Friday, March 15, 2019

Coffee Museum: World wide ways to make coffee



Lily likes coffee. There are many ways to make coffee. Various countries and regions prefer various methods. Over the years we've seen a lot of them. Let's have a closer look at some of them.

In The Netherlands and surrounding countries filter coffee is very popular. Hand-poured filter-coffee probably is the most delicious coffee around. Especially if you like a soft, round taste. Filter coffee is more healthy because cholesterol raising substances are caught in the paper filter.

The second half of the 20th century saw th coffee machine as the most widely used way to make coffee in The Netherlands. Add water and coffee powder, and the machine does the work. Later one-serving-machines like Senseo and Nespresso and the likes became more popular.

Instant coffee is considered an easy and cheap way to make inferior coffee in The Netherlands. Elsewhere it is more popular. In England with water. In India with buffalo milk. In South America and Southeast Asia it is often sold pre-packed / pre-mixed with sugar and non-dairy creamer: "3-in-1".  The taste of coffee is hard to find but it makes a comforting "hot drink".
If you prefer black coffee, these regions are hard on you. In recent years Southeast Asia developed a more tasteful coffee culture based on espresso machines.

In South India the taste is extracted from the coffee with hot water ("decoction"). Various cities and states claim to be the origin (o.a. Kumbakonam, Mylapore, Kerala en Tamil Nadu). It produces a very strong coffee extract in the lower reservoir. Add hot water to make your cup of coffee.  It’s most commonly referred to as Madras Filter Coffee, even though no filter is used...
More at https://recipesaresimple.com/how-to-make-coffee-decoction/

In France the cafetière is popular. Put coarsely ground  coffee in the jar and poor hot water on top. After five minutes gently push the sludge down. This coffee can contain up to 30 times as much cafestol (cholesterol raising substance) as filter coffee.

Probably also from France, but we saw it in Belgium and Vietnam: this traditional method to make one cup of coffee. Put the holder on top of a cup; put a round filter at the bottum; put a spoonful of coffee; pour hot water. Put the lid on top and that is how you get it served in a restaurant.

The espresso cooker is very popular in Spain and Italy. Put water in the lower compartment and fine ground coffee in the middle compartment. Put on a low stove. The water will be forced through the coffee and end up in the upper reservoir. It's the same principle as a big professional espresso machine.
More at https://www.waterlily-unlimited.nl/espresso/english.html



More

More on the history of coffee and a good dash of Yemen: The Monk of Mokha