When we drink coffee, ideas march in like the army, said Honore de Balzac, and this is the case.
Coffee invigorates, energizes, gives strength, sharpens memory and mental abilities, and gives inspiration and joy of life.
However, coffee is also a delicious drink that delivers many pleasant moments and fills with meaning every morning.
However, for this drink to possess such properties, it is necessary to master the art of barista and know how to make coffee at home.
Before brewing coffee at home, you need to choose it correctly; otherwise, you will quickly be disappointed in the drink.
All sorts of coffee can be divided into two groups – Arabica and Robusta.
Noble Arabica has a softer and more pleasant taste, in which sweetness, a light tartness and also barely perceptible sourness and bitterness are harmoniously combined.
Robusta contains twice the caffeine, so it has a bitter taste, as they say, not to everyone’s taste.
As for Arabica, its taste depends on the area where it grew. Bolivian Arabica has a creamy taste with light vanilla notes, Brazilian gives a drink with a characteristic nut-bread aroma, and coffee beans from Nicaragua have flowery-smoky flavor with a prune flavor.
Ethiopian Arabica – spicy and fruity, Indian – chocolate, Kenyan – wine-caramel, Dominican – apple-citrus, Arabica of Tanzania – with a light aroma of apricot and brandy.
Mixing different types of Arabica, you can get exciting blends and experiment with the flavors of the drink.
Coffee at home: some tips for choosing the right one
Buy coffee in sealed packages of triple foil, which prevents the intake of oxygen inside.
Well, if the packaging has a valve through which carbon dioxide is released.
Removing its excess retains the freshness of the coffee, its original taste, and aroma.
Pay attention to the roast date and shelf life, since the ground coffee is exhaled and loses its freshness very quickly, which affects its taste properties.
For the same reason, do not buy coffee by weight – it is in contact with air for a long time, and its taste deteriorates.
In some specialized departments, only fresh coffee beans are sold, which are ground only at the request of customers, this kind of coffee can be considered, perhaps, the highest quality.
Also, avoid buying flavored coffee with chocolate, orange, Irish whiskey, or vanilla flavors.
All of these supplements are artificial. It is best to enjoy the natural taste of coffee without artificial flavors.
Water for coffee should be clean, soft, without strange smells and harmful impurities.
Ideally, it is better to use bottled, filtered water, or meltwater from the freezer. Good water perfectly reveals the taste and aroma of coffee.
Arts and wiles of coffee
How to make coffee at home, especially tasty and fragrant?
Little tricks and secrets from professional coffee makers will help to find it out.
Do not overheat the water for coffee – it should not boil, and as soon as the first bubbles appeared on the surface, the fire can be turned off.
This applies to recipes with brewing in a cup and a french press.
Millstone grinders compared with devices with blades grind grains more uniformly, so the drink is brewed evenly, which significantly improves its taste.
Instead of sugar, you can add syrup to coffee, for example, maple, vanilla, pumpkin, cherry or spicy flavors.
A small pinch of salt at the tip of the knife enhances the aroma of coffee and reduces its bitterness and astringency.
Fragrant spices also enrich the taste of coffee so that you can experiment with cinnamon, cardamom, anise, nutmeg, cloves, and star anise.
The orange zest or tangerine slice makes the coffee taste fresher, and a cap of whipped cream with chopped chocolate on the surface turns it into an exquisite delicacy.
This drink is called “Coffee a la Vienne,” “Franciscan,” or “melange.”
Coffee in the Turkish coffee pot at home
Jezve is a unique vessel that has a narrow bottleneck, a full bottom, and a long handle. It may have different sizes.
For example, the model “Grapes” is made in an average volume of 400 ml. However, for making Arabica coffee in Turkish coffee pot, you need not a suitable container only.
First, you need to choose grains to get a unique taste.
There are two primary varieties on the market today.
One of them was mentioned above, and the second is called Robusta. Let us see the differences between them.
Characteristics of varieties
Robusta coffee has a more astringent, bold, and inelegant taste. It contains from 1.6 to 3.2% caffeine. There are sour and bitter flavors.
Arabica coffee is considered more common in the Turkish coffee pot because it has a refined taste with a peculiar sourness.
In terms of caffeine content, it differs because it contains from 1 to 1.5% of the substance.
Such a drink is obtained fragrant thanks to oily and large grains.
There are also mixed formulations on the market.
It is done not only to reduce the caffeine content in pure Robusta but also to obtain exciting combinations.
Cappuccino at home
Black coffee with milk foam can be prepared without a coffee machine.
First, cook the usual espresso in the Turkish coffee brewing pot, but without sugar and spices.
The more often you will bring coffee to the formation of foam, the tastier and stronger it will turn out. Ideally, this should be done 5-7 times.
Now beat the homemade full-fat milk with a mixer, a whisk, a blender or a French press to form a thick foam.
Pour the coffee into a pre-warmed cup and spread the milk foam in a 1: 1 ratio on top of a spoon.
If you want to make a cappuccino with milk, then pour it right in the middle of the coffee in a thin stream, and you can already lay out the foam on top. In this case, coffee, milk, and foam are added in equal proportions.
It is how black cappuccino is made. You can similarly make a white drink, but first, you should pour milk into the cup and only then – coffee.
Sprinkle milk foam with sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips, groundnuts and serve with fragrant pastries or sweets.
Latte at home
Latte is a layered drink made from espresso, hot milk, and milk foam.
Sometimes sweet syrups, ice, and alcohol are added to it and served in tall glasses with a thin tube.
Make regular Turkish coffee in Turkish coffee pot with sugar and pour it into a warm cup.
Preheat fatty milk, but not to a hot state, making sure that no foam forms on its surface.
Beat the liquid with a mixer, blender or a whisk; pour it through a container with a narrow spout directly into the center of the coffee.
The liquid will be poured in impressive streaks, creating spectacular drawings and patterns.
Remember that for making latte milk, you need to take three times more than espresso.
If you wish, you can add syrup to coffee; decorate it with grated chocolate and cream.
Italian coffee gourmets do not add sugar in lattes at all and enjoy the pure taste of this aristocratic drink.
Little cooking peculiarities
Before making Arabica coffee in Turkish coffee pot, it is recommended to warm the dishes, and then pour the powder and sugar into it.
Then pour 100 ml of raw cold water into two teaspoons of ground mixture.
There are different capacities in volume, but experts advise to choose a small size – so the taste will manifest itself better.
The drink turns out to be richer if you cook it on a small fire.
When the foam rises, it is removed from the stove, not boiling.
The procedure is repeated several times to reveal all the properties of the product.
Cups pour boiling water, as they should be warm.
All oriental recipes suggest the presence of thick foam on the surface of the drink.
To achieve a good result in the skill of cooking, you need to use fine grinding.
The longer the drink heats up, the better. Sugar can slow down the process of bringing to the boil.
With its help, the effect of creating a good foam, which does not allow the aroma to evaporate from the vessel, is also enhanced.
It is not necessary to speed up the cooking process and use hot water, as this will affect the taste of the drink. It is easier to control the process with small dishes.
Then the likelihood that the drink will be overcooked or undercooked will be much lower.
Bring the liquid to raise the foam should be several times to disclose all the qualities and rich properties fully.
It is poured into cups with a drink, which is impossible to obtain by exploiting a variety of modern machines and devices.
