|
|
|
Coffee FAQ and Question and Answers
NOTE: Our Coffee FAQ
is now being posted to our coffee blog under the tag
label: coffee faq.
Here are answers to questions that people either send to me or I harvest from
the search queries in my server logs. |
|
Average daily
coffee consumption
Can you make espresso coffee
in a microwave oven
Correct temperature
for brewing coffee
Difference between flat white and cappuccino
Espresso extraction is too fast
How to keep coffee beans fresh
Making espresso without an espresso machine
using a stove-top espresso maker
What are
demitasse cups
What
kind of coffee has the highest caffeine content |
|
|
Despite what you might hear, do not keep your coffee beans in the
freezer or fridge. Freezing your beans will make your beans lose a
lot of their flavor highlights, resulting in a flattened flavor.
Rather, keep your coffee in an air-tight container in a cupboard.
Both light and air speed the oxidation and drying of your beans, which
result in flavor loss and also loss of ability to
make good crema. I
keep my coffee beans vacuum-sealed for freshness in one
of these
Bean Vac coffee canisters from Sharper Image. It is battery operated
and keeps my beans as fresh as when I first opened them. The machine
even automatically monitors the vacuum in the canister, and periodically
turns itself on to maintain the vacuum! Pretty neat and
I recommend you buy one.
Back to Top |
|
The urban myth is of course that espresso coffee has the highest
caffeine hit, but it's just not so. Certainly the flavor is
concentrated in an espresso coffee, but that doesn't mean the caffeine
is concentrated. The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee depends
on how it was made; the longer the brewing process, the longer the water
is in contact with the coffee beans, the higher the caffeine content.
So a cup of regular drip-filter coffee has a higher caffeine content
than does espresso.
Chart: Caffeine Content by Brew Method
Source: Bruce A. Goldberger, PhD; Mary C. Lessig, BS; Rachel R.
McCusker, BS; Edward J. Cone, PhD; Mark S. Gold, MD University of
Florida;
EVALUATION OF CURRENT CAFFEINE CONTENT OF COFFEE BEVERAGES:
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICIANS REGARDING CAFFEINE EXPOSURE
Back to Top |
|
About half of all Americans drink coffee everyday and they consume it
at an average rate of 3.4 cups per day.
Source: National Coffee Association and its 2004
National Coffee Drinking Trends survey
Back to Top
|
|
According to the
Specialty Coffee Association of America, the optimal water
temperature for coffee is 92 - 96C (197.6 - 204.8F) for 90% of the
contact time.
Back to Top |
Question posted at StumbleUpon by nibbler789:
Someone on StumbleUpon.com who tagged EspressoCoffeeSnobs today posed
that question, so here is the answer.
The difference is in the amount of
micro-foamed milk that is placed on the top of the coffee.
Actually, a flat-white is closer to a latte than it
is to a cappuccino. Anyhow, when
making
a cappuccino, first of all, the milk is steamed and
sufficiently volumized. You then pour milk from the bottom of the milk pitcher into the
espresso until about 1/3 of the cup is full,
and then layer the foam on top so that it comes over the top of the cup.
That's a cappuccino - an espresso drink with lots of
the foamy milk on top.
When
making a flat white, after the milk has been steamed, let it rest
for about about a minute (that's why I suggest you prepare the milk
first before you pull the espresso in my more
detailed instructions on preparing milk for espresso coffee drinks),
so that the milk has time to rest. Just before pouring the milk
into the espresso, fold the fluffy micro-foam milk that will be sitting at the top
of the pitcher into the milk sitting at the bottom. Yes, "fold",
just like when baking a cake, but not with a spatula;
use a teaspoon. Or if you don't like to use a spoon, swirl the pitcher
so that the micro-foam mixes with the milk. You should end
up with milk that is rich, velvety,
and wet. Pour this into the espresso to the desired
level, but bearing in mind that in a true flat-white
you do not drown the espresso in milk. At the very end cap the coffee
with about 1/4 inch of the micro-foam that you should find has separated
from the milk. If you want, try and
make some "latte
art"
if you can, but because you place less micro-foam on
a flat-white, making art is a little harder -
latte art is best left
to what the name suggests: lattes. Hey presto!
There's your flat white!
Back to Top |
|
 Can you make espresso without an espresso machine? Yes,
there are
stove-top espresso makers like this
available from stores and online at Amazon.com. The name for these stove
top espresso makers is "moka" which comes from Italian. The pot is divided into a lower
and upper chamber which screws apart at the center. You put water in the lower chamber and
then place the piece that holds the ground coffee with the stem down
into the water. Finally screw the top chamber in place securely. When the pot is put on the stove and
the water reaches the correct temperature, it is forced up through the
coffee grounds into the upper chamber. It is best to place the pot on
medium heat and on the smallest burner you have. You need to keep an eye
on it and remove it from the heat as soon as you hear the last of the
water coming into the top chamber. You'll soon know when this is
happening by the sound that the moka pot is making. Consider the size before you buy. You don't want to buy one
that is any bigger than the number of cups you are typically going to make.
Use good beans and grind them to a medium grind, not the fine grind you
use in an espresso machine. As always, use high quality espresso beans.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to make crema like you do in an
espresso machine when using a moka pot, but if you are using good beans,
you will still have delicious coffee to enjoy.
Back to Top |
|
Yes, believe
it or not, this question comes up from time to time. Well my answer
would be no unless I don't know of some fancy-dancy gaget that has been
developed. For a start the correct temperature is absolutely essential
for making perfect espresso, so how can you control temperature in a
microwave oven? If you can't afford an espresso machine, then go for the
option of a
stove-top espresso maker.
Back to Top |
|
 Demitasse cups are the small cups used for espresso coffee. The word comes from
French and translates literally as "half-cup". Demitasse cups come in a
wide variety of styles these days, and many are almost works of art and
design. When drinking straight espresso coffee, you should always use a
demitasse cup since using a regular sized cup results in a lot of the
crema being left behind on the sides of the cup.
Back to Top |
|
If when you are extracting espresso, the water is
passing through the ground coffee too quickly, you will not
achieve good crema and
the coffee will not pick as much flavor from the beans. There are
essentially two things you can adjust: the fineness of the grind, or the
pressure used for tamping. Either of these steps will create greater
resistance to the water passing through. Tamping should ideally be
around 30lbs of pressure (practice using some scales to find out how
much weight you need to put behind your tamper). The grind for espresso
is fairly fine, but you should use a grinder that has multiple grind
settings so that you can adjust it till you find the right grind. The
extraction should take about 20 or so seconds. If it's happening faster
than 20 seconds and you aren't getting good crema production, then vary
either or both of these things.
Hint:
Did you know that once you open your coffee beans, unless you are
storing them in a vacuum container, they will quickly start to dry. As
they dry, you should adjust the setting on your grinder to be more fine
as the beans dry - that way you will still be able to
produce crema. The other
thing is to use your beans up quickly!
Here's my
recommendation on one of the best burr grinders available for the home.
Here are my tips on
storing your coffee beans to
keep them fresh.
Back to Top |
|
The correct temperature when steaming your milk is
between 140 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit (60 and 70 degrees
Celsius). Once you get above the upper limit the milk will be
scalded and the flavor of the drink will be ruined. Everyone of course
has a personal preference; some like it not so hot, some like it very
hot, but be careful with the very hot end; the flavor of your drink will
be ruined by going above 160F.
If you are someone who likes to use soy milk in
your espresso-based drinks, then the upper limit is 120F degrees (50C).
Most experienced baristas can judge when the milk
is at the right temperature by the feeling the sides of the pitcher, but
if you want to learn where your "sweet spot" is, get a milk thermometer. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
