Coffee
The delicious flavor of a perfect cup of coffee is incomparable. Required by many of us to start each day, it provides a boost when we need to focus – like through the 4 o’clock slump and accompanies friends gathered for a catch-up at the ubiquitous local coffee shop.
The beverage so important that it was given its own moniker, ‘kaffe-klatsch‘, German for ‘informal gathering, talking or gossip where coffee is served.’ And I’m sure we can add to that ‘and imbibed with relish in the afternoon’ to underscore the status of this beverage.
Bean or preparation?
For me it is both- it’s a good quality bean, which before grinding, has a soft sheen, not glossy but a sheen. This is a clue as to the oil content of the bean and it follows, the better tasting coffee. Freshly ground coffee beans have a rich, deeply fragrant aroma. The aroma primes the senses for the experience.
It’s been more than a few years since I started grinding coffee beans but I can’t imagine doing it any other way. I use a simple electric grinder that makes short work of the task and is ‘old reliable’. I grind just enough for a day or two and store it in a glass canning jar with a gasket and clamp lid, in the refrigerator.
There was a time, on vacation, that I purchased a bag of coffee only to discover the next morning that it was whole beans and the cottage in which we were staying had no coffee grinder – manual or electric. And it had a french press coffee pot. Those gorgeous beans just sitting there, showing off their wonderful sheen. Desperate times – the morning coffee is under threat- call for desperate measures. I improvised with the bottom of a heavy, stainless steel pot and a wooden cutting board. I was able to do a fair job of producing a coarse to medium ground which was surprisingly good.
Sheen to achieve ‘crema’
But back to the sheen of the coffee beans. The sheen is indicative of the oil within, which makes your coffee rich and not bitter. This is what contributes to the ‘crema‘ of espresso- that deep brownish-red, slightly foamy coating on the top of your espresso and hugs the sides of the cup.
I don’t think it is necessary to invest a small fortune in expensive espresso makers to enjoy your coffee. The easiest way to make espresso is with a ‘moka‘, an eight-sided pot with handle and a separate bottom chamber in which the filter and coffee rest. Set it on a stove top burner, as the water begins to boil, pressure causes it to rise up and through the coffee and then into the upper chamber. You’ll know when it’s finished by the loud swishing- shushing as the last of the water is replaced by air. Take it off the burner immediately or you’ll be left with burnt coffee. Undrinkable burnt coffee.
How to make the perfect cup of coffee?
A three-cup moka will provide you with two full espresso cups, depending on the size of the cup -or- one cup of Caffe’ Americano and this is my coffee of choice. If you travel in Europe, you will most likely see “Caffe’ Americano” listed on menu boards everywhere. It is the perfect cup of coffee, consistently good because it is made of 2/3 cup freshly ground and brewed espresso and 1/3 boiling water. I love it and this is how I’ve been making my morning coffee ever since. And what better to accompany it than a classic blueberry muffin?
