Anyone who knows me at all knows that coffee is not just my mid-day pick me up, but more of an obsession. I absolutely love to learn about coffee and all of the different brewing methods, roasting methods, and types of drinks. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes to know what the differences are, but I’m here to help! Here’s my Guide for my top five favorite ways to make coffee.
Moka
No, not mocha, but moka. This is a traditional coffee type in Italy. Pretty much every home in Italy has a moka pot. When I studied abroad in Italy, there was one at the Airbnb, and I was thriving! This sort of resembles a teapot and has the coffee strength of espresso without being legitimate espresso. (I’ll talk more about this in the last type!) This is classified as a percolator.
Grind: Fine
How to: Place water up until the small hole in the bottom. Place the coffee grounds in the filter and place the filter in the bottom boiler. Then screw on the top and place the pot over medium high heat with the lid open. Once the coffee starts to percolate (pour out the spout), shut the lid and reduce to medium.
Pro tip: Use water as hot as you can get it out of the tap, otherwise you’ll burn the coffee grounds by trying to heat up cold water.
Photo courtesy of Eric Barbeau
French press
This coffee type is super simple and is very quick. This is my go-to when I want a fancier cup of coffee without as much prep time as a moka.
Grind: Coarse
How to: I usually freshly grind my beans for french press just for more flavor, but if you don’t have a grinder, pre-ground is fine too! Place ground coffee in your french press (1 tablespoon of coffee per 6 oz water). I usually do about three heaping tablespoons for my 3 cup french press. Boil water. Pour over coffee grounds. Give it good swish with a spoon, then place the top on the french press, but don’t press it down all the way. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then, for the most satisfying part, push down the stem and filter the coffee. Finlally pour into your favorite mug.
Cold brew
Now you may be thinking, what’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee? Well, I’ll teach you! Iced coffee is just drip coffee that has been refrigerated. Cold Brew uses room temperature water over a long period of time. This results in a more sweet and less bitter flavor. I don’t ever add sugar to my cold brew because it doesn’t really need it.
Grind: Coarse
How to: Place 4 cups of room temperature water into a French press of just any bottle or jar. Add in about 1/2-3/4 cup of coffee grounds. (I used to not have measuring cups, so I always do 10 tablespoons for some reason!) Let it soak for at least 12 hours. Then push down your French press and transfer it into a new container or pour your mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Pro tip: This is a pretty strong brew and is more of a cold brew concentrate, so feel free to add water to it.
Photo courtesy of Wade Austin Ellis
Drip coffee
This is just your plain old, average joe. (Haha get it? Joe?) I have a super cheap drip coffee machine that I set a timer on to wake up to freshly brewed coffee. Drip machines heat water and funnel it over grounds for a bitter and warm cup. This is what most people have in their homes.
Grind: Medium
How to: Place a filter in the top of your coffee maker and dump coffee grounds in. Using the pot, fill the coffee maker with water. Turn it on or set the timer.
Pro tip: I always make the full pot then refrigerate the leftover coffee for a delicious iced coffee the next morning!
Espresso
This is the most caffeine dense form of coffee. Steaming hot water is forcefully pushed through firmly packed coffee grounds. This results in a super strong flavor that most people have to dull with sugar and lots of milk, but I finally worked up the tolerance to down a plain double shot, and I know you can too!
Grind: Fine
How to: Similar to the drip machine, fill the small beaker with water and pour into opening on the top. Spoon grounds into the portafilter (the arm that lock in) and then tamp it down with a tamper. This is a technique meaning you press down the coffee into a puck. Make sure it’s even. Then lock in the portafilter and turn it on.
Pro tip: Espresso gets very bitter very quickly so have your heated milk on hand to transfer the espresso to the milk as soon as it’s done to prevent this.
Photo courtesy of Mike Marquez
I hope this motivates you to get out of your comfort zone and try a new method of making coffee. I think it makes my mornings fun to think about which type I’m in the mood for! It just depends on your schedule, how expensive you want your equipment, and overall flavor of the coffee. Happy caffinating!