Coffee beans are the sources of the drink that we love the most. Even the powdery instant coffee that’s very cheap and easy to find in various shops are also made of coffee beans, manufactured to make it easy for us to blend with hot water. Coffee beans came a long way, and the people from the past experimented on how to make coffee out of the fruit that’s almost berry-like in appearance.
To turn coffee beans into a the prerequisite needed for us to brew it into the brown or black drink that we love to have in the morning, or any other day, these beans are roasted and ground first. This process releases the flavor that we all know about coffee. Grinding the coffee beans also allow us to make the coffee easy to brew once we apply water into it. But take note that ground coffee beans is not like blending instant coffee by just applying hot water into it. If you do that, you will end up with hot water topped with ground coffee that has no taste at all despite is smelling like coffee.
Take note that instant coffee was made for a reason, and that is to eliminate the steps that needed to be done when using the ground coffee beans. So if you’re still a beginner in brewing coffee out of coffee beans, this article is just perfect for you. Here are the two known methods in making your favorite drink if you’re going to opt for the purer, ground coffee beans:
Using A Coffee Maker
The easier way among the two when making coffee using the ground coffee beans is through the use of the classic coffee maker. A coffee maker is a machine that operates electrically. It has a container for water, a filtration system where your coffee beans will go to, and a kettle attached directly below the filter.
The mechanism of the coffee maker works by straining the water thoroughly through the coffee filter while the water and coffee are being heated. As this occurs, the water mixes with the coffee beans, and is then filtered down to the kettle, giving us the coffee that we can put on our cup. Coffee makers can make the process of brewing your coffee very easy as everything will be handled by the machine.
To get started, you just need to put around 2 to 4 tablespoons of ground coffee onto the filtration system of the coffee maker. Take note that the filtration system requires you to have a straining sheet for the coffee beans so then the end product will be purely liquid rather than having bits of ground coffee beans floating around your kettle.
Once you put the coffee beans and strainer onto the filtration system, apply water onto the coffee maker’s water container. The amount of water you need to place on the coffee maker depends on the amount of coffee beans you applied to the filtration system. Once everything is all set, attach the kettle to its rightful slot on the coffee maker, plug in the machine, and turn it on.
Some coffee makers have a means to measure the amount of remaining water inside the coffee maker as the machine transfers the water to the coffee beans, going down to the kettle as the final product. Oftentimes, the coffee maker makes a loud noise if it does not have water. Be sure to turn it off immediately if it does to preven the coffee beans from burning, and thus damaging the coffee maker itself. Once done, remove the kettle to finally serve your coffee. At this point, adding sugar and creamer to your cup is all up to you.
Steeping the Coffee Beans
The older method of creating coffee out of coffee beans is by steeping it. This is an old-fashioned way to make coffee, which was common during the time when coffee makers were not yet invented. You can go ahead and use a stove, or even firewood if you’re going to make coffee outdoors, as long as there’s a source of heat to “cook” the coffee beans to perfection.
To get started, fill a saucepan or cooking pot with your desired amount of water, then stir the ground coffee immediately as you heat up. Bring the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture into a boil. Be sure to look after the boiling process to prevent the coffee beans from burning and sticking to the pan, which might make your coffee a lot bitter and burnt in flavor. Once boiled, uncover the saucepan and let it boil for 2 more minutes. Once done, turn off the heat or put the saucepan away and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes. This helps the coffee beans settle at the bottom while providing more flavor to the liquid. Use a strainer to transfer the coffee onto another container or straight to your cup to prevent any ground coffee beans from floating on top of your drink.
With these techniques in mind, making your favorite drink will be much easier to do. All you have to do is to get the finest coffee beans in your area, and start following either of these two well-known ways to make your coffee with a richer flavor than its “instant” counterparts.