Know Your Coffee
Do you know your coffee well ? Africa, the first word that comes to mind when you think of origins of Coffee. Eventually, the cultivation spread east and west, Europe, America and other countries across the globe. Coffee grows in regions with temperatures around 20 Deg C and moderate rain and rich porous soil. To buy some of our great coffee click here. But before you buy the coffee, know your coffee well.
- ARABICA
- ROBUSTA
Arabica coffee trees are grown at higher elevations (1800 feet or more), are more delicate and yield fewer beans per crop.
Robusta coffee trees are much hardier, may be grown at lower elevations, and have a high bean yield. The taste of Robusta beans is stronger than Arabica and the beans are smaller in size too.
Apart from these two there are Liberica, and Excelsa beans which are rarely found. If you are lucky you might run into the latter at a store in Southeast Asia. Although Liberia originated in West Africa. It soon travelled to Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines.
HOW TO BUY THE RIGHT COFFEE ?
- IDENTIFY YOUR TASTE.
Every individual would most likely identify with a unique taste of coffee. Don’t get us wrong, everyone likes a little experimentation, but there is that very relatable taste of coffee that either you have grown up to or developed over time that you would call as your coffee taste. (tip: it can vary between couples, be prepared for a showdown)
Arabica coffee plants grow in high altitude hilly areas with low levels of oxygen and rocky grounds. Slightly acidic, smooth and rich taste. While, Robusta grows in lower altitude plains and has a relatively strong, bitter taste.
2. DETERMINE CAFFINE CONTENT / ROAST PROFILE
Let us burst some myths first – contrary to the belief – dark roast coffee has the lowest amount of caffine. To get that real caffine kick first think in the morning you need to reach out to your light roast blend. Yes ! you read that right.
Coffee beans that are used to make espressos are in the medium roast category. Get the Roast right and your coffee will taste like heaven.
Tips to help you decide on the right roast :
- If you prefer coffee with lower acidity levels, then opt for a medium or medium-dark roast.
- To enjoy powerful naturally occurring flavor notes in your coffee, opt for a light roast. This will give you the best caffeine kick.
- Dark or Medium Dark Roasts and blended coffee beans play magic with the flavors, do give it a try rather than a single origin for this.
- A Dark roast with blended beans like Arabica and Robusta in ratio of 80/20 or 70/30 will add bitterness and body.
3. MATCH THE GRIND SIZE
Grind size of the Coffee Powder (if you buy ground coffee) depends on what equipment you use to brew the coffee. A quick reference is shown below that will help you identify and seek the best suited grind size for you.
Tip : In case you are not sure, always opt for a Medium Fine grind that works with most brewing equipment.
We aim to cover the basics to get you started with good quality coffee. In the next post you will find more details on the mistakes people make with coffee and other finer nuances.
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Beginners Guide to Moka Pot Coffee
THE MOKA POT
The Moka Pot is a gas top coffee brewing equipment that was created by inventor Luigi De Ponti for Alfonso Bialetti in the early 1930s. From Italy it spread across the world in less than a decade. Seen in almost every household today, the MOKA POT is known for its reputation to dish out an espresso like brew in the comforts of your home.
So lets jump in to the basics and method.
THINGS YOU NEED:
- URBAN BEANS FILTER COFFEE : Silver Sky, Urban Truth or Gold Mist
- MOKA POT : Size depending on the cups you want to brew.
- Water : Hot almost to a boiling temperature
- A small towel or kitchen tissue.
PREPARATION:
- Fill up the Moka Pot Coffee basket to the top, take a spoon edge and cut around the grounds with it. Do not tamp the grounds. Do not pack it too tight.
- Fill the water chamber with “hot to boiling water” (70 Deg C) up to the very bottom of the release valve.
- Wet a tissue or towel and chill it in your freezer, if possible maybe 15 mins before you start or just keep it ready. It needs to be cool once your POT is ready to pour.
- Assemble the Moka Pot, making sure no coffee is seen on the ridges ensuring the assembly pieces screw together well.
- Set it on your gas-stove and turn it to low-medium heat. If you can, place it on the edge of the burner to avoid the handle getting too hot and melting if it is made of a polymer or plastic.
- The process is slow, so do not loose patience and keep opening the lid. It will be easily 7-8 minutes before the action starts. A light stream of hot steam will appear through the spout.
- Slowly and surely, the brew should start seeping into the upper chamber. This means the pressure is working and that the coffee is brewing. If it’s spurting like your grumpy old landlord, you worked up the heat a bit too high – turn that baby down!
- When the coffee is about 60 – 80% of the way up to the spout (make a guess) take it off the burner and put it directly onto the cold tissue. Cooling the pot rapidly helps keep over extracted, bitter liquid from funneling to your coffee. The color should resemble dark honey in ideal cases. Although, a darker color does not mean bad taste.
- Pour and serve immediately in a style that best suits your palate.
2 Cents : Under no circumstances should you ever tamp the grounds in a Moka pot. While it’s necessary in an espresso machine, it’s a recipe for disaster with Moka pots.
CLEANING
Cleaning the MOKA POT well after use is extremely important. All you need is warm water, light dish cleaning liquid soap, a soft brush is all you need.
Carefully and slowly, reach all the crevices and parts of the MOKA POT to clean it well. Be gentle with the filter mesh so as to not damage it. Dry it well and store in a clean dry place.
Buy Our Filter Coffee : https://urbanbeanscoffee.com/product-tag/filter-coffee/
