Coffee lovers have various preferences when it comes to the types of coffee they order at cafes. What most people don’t know is that you can brew your own coffee in the comfort of your home. You don’t have to own an espresso machine to make the best cup of coffee. All you need is a little patience and a whole lot of effort to add the boost of caffeine you need to start your day. With that said, read on and discover how you can brew the cup of coffee that matches your taste.
Types of Coffee Beans and Their Unique Flavors
The first step to brewing the perfect cup of coffee is familiarizing yourself with the types of coffee beans. The top coffee-producing regions are Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa. Your local cafe probably has different types of coffee beans for sale or on display. This makes most coffee lovers believe that there are various types of coffee beans you can buy. However, in reality, there are only around 4 types of coffee beans you need to know about.
Arabica
Arabica is the type of coffee bean that you can effortlessly find in stores. It’s the most commonly produced coffee bean. When drinking coffee made with Arabica coffee beans, you’ll taste its flavor with your mouth’s front palate. It’s where you usually taste sweet and salty food. Coffee beans from Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Uganda are classified under Arabica. This type of coffee bean has lesser caffeine and has a smoother and more aromatic taste compared to others.
Robusta
The type of coffee bean that has the highest caffeine content is Robusta. Compared to other variants, Robusta has around 2.5% more caffeine. Robusta coffee beans are usually Dark Roast because of their bold and bitter taste. You can savor its robust flavor at the back palate of your mouth. Coffee beans from Vietnam and Indonesia are commonly classified as Robusta.
Liberica
One of the rare types of coffee is Liberica. Its beans are mainly harvested from the Philippines, Malaysia, and other countries from Southeast Asia. When brewed, Liberica has fruity and woody flavors that you can savor from the middle or back palate of your mouth. Excelsa is often described as a completely different type of coffee but some coffee experts still associate the coffee beans with Liberica.
Types of Coffee Drinks
Familiarize yourself with some of the most common types of coffee drinks you can find at your usual coffee spot. There’s more to coffee than just coffee and water. Brewing takes time and patience. It’s like working on a blank canvas. We compiled some of the all-time favorite caffeinated beverages that you can see present in most cafe menus.
Black
Black coffee’s fancy term, or French term, is café noir.
Latte
Latte is made simple. Its recipe is only composed of steamed milk and a shot of espresso.
Mocha
Coffee with chocolate and steamed milk.
Cappuccino
Espresso with steamed milk and lots of foam. You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa powder to finish it off.
Macchiato
Macchiato is a bit similar to Cappuccino. When making Macchiato, you only need a splash of milk for one or two espresso shots. When iced, baristas would usually create a layered effect by adding espresso and ice before pouring milk. You can top it off with any syrup of your choice.
Americano
This popular coffee drink is composed of one or two shots of espresso and water. It can be enjoyed both hot and iced.
Espresso
Espresso holds the crowning glory of most coffee drinks. It’s a concentrated mix of coffee and a small amount of water and usually served in shots.
Doppio
If one espresso shot is not enough, make it two.
Ristretto
Ristretto is similar to an espresso shot. However, it has lesser water making it super concentrated than your average coffee drink.
Cortado
Cortado is a coffee drink made up of equal parts of milk and espresso.
Flat White
Flat White is pretty similar to Cortado but the milk used in its recipe is thicker than the latter.
Cold Brew
Cold Brew coffee is the result of a brewing method wherein you steep coffee in cold water for 6-72 hours, depending on how strong you want your coffee to be. Steeping coarse coffee grounds in cold water makes the coffee less acidic than your usual hot cup of joe.
Affogato
Ordering Affogato is usually a dessert lover’s excuse to enjoy ice cream with coffee.
Frappé coffee or Frappuccino
Frappé is a blended beverage usually made with coffee, ice, and whipped cream. You’re probably more familiar with Starbucks’ famous Frappuccino when you come across Frappé in menus. Compared to Frappé, Frappuccino is composed of milk and milk cream blended with various syrups and concentrates that come from the famous coffee company’s supply. In case you didn’t know, Starbucks trademarked that name of its popular line of blended beverages.
Vietnamese Coffee
Vietnamese Coffee is usually enjoyed over ice. It’s commonly served with a Vietnamese Phin Filter dripping freshly brewed coffee to a cup filled with sweetened condensed milk and ice.
Yuenyeung
Yuenyeung is basically a unique blend of coffee with milk tea. The drink was popularized by Hongkong and other parts of China.
Irish Coffee
Irish coffee is actually an alcoholic cocktail. It’s made with a healthy dose of coffee, sugar, cream, and whiskey.
Dalgona Coffee
Making Dalgona Coffee became an online sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s has a foam made up of coffee, sugar, and water. The foam is made possible with a hand mixer that blends the three ingredients. The drink is served with milk, ice, and topped off with foam. Its term is derived from the popular Korean candy made with sugar and baking soda. Despite not having similar recipes, Dalgona coffee is said to have a similar butterscotch taste with the candy.
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Types of Coffee Makers to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee
For your convenience, we made a list of coffee makers that would make brewing coffee easier at home. We divided the list using the type of brewing methods you can experience from each device or tool. From automatic espresso machines to the popular drip coffee, learn more about the different coffee makers you can use to make the best cup of coffee.
Pressure
Brewing coffee using pressure gives you stronger and richer coffee. These coffee makers use lesser water making your drink more concentrated compared to other coffee-making tools.
Semi or Fully Automated Espresso Machine
Brew your own espresso shot by owning one of these. Skip the hassle of using a manual machine and let a semi or fully automated machine work its magic.
Moka Pot
A Moka Pot is built with a unique mechanism that produces a strong cup of coffee from your stove-top. If you don’t have a stove, you can look for an electric Moka Pot instead. Remember to use medium-fine ground coffee when using this device.
Drip
The Drip or filter is the common coffee brewing method features on most coffee makers. There’s no beating these classic coffee makers that you probably already have in your home.
Regular Drip Coffee Maker
These coffee makers are the ones you usually find in stores. When buying one, don’t forget to buy coffee filters if it doesn’t include a reusable one.
Single Serve Coffee Machine
Single Serve Coffee Machines like Nespresso and Keurig save you from the hassle of waiting for a whole pot of coffee to brew. Despite using the drip method, these coffee makers don’t take up too much of your time.
Manual Drip
Owning a manual drip tool like Chemex takes a lot of patience. You have to keep a small weighing scale around and monitor the way you pour water over the coffee grounds. Even if takes a lot of work, manual drip coffee lets you have more control over your coffee’s acidity and taste.
Vietnamese Phin Filter
Using a Vietnamese Phin Filter for your coffee is quite similar to using a manual drip. The difference between the two is that you don’t have to monitor the way you pour the water over the coffee grounds.
Percolator
A Percolator brews your coffee when it hits its boiling point. This coffee device is recommended for those who like brewing big batches of coffee.
Cold Drip
You need to have a lot of patience when using Cold Drip. Despite its name, Cold Drip is different from Cold Brew. When using this tool, you’ll have to wait as iced water slowly drips on coffee grounds before it produces a flavorful cup of coffee.
Steeping
Steeping coffee takes time but it makes most of the flavor produced by coffee beans. It also takes a while before steeped coffee becomes stale. You can enjoy another cup of coffee without worrying about how long it’s been steeping.
French Press
French Press is a widely used coffee apparatus. It’s the most common tool for the steeping method. You can enjoy your coffee after steeping it for four minutes and pressing down the metal plunger.
Cold Brew
There is a variety of cold brew pitchers or pots you can find on Amazon. Cold Brew coffee is achieved by steeping coarse coffee grounds in cold water. Afterward, put the coffee in the fridge for around 6-72 hours before serving. You can also use a French Press for this brewing method.
Siphon or Syphon Coffee Maker
Fulfill your dreams of looking like a chemist at home by buying a Siphon or Syphon Coffee Maker. This coffee maker is made up of two chambers responsible for brewing your coffee. Using it makes you make you feel like a scientist at home.
Boil
Boiling coffee from scratch is the most traditional way of brewing a cup of joe. However, you have to prepare to spit out the coffee grounds that come in contact with when drinking.
Ibrik or Turkish Coffee Pot Brewer
Turkish coffee is traditionally brewed in a cezve over hot sand. Nowadays, you can brew your own cup at home over your stove-top or by plugging in an electric variant.
Pair Different Types of Coffee Roasts with Pastries
To further enjoy your coffee, you can learn the art of coffee pairing. With this, you can perfectly match various coffee drinks with different kinds of food. To first step to mastering this skill is familiarizing yourself with your mouth’s palate. To help you out, we came up with three easy steps to acquaint yourself with how you taste coffee.
Smell
This step works best for hot coffee. Once you get used to the scent of your coffee, you can try all three steps with iced coffee too. Put your hand over the opening of your drinking container to isolate the smell. Then, inhale and take note of the smell.
Sip or Slurp
After taking note of the smell, it’s time to associate the scent with the coffee’s taste. Sipping or slurping the coffee distributes the flavor to different areas of your mouth. With this, you’ll be able to distinguish what is distinct about your drink’s taste.
Feel and Locate the Flavor
Let your tongue explore your mouth. Allow yourself to feel the weight of the flavor in different parts of your mouth. The front palate is for sweetness and saltiness. The middle palate is responsible for the sourness, while the back palate helps you distinguish bitterness.
After the three steps, you can now match your coffee drink with food that complements its taste.
Sour
Sour-tasting coffee is best paired with the full flavors of milk chocolate and a variety of nuts like almonds and peanuts. You can also pair it with pastries like flaky croissants and buttery bagels.
Sweet or Spicy
It may sound far-fetched but after analyzing the flavor of your coffee, you’ll feel that the sweet taste goes along with spicy flavors. You can enjoy more of its flavor by pairing this drink with breakfast meals like pancakes, oatmeal, and cereal.
Bitter
Bitter coffee has that aftertaste that sticks around at the roof of your mouth. To balance out that cringe-worthy feeling, it’s best to pair your coffee with caramels, cinnamon buns, or sweet cakes.
Now, you know the basics. Go ahead and brew coffee to your liking. Pick out the coffee beans that embodies the caffeine boost you’re looking for. Buy the coffee maker that suits your taste. Pair off that cup of joe with the best food that complements its flavor. You can experiment and do whatever you want with coffee from your own home.
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