6.6. How to make the best cup of coffee?
Description
This article is from the Coffee and Caffeine FAQ, by Alex Lopez-Ortiz with numerous contributions by others.
6.6. How to make the best cup of coffee?
The best coffee I ever tasted was while in the coffee growing regions
of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, in the town of Coatepec. The
quality of the coffee was mostly due to the method of preparation than
to the quality of the grains (which is at about the same level as an
average colombian coffee). Here's how to make it:
o Grind the coffee grains from coarse to very coarse.
o Boil in a pan a litre of water (four cups).
o When the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add 8-12 table
spoons of coffee (2-3 spoons per each cup).
o Add two-three teaspoons of sugar per cup (for a total of 8-12
spoons of sugar).
o Stir very slowly (the water is so hot that the sugar dissolves
mostly on its own).
o Let the coffee rest for about 5 minutes.
o Strain the coffee using a metal strainer! Like the ones used for
cooking. The strainer should be like the ones used by granny for
making tea. The diameter is a bit smaller that a cup, with a
semi-sphere shape.
o This coffee has grit in the bottom, even after being strained.
Therefore do not stir the pot or the cup. If the coffee is
shaked, let it rest for about five minutes. Needless to say, do
not drink the last sip of coffee from the cup: it's all grit. If
you want to add milk, add carnation.
Warning: This coffee may fool you 'cause it has a very smooth taste
but is extremely strong. Caffeine content per millilitre is right
there with espresso, but you can't tell!
Note: For some strange reason, when preparing this coffee I tend to
have a success ratio of about one out of two attempts. I still don't
know what I'm doing wrong, since, as far as I can tell, always repeat
the same steps. Perhaps sometimes I don't let the coffee rest long
enough.
This type of coffee is similar in nature to the French press. And in
principle, you could possibly add sugar to the ground coffee, then
pour water, and lastly press with the strainer.
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