Brewing Gourmet Coffee For Fun And Pleasure
One of the major trends of today is the sale of gourmet coffee. This is due to the renewed interest in coffee houses as both a place to get coffee and to socialize while drinking coffee. Even local farmers markets have gotten in on the trend, as a number of brands have entered even that market. The problem has become not how to tell the difference between brands, but how to make it.
There are a number of ways to brew gourmet coffee. There is using a machine, brewing it like tea, and using an espresso machine. Each way has its benefits, as well as its fans. Fortunately brewing coffee is a simple thing regardless of how you do it, and is liked for its pick-me-up effect as much as its ability to act as a social glue.
Of the methods prescribed, using a standard coffee machine is the easiest and allows for some fun. A couple of scoops in the machine, as well as enough water for everyone involved, and it is just a matter of waiting for the brewing to complete. Besides creamer and sugar, machine-brewed coffee can accept a number of additional ingredients, making it a fun beginning for coffee tasting.
It can also be made in a manner similar to tea. The coffee is put either into water permeable bags or in a small coffee brewer that allows water in as the grounds stay there. Although this method results in a weaker coffee, some people prefer this as it allows them coffee while sticking to their doctor's advice about caffeine intake. This is also used as a tea substitute, especially for those interested in a change from their usual fare.
Espresso, however, is the one most often used at competitions. The coffee is boiled and then distilled, making for a potent drink even if it is in a smaller glass. The flavor of the coffee used is richer, allowing it to be flavored and the coffee to still shine through. This allows baristas to have fun with the coffee, allowing them to take relatively simple ingredients and create award-winning recipes that combine flavors from several different sources to great effect.
A true coffee connoisseur is appreciative of the different methods for brewing gourmet coffee, and able to use them to good effect. Each style of brewing has its own merits and its own rituals. By recognizing those rituals, coffee drinking is elevated from a mere energy pick-me-up to a pick-me-up of the soul, uniting a group of individuals and creating a society, creating a common ground among those that would otherwise be strangers.
There are a number of ways to brew gourmet coffee. There is using a machine, brewing it like tea, and using an espresso machine. Each way has its benefits, as well as its fans. Fortunately brewing coffee is a simple thing regardless of how you do it, and is liked for its pick-me-up effect as much as its ability to act as a social glue.
Of the methods prescribed, using a standard coffee machine is the easiest and allows for some fun. A couple of scoops in the machine, as well as enough water for everyone involved, and it is just a matter of waiting for the brewing to complete. Besides creamer and sugar, machine-brewed coffee can accept a number of additional ingredients, making it a fun beginning for coffee tasting.
It can also be made in a manner similar to tea. The coffee is put either into water permeable bags or in a small coffee brewer that allows water in as the grounds stay there. Although this method results in a weaker coffee, some people prefer this as it allows them coffee while sticking to their doctor's advice about caffeine intake. This is also used as a tea substitute, especially for those interested in a change from their usual fare.
Espresso, however, is the one most often used at competitions. The coffee is boiled and then distilled, making for a potent drink even if it is in a smaller glass. The flavor of the coffee used is richer, allowing it to be flavored and the coffee to still shine through. This allows baristas to have fun with the coffee, allowing them to take relatively simple ingredients and create award-winning recipes that combine flavors from several different sources to great effect.
A true coffee connoisseur is appreciative of the different methods for brewing gourmet coffee, and able to use them to good effect. Each style of brewing has its own merits and its own rituals. By recognizing those rituals, coffee drinking is elevated from a mere energy pick-me-up to a pick-me-up of the soul, uniting a group of individuals and creating a society, creating a common ground among those that would otherwise be strangers.
