not taste as good as freshly ground beans (assuming you have a high quality grinder).