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5 ways to make a great cup of coffee

Updated on February 2, 2014

I'm a self-confessed coffee addict, in fact I struggle to get through a single day without a cup. There is nothing quite like the rich aroma and flavour that enters my life every day. Luckily I'm not alone in my obsession. In this article I wanted to discuss 5 of my favorite ways to prepare a great coffee in the home and they are listed in no particular order. In fact I have dedicated fair proportions of my life travelling the world to find the perfect coffee...

Photo originally taken for wikepedia by Tim Hollosy
Photo originally taken for wikepedia by Tim Hollosy

1) The Aeropress

I first tried one of these in a charming coffee shop in Sao Paulo called Coffee Lab (Vila Madalena) and I wasn't quite sure what to make. I remember making a joking reference to it looking like a penis pump, but for some unknown reason that didn't stop me trying, and I'm very glad it didn't. This American device is quite simply it is a filter coffee with the liquid passing through a small piece of paper but with the added bonus of a massive amount of pressure pushing it through. What is produced is a pure and 'clean' tasting coffee that delivers a very strong taste. This is by far my favorite technique to produce coffee and if you like a good filter coffee, this will produce the best you've tried.

2) French Press or Cafetiere

This is my choice at home and while I adore the flavour of the aeropress the one thing the cafetiere does better is leaving the natural flavours and oils that the filter removes. To get a great cup you put the coffee in near boiling water, stir and let stand for two minutes before hand plunging the metal wire filter down to the bottom. The invention was created in Italy and to this day remains a mystery as to why it became known as a french press. The added bonus, not only to the natural levels of the coffee, is that it does not require a filter (which I always seem to run out of) and I can also say at the time of writing this article I currently enjoying some Brasilian coffee via the method of french press.

3) Espresso

It seems so hard these days to find a good espresso. There is nothing quite like an espresso, but often you find the coffee has been burnt or the water that was used was boiling (the correct use is just before boiling). The machine listed below in the amazon section gives a great espresso, but the problem for me is there is no may to re-create the 9 bars of pressure needed to produce the perfect espresso without a decent and sizable machine and considering that in my lifestyle I tend to travel and move around a lot it's something that I have no room for. However, any chance I get , if I find a cafe that makes a good espresso, I take my laptop there and work on the go. My perfect day consists of espresso out and filter at home. The coffee is sharp, strong and should always be 98% that is not boiled, otherwise you lose the minerals of the water and flavour.

Photography by Jordan Smith
Photography by Jordan Smith

4) Coffee or Moka Pot

If like me you have no capacity for an espresso machine there is always the moka pot, sometimes called the espresso pot. It produces an espresso like coffee that relies on pressure build-up buy heating the water in the bottom on the hob, forcing it to push through the coffee in the middle, and bursting into the top compartment in the form of coffee. Great idea, and I own one, but if you're looking for the richness of espresso this isn't it. It's nicknamed an espresso pot, but because it only produces 1.5 bars of pressure as opposed to 9 the taste is not the same, however it does produce a lovely little coffee shot all of it's own. The shot is strong and sharp yet not as textured but really satisfies the craving for coffee.

Photo by Elke Wetzig
Photo by Elke Wetzig

5) Filter Coffee

Not my favourite technique and I always think that if I'm going to filter a coffee I might as well use the aeropress, but the good thing about this is it's very easy to use and delivers a taste that is pure and free of oils (which some argue is better than the French press). If you are 'on the go' you can very simply put this on top of a cup and filter through it, but what you gain in simplicity you lose in taste. This technique seems to be very popular however and I recommend trying it to compare.

6) and please whatever you do don't...

drink instant coffee... possibly the worst way to drink coffee is by adding boiling water to frozen grains of coffee. The taste is so far off the others that it isn't even worth trying. If offered this, and you class yourself as a coffee lover, politely decline and ask for tea. I'm not a coffee snob, I just like nice coffee. Sadly however it seems, for time efficiency and cost, that most British work places seem to buy only this. Thus, at work, I tend to stick to tea or water.

Was I right or was I right?

Ok so it's your chance to agree with me, or not. I would love to hear what you think of my list.

Is Aeropress the best way to make a coffee on the go?

So what's your favourite technique?

See results
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