COFFEE MAKING IN THE HOME
_The importance of correct grinding and
brewing—Drip or filter coffee—Boiled or steeped
coffee—Percolated coffee—The perfect cup of
coffee—Some coffee recipes._
The ideal way to prepare the coffee drink would be to buy the coffee
green, then roast and grind it just before making the beverage. This
was the ancient custom, and obtained even in our grandmothers day.
Today, especially for busy people in cities, it isn’t so practical to
buy coffee in the green and roast it as needed.
Then, too, there are efficient roasting plants, usually just around
the corner, where it is much better done than ever Grandmother did
it, for all her loving care and infinite patience; and, for those who
live some distance from the roaster, there are air-proof, dust-proof,
and damp-proof containers,—aye, even vacuum tins,—in which the freshly
roasted bean may be kept reasonably fresh until it is needed for table
use.
Again, for those too busy to grind their own, there are efficient
grinders in the factory or store which make it possible to supply any
grind in package form or on demand. It is possible to get freshly
roasted and freshly ground coffee of excellent quality in almost any
given community.
At the same time, it is a coffee-making axiom that, the shorter the
time between roasting and making, the better the beverage. For those
who wish a superior cup of coffee, it is well to bear this thought in
mind. Most everyone knows that green coffee improves with age; roasted
coffee loses its flavor rapidly, especially after it is ground. This
is because the aromatic flavoring elements developed by roasting begin
to escape as soon as exposed to the air. The roasted berry also
absorbs moisture, which causes destructive changes in the flavoring
oils. Ground coffee, therefore, should be kept in a container that is
moisture proof and as nearly air-tight as possible. If the original
package does not give this protection after it is once opened, place
the contents in a glass fruit jar or other vessel which can be kept
sealed.
The following general directions for making coffee in the home have
been worked out by Edward Aborn, the New York coffee-brewing expert,
and published by the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee in
cooperation with the National Coffee Roasters Association:
_Grinding_
The roasted berry is constructed of fibrous tissues formed into tiny
cells visible only under the microscope, which are the “packages”
wherein are stored the whole value of coffee, the aromatic oils.
Like cutting up an orange, the grinding of coffee is the opening of
surrounding tissue and pulp.
If coffee is bought “in the bean” and ground at home, use a mill that
can be adjusted to give a uniform granulation best suited to the
particular brewing method adopted. There are several on the market.
_Measure Carefully_
There is no set rule for the proper proportions of coffee and water.
This will vary with the kind of coffee used, the way it is ground, and
the method of brewing, and, above all, with individual taste. But, once
you have found the right proportion, that is the proportion best suited
to your use: stick to it. Don’t guess; measure carefully, both water
and coffee. Remember that, in brewing, the coffee grounds absorb a
certain amount of the water in the pot; therefore, to make five cups of
coffee, use, say, five and one-half cupfuls of water, and in the same
proportion with larger or smaller quantities.
_Extracting the Coffee Flavor_
Chemists have analyzed the coffee bean and told us that its delicious
taste is due to certain aromatic oils. This aromatic element is
extracted most efficiently only by fresh-boiling water. The practice
of soaking the grounds in cold water, therefore, is to be condemned.
It is a mistake also to let the water and the grounds boil together
after the real coffee flavor is once extracted. This extraction takes
place very quickly, especially when the coffee is ground fine. The
coarser the granulation, the longer it is necessary to let the grounds
remain in contact with the boiling water. Remember that flavor, the
only flavor worth having, is extracted by the short contact of boiling
water and coffee grounds, and that, after this flavor is extracted, the
coffee grounds become valueless dregs.
_Use Grounds Only Once_
Although the foregoing rules are absolutely fundamental to good
coffee making, their importance is so little appreciated that in some
households the lifeless grounds from the breakfast coffee are left in
the pot and resteeped for the next meal, with the addition of a small
quantity of fresh coffee. Used coffee grounds are of no more value in
coffee making than ashes are in kindling a fire.
_Serve at Once_
After the coffee is brewed, the true coffee flavor, now extracted from
the bean, should be guarded carefully. When the brewed liquid is left
on the fire or overheated, this flavor is cooked away and the whole
character of the beverage is changed. It is just as fatal to let the
brew grow cold. If possible, coffee should be served as soon as it is
made. If service is delayed, it should be kept hot but not overheated.
For this purpose, careful cooks prefer a double-boiler over a slow
fire. The cups should be warmed beforehand, and the same is true of a
serving pot, if one is used. Brewed coffee, once injured by cooling,
cannot be restored by reheating.
_Scour the Coffee Pot_
Unsatisfactory results in coffee-brewing frequently can be traced to
lack of care in keeping utensils clean. The fact that the coffee pot
is used only for coffee making is no excuse for setting it away with a
hasty rinse. Coffee-making utensils should be cleansed with scrupulous
care after each using. If a percolator is used, pay special attention
to the small tube through which the hot water rises to spray over the
grounds. This should be scrubbed with a wire-handled brush.
_Don’t Dry Filter Bags_
In cleansing drip or filter bags, use cool water. Hot water “cooks in”
the coffee stains. After the bag is rinsed, keep it submerged in cool
water until time to use it again. Never let it dry. This treatment
protects the cloth from the germs in the air which cause souring. New
filter bags should be washed before using to remove the starch or
sizing.
_Drip or Filter Coffee_
The principle behind this method is the quick contact of water at
full boiling point with coffee ground as fine as it is practicable to
use it. The filtering medium may be of cloth or paper, or perforated
chinaware or metal. The fineness of the grind should be regulated by
the nature of the filtering medium, the grains being large enough not
to slip through the perforations.
The amount of ground coffee to use may vary from a heaping teaspoonful
to a rounded tablespoonful for each cup of coffee desired, depending
upon the granulation, the kind of apparatus used, and individual taste.
A general rule is, The finer the grind the smaller the amount of dry
coffee required.
The most satisfactory grind for a cloth drip bag has the consistency of
powdered sugar, and shows a slight grit when rubbed between thumb and
finger. Unbleached muslin makes the best bag for this granulation. For
dripping coffee reduced to a powder, as fine as flour or confectioner’s
sugar, use a bag of canton flannel with the fuzzy side in. Powdered
coffee, however, requires careful manipulation and cannot be
recommended for everyday household use.
Put the ground coffee into the bag or sieve. Bring fresh water to a
full boil, and pour it through the coffee at a steady, gradual rate of
flow. If a cloth drip bag is used, with a very finely ground coffee,
one pouring should be enough. No special pot or device is necessary.
The liquid coffee may be dripped into any handy vessel or directly
into the cups. Dripping into the coffee cups, however, is not to be
recommended, unless the dripper is moved from cup to cup so that no
one cup will get more than its share of the first flow, which is the
strongest and best.
The brew is complete when it drips from the grounds, and further
cooking or “heating up” injures the quality. Therefore, since it is not
necessary to put the brew over the fire, it is possible to make use
of the hygienic advantages of a glassware, porcelain, or earthenware
serving pot.
_Boiled or Steeped Coffee_
For boiling or steeping, use a medium grind. The recipe is a rounded
tablespoonful for each cup of coffee desired, or, as some cooks prefer
to remember it, a tablespoonful for each cup and “one for the pot.”
Put the dry coffee into the pot and pour over it fresh water briskly
boiling. Steep for five minutes or longer, according to taste, over a
low fire. Settle with a dash of cold water, or strain through muslin or
cheese cloth and serve at once.
[Illustration: BREWING THE GUEST’S COFFEE IN A MOHAMMEDAN HOME]
_Percolated Coffee_
Use a rounded tablespoonful of medium-fine-ground coffee to each cupful
of water. The water may be poured into the percolator cold or at the
boiling point. In the latter case, percolation begins at once. Let the
water percolate over the grounds for five to 10 minutes, depending upon
the intensity of the heat and the flavor desired.
“_For Better Coffee_”
In June, 1924, the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee, in
cooperation with the National Coffee Roasters Association, published
for distribution among consumers a booklet entitled “For Better Coffee
Making,” prepared from the 1923 coffee-research report of Professor
Samuel C. Prescott of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its
purpose was “to explain as clearly and concisely as possible the best
way to prepare beverage coffee as recommended by the institute.” This
booklet heads as follows:
Making good coffee is an art easily acquired. The American housewife
has it, but her methods are varied and her success not always assured.
American coffee roasters felt there must be a uniform way to make
better coffee, so they consulted the highest scientific authority in
the country upon the subject. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
was chosen because of its prestige. In the public mind its findings
become at once authoritative.
For three years it sought a way to make better coffee. Thousands of
experiments were made. Individual tastes were tested. Safeguards were
laid against prejudice and bias. All the previous works upon the
subject were consulted and their recipes given consideration. Every
known way of making coffee was tried out until the best was ascertained.
This booklet, prepared from the report, purposes to explain as clearly
and concisely as possible this best way recommended by Massachusetts
Tech. to prepare beverage coffee.
No doubt millions of women are making coffee, by percolation and by
boiling, that has been satisfactory to them. This booklet neither
discourages nor condemns these methods, but merely shows _a newer and
a better way_, a way in which the most in flavor and aroma will be
secured.
The buying is as important as the making. Be sure you start out with a
good quality of coffee. The handling, after the purchase has been made,
has a direct bearing upon the quality of the beverage.
Two simple rules govern the purchase of coffee if this way is to be
tried. These are very good reasons for these rules:
1. Coffee in the bean loses its carbondioxid and its freshness much
less rapidly than ground coffee. Grinding the coffee, in fact, results
in a marked and immediate loss of this necessary element.
Roasted coffee contains considerable carbondioxid. Carbondioxid is
absolutely harmless. It is being used extensively with foodstuffs at
present. In dairy products it prevents the growth of bacteria and
retards the development of rancid acids. It enables many food materials
to be preserved for a long period of time. In coffee its action is
similar. Hence, it is desirable to retain as much of it as possible.
2. Be sure that any coffee you buy, whether bulk, package, or can, is
fresh. Fresh coffee contains the greatest amount of carbondioxid, and
the carbondioxid gives the assurance that the flavor and aroma will be
longer retained and the quality of the coffee kept at its best.
The preservation of the aroma, flavor, and freshness of the coffee from
the time of purchase until the time of consumption depends upon several
precautions:
1. Keep the coffee in a tight container.
2. Do not expose it to the air by leaving the container uncovered.
3. Place the container where it will have no contact with moisture.
4. See that the container is kept as far as possible from any heat.
5. If you buy whole bean coffee, grind it only in the quantity needed
at the time of making.
All of these rules have to do with the retention of the flavor and
aroma. While coffee in the bean loses both slowly, there are a
number of ways in which carelessness will permit a rapid loss. One
is exposing a large amount of the surface of the bean to the air;
another is allowing moisture to get into the container; and a third is
permitting heat to drive away the gas.
The fifth rule, of course, relates to the purchase of the coffee in the
bean. To secure and conserve the maximum flavor and aroma, the grinding
should be done just as the brewing is to begin.
For this reason the coffee mill should be restored to its proper place
in the kitchen. It should be a good mill, giving a uniform grind, and
not the cheap types, which quickly get out of order.
The most delicious results are obtained by using fresh-roasted coffee,
freshly ground, through which water of a temperature just below the
boiling point is dripped for not more than two minutes.
The rules to be followed to attain this most desired result are not
hard to remember:
1. See that the coffee is not ground too coarse. A fine grind yields
a richer flavor than a coarse grind, because of the more rapid and
complete solution of the flavor-giving substances.
2. Allow at least a tablespoonful of ground coffee to a cup of water.
The exact proportion depends upon the kind of coffee used, and can be
determined only by individual taste. In measuring the water always
allow an extra cup for the evaporation.
3. Be sure the water boils; then pour it over the freshly ground
coffee. Many types of coffee pots are provided with special perforated
containers for the freshly ground coffee. By means of these
perforations the hot water drips slowly through the coffee. By pouring
at the boiling point, the water in contact with the coffee falls to
just the temperature needed to extract the greatest amount of flavor
and aroma. If a coffee drip bag is used, be sure it is kept clean and
sweet.
4. The dripping process should not last longer than two minutes.
Long dripping at a lower temperature increases the bitter taste and
decreases the flavor and aroma.
5. Serve at once. Letting coffee cool ruins it. If there is a delay in
serving, keep the coffee piping hot, but do not let it boil.
6. Do not use the ground coffee a second time. Coffee once used has
given all its aroma and flavor to the beverage. There is nothing of any
value left in the grounds.
7. Scour the coffee pot. It is necessary to have the utensil clean.
Remnants of the old grounds will weaken the freshly ground coffee.
These are the simple rules for a better cup of coffee—proved by science
and well worth a trial.
_Coffee Making Devices_
There are many coffee-making devices used in the United States, the
best known being the Marion Harland pot, the Private Estate coffee
maker, Galt vacuum-process coffee maker, Universal percolator and glass
filter, English coffee biggin, Manning-Bowman percolator, Vienna coffee
machine, Blanke’s Sanitary coffee pot, Phylax coffee maker, American
French-drip pot, tricolator, Kin-Hee pot, Tru-Bru pot, and Silex glass
filter.
_The Perfect Cup of Coffee_
Lovers of coffee in the United States are in better position to obtain
an ideal cup of the beverage than those in any other country. While
imports of green coffee are not so carefully guarded as tea imports,
there is a large measure of government inspection designed to protect
the consumer against impurities, and the Department of Agriculture is
zealous in applying the Pure Food Law to insure against misbranding
and substitution. The department has defined coffee as “a beverage
resulting from a water infusion of roasted coffee and nothing else.”
Today, no reputable merchant would think of selling even loose coffee
for other than what it is, and the consumer may feel that, in the case
of package coffee, the label tells the truth about the contents.
With a hundred different kinds of coffee coming to this market from 19
countries, so many combinations are possible that there is sure to be
a straight coffee or a blend to suit any taste, and those who may have
been frightened into the belief that coffee was not for them should do
a little experimenting before exposing themselves to the dangers of the
coffee-substitute habit.
Once upon a time, it was thought that Java and Mocha were the only
worth-while blend, but now we know that a Bogota coffee from Colombia
and a Bourbon Santos from Brazil make a most satisfying drink; and,
if the individual should happen to be a caffein-sensitive, there are
coffees so low in caffein content, like some Porto Ricans, as to
overcome this objection; while there are other coffees from which the
caffein has been removed by special treatment. There is no reason why
any person who is fond of coffee should forgo its use. Paraphrasing
Makaroff, Be modest, be kind, eat less, and think more, live to serve,
work and play and laugh and love—it is enough! Do this, and you may
drink coffee without danger to your immortal soul.
If you are accustomed to buying loose coffee, have your dealer do a
little experimental blending for you until you find a coffee to suit
your palate. Some expert blends are to be found among the leading
package brands. But you really cannot do better than to trust your case
to a first-class grocer of known reputation. He will guide you right
if he knows his business; and, if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t know his
business—try elsewhere. Test him out somewhat along this line:
Let us reason together, Mr. Grocer. Let us consider these facts about
coffee: Green coffee improves with age? Granted. As soon as it is
roasted, it begins to lose in flavor and aroma? Certainly. Grinding
hastens the deterioration? Of course. Therefore, it is better to buy a
small quantity of freshly roasted coffee in the bean and grind it at
the time of purchase or at home just before using? Absolutely!
If your grocer reacts in this fashion, he need only supply you with a
quality coffee at fair price and you need only to make it properly to
obtain the utmost of coffee satisfaction.
Some connoisseurs still cling to the good old two-thirds Java and
one-third Mocha blend, but the author has for years found great
pleasure in a blend composed of half Medellin Bogota, one-quarter
Mandheling “Java,” and one-quarter Mocha. However, this blend might not
appeal to another’s taste, and the component parts are not always easy
to get. The retail cost (1924) is about 50 cents.
Another pleasing blend is composed of Bogota, washed Maracaibo,
and Santos, equal parts. This should retail from 40 to 45 cents.
Good-drinking coffees are to be had for prices ranging from 32 to 37
cents. In the stores of one of the large chain systems, an excellent
blend composed of 50 percent Bourbon Santos and 50 percent Bogota is
to be had (1924) for 35 cents. All these figures apply, of course, to
normal times.
If you are epicurean, you will want to read up on, and to try, the
fancy Mexicans, Cobans, Sumatra growths, Meridas, and some from the
“Kona side” of Hawaii.
In preparing the perfect cup of coffee, then, the coffee must be of
good grade, and freshly roasted. It should, if possible, be ground just
before using. The author has found a fine grind, about the consistency
of fine granulated sugar, the most satisfactory. For general home
use, a device that employs filter paper or filter cloth is best; for
the epicure an improved porcelain French percolator (drip pot) or an
improved cloth filter will yield the utmost of coffee’s delights. Drink
it black, sweetened or unsweetened, with or without cream or hot milk,
as your fancy dictates.
It should be remembered that to make good coffee no special pot or
device is necessary. Good coffee can be made with any china vessel and
a piece of muslin. But to make it in perfection pains must be taken
with every step in the process from roaster to cup.
Hollingworth points out that through taste alone it is impossible to
distinguish between quinine and coffee, or between apple and onion.
There is something more to coffee than its caffein stimulus, its action
on the taste buds of the tongue and mouth. The sense of smell and
the sense of sight play important roles. To get all the joy there is
in a cup of coffee, it must look good and smell good, before one can
pronounce its taste good. It must woo us through the nostrils with the
wonderful aroma that constitutes much of the lure of coffee.
[Illustration: Cross section of roasted bean magnified 600 times.]
[Illustration: Medium grind of the same bean.
SHOWING HOW GRINDING BREAKS OPEN THE OIL CELLS]
That is why, in the preparation of the beverage, the greatest possible
care should be observed to preserve the aroma until the moment of its
psychological release. This can be done only by having it appear at
the same instant that the delicate flavor is extracted: roasting and
grinding the bean much in advance of the actual making of the beverage
will defeat this object. Boiling the extraction will perfume the house;
but the lost fragrance will never return to the dead liquid called
coffee, when served from the pot whence it was permitted to escape.
To recapitulate, with an added word on service, the correct way to make
coffee is as follows:
1. Buy a good grade of freshly roasted coffee from a
responsible dealer.
2. Grind it very fine, and at home, just before using.
3. Allow a rounded tablespoonful for each beverage cup.
4. Make it in a French-drip pot or in some filtration
device where freshly boiling water is poured through the
grind but once. A piece of muslin and any china receptacle
make an economical filter.
5. Avoid pumping percolators, or any device for heating
water and forcing it repeatedly through the grounds. Never
boil coffee.
6. Keep the beverage hot and serve it “black,” with sugar
and hot milk, or cream, or both.
_Some Coffee Recipes_
When Mrs. Ida C. Bailey Allen prepared a booklet of recipes for the
Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee, she introduced them with the
following remarks on the use of coffee as a flavoring agent:
Although coffee is our national beverage, comparatively
few cooks realize its possibilities as a flavoring agent.
Coffee combines deliciously with a great variety of food
dishes, and is especially adapted to desserts, sauces, and
sweets. Thus used, it appeals particularly to men and to
all who like a full-bodied, pronounced flavor.
For flavoring purposes, coffee should be prepared just as
carefully as when it is intended for a beverage. The best
results are obtained by using freshly made coffee, but
when, for reasons of economy, it is desirable to utilize a
surplus remaining from the mealtime brew, care should be
taken not to let it stand on the grounds and become bitter.
When introducing made coffee into a recipe calling for
other liquid, decrease this liquid in proportion to the
amount of coffee that has been added. When using it in a
cake or in cookies, instead of milk, a tablespoonful less
to the cup should be allowed, as coffee does not have the
same thickening properties.
In some cases, better results are gained if the coffee
is introduced into the dish by scalding or cooking the
right proportion of ground coffee with the liquid which is
to form the base. By this means, the full coffee flavor
is obtained, yet the richness of the finished product
is not impaired by the introduction of water, as would
be the case were the infused coffee used. This method
is advisable especially for various desserts which have
milk as a foundation, as those of the custard variety and
certain types of Bavarian creams, icecream, and the like.
The right proportion of ground coffee, which is generally
a tablespoonful to the cup, should be combined with the
cold milk or cream in the double-boiler top and should
then be scalded over hot water, when the mixture should
be put through a very fine strainer or cheese cloth, to
remove all grounds.
Coffee may be used as a flavoring in almost any dessert or
confection where a flavoring agent is employed.
On iced coffee and the use of coffee in summer beverages in general,
Mrs. Allen writes as follows:
ICED COFFEE. This is not only a delicious summer
drink, but it also furnishes a mild stimulation that is
particularly grateful on a wilting hot day. It may be
combined with fruit juices and other ingredients in a
variety of cooling beverages which are less sugary and
cloying than the average warm-weather drink, and for that
reason it is generally popular with men.
Coffee that is to be served cold should be made somewhat
stronger than usual. Brew it according to your favorite
method, and chill before adding sugar and cream. If
cracked ice is added, make sure the coffee is strong
enough to compensate for the resulting dilution. Mixing
the ingredients in a shaker produces a smoother beverage,
topped with an appetizing foam.
It is a convenience, however, to have on hand a
concentrated sirup from which any kind of coffee-flavored
drink may be concocted on short notice and without the
necessity of lighting the stove. Coffee left over from
meals may be used for the same purpose, but it should be
kept in a covered glass or china dish and not allowed to
stand too long. A coffee sirup made after the following
recipe will keep indefinitely and may be used as a basis
for many delicious iced drinks:
COFFEE SIRUP. Two quarts of very strong coffee;
3½ pounds sugar. The coffee should be very strong, as
the sirup will be largely diluted. The proportion of
a pound of coffee to one and three-fourths quarts of
water will be found satisfactory. This may be made by any
favorite method, cleared and strained, then combined with
the sugar, brought to boiling point, and boiled for two
or three minutes. It should be canned when boiling, in
sterilized bottles. Fill them to overflowing, and seal as
for grape juice or for any other canned beverage.
[Illustration]