Making coffee ? ? ?

[Insanity]

Last week, my electric was off for a day and a half coz of a storm.
My stove is electric, as well as everything else in the kitchen.
But I do have a propane cooking burner, and I wanted coffee.
I put a potful (12cups) of cold water into a pot, then added my usual 3/4cup coffee grounds, once it boiled for about 5 minutes, I strained it thru a coffee filter and enjoyed. Except, it was too strong. Perhaps not quite twice as strong, but atleast by 50%. Seems I could of used only a 1/2 cup for the normal strenght my coffee maker makes with 3/4 cup.
With the price of coffeee having skyrocketed lately, I’m wondering if there’s a better way than using what seems to be a wasteful coffee maker ?
I remember when most used perkulator pots to make coffee, but I never did.
Did those make coffee stronger when perking longer. Or is there a method I don’t know of ?
Sure could use to save a few bucks on all the coffee I drink.

[Insanity]

I guess the truth is, I’m wondering what the coffee recipe was prior to perkulators. I mean, there had to be a time when people just boiled water and grounds together. Was there a process to follow. Like boiling time ? Did they use less grounds ? Does boiling longer make it stronger, or does it get too bitter in time ?
So anyone got a recipe I should follow if I take to putting water in a small stock pot with grounds to boil, then strain thru a filter. Seems just about as quick as the coffee maker, and I sure wouldn’t mind having the space back from getting rid of the coffee maker (small apt. kitchen).

[lvdkeyes]

When camping years ago in the Rockies above Denver our site was beside a mountain stream. We boiled coffee grounds in water and then cracked an egg in it. As I remember the egg sort of held the grounds. It was the best coffee I have ever had anywhere. Maybe it was the water, the egg or the method or a combination.

[lvdkeyes]

I buy whole beans and store them in the freezer. I grind them as I need them. It’s the freshest I can do.

[Insanity]

THANKS GUYS !
This sure is being a learning experience. Funny how I never realized that coffee makers are wasting coffee.
Seems the ‘Cowboy Method’ is gonna be the one for me. I guess its gonna take some trial & effort to perfect the temp. and timing.
But this has been a ton of information.
I can also see where its gonna take finding the right coffee for this style of brewing, since nowadays, most coffees are ground for coffee makers.

One of the reasons I don’t buy whole beans to grind is coz growing up, my family always bought 8o’Clock coffee brand, which ya’ grind fresh right at the store, but then its recommended to use twice as much (2tbls per cup), so I’ve always assumed that fresh ground beans weren’t as strong ? ?
Seems there’s a lot of science to coffee. I remember years ago, most coffee brands recommended refridgeration after opening, but now they say NOT to refridgerate coz it causes the coffee to age too quickly. Never heard of freezing it. And I’ve never seen a brand or a store that keeps coffee in the freezer or refridgerator.
Thanks again…

[lvdkeyes]

Refrigerators will dry things out, whereas freezers won’t. I have been doing this for years with no problems. The amount of beans you use depends on what beans you buy, not on the fact that they are beans.

[Insanity]

Well, here’s how its going, and its pretty good.
I use a 4 1/2qt. stock pot, with a glass lid.
I measure in 12 cups (1 coffee pot full, 6oz. each cup) of water.
I start with cold water. I then add 1/2cup grounds (instead of the normal 3/4cup). Then I set my electric burner at med., which takes like 25 mins. to make that volume of water boil. Ergo, after 23 mins., I turn the steaming water off before it actually boils, and leave it on the burner for another 8 1/2 mins. Coffeee comes out great. Truly better than my Black & Decker was making. Add the clean up is so much easier, I’ll never need worry about having to run vinegar thru a machine to stop the bitterness.
1st time I tried it, I let the grounds & water boil, and it got too strong & bitter.
And just by luck, I have a stainless steel canister that holds an entire pot, and lo and behold, my coffee filter fits perfectly into the top without falling in, making the filtering a snap. And i can place the canister back on the burner at low, to keep the coffee hot, once the grounds are removed. Most of the grounds sink & stay at the bottom of the stock pot, making filtering even easier.

[Antilope]

Cooks Illustrated did a test of drip coffee makers a few years ago and found that as a whole they didin’t brew long enough (grounds should brew for at least 4-minutes) or hot enough (195-205 F degrees) to make a good cup of coffee. That explained our experience trying to find a good drip coffee maker.

We finally bought an electric hot pot to heat the water and got a french press. Now we get a good cup of coffee. The cold coffee is then kept in the fridge and used to make iced coffee. Wouldn’t have a drip coffee maker now if it was given to us.

[Insanity]

Well, being the scrooge I am, and worthy of the title my friends have given me of El Cheapo, I bought an off brand of coffee. Often, if you buy a store brand, ya’ might be surprized how good it is. Just as ya’ might get disapointed.
So anyways, I got this off brand, coz its driving me nuts how much coffee has risen in price over the last 6 months.
So following my previous recipe, didn’t work. Coffee came out way too weak.
Thus I experimented. Made the time it took just prior to boil by lowering the burner temp, and let it steep longer before filtering. It worked. This cheaper coffee came out as good, once I adjusted.
Kinda makes me proud.
Just as with the coffee, often the herbs vary, or the meat, or even the veggies.
Yeah, if ya’ wanna enjoy cooking…learn to adjust.

[librachild]

@Kitchen_Witch

Cowboy Coffee

Fill coffee pot with COLD water.
Add one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for each two cups of water. (Add the coffee directly to the water.)
Bring the water just to a rolling boil. Take off heat.
Add a splash (a couple of tablespoons) of cold water. This is to settle the coffee grounds. Allow the coffee to set for a couple of minutes for the settling to take place.
Pour and enjoy a taste of the old west

from my notes -

For the best flavor, skip the big brands at the supermarkets. They’ll let coffee sit on the shelves for months. 

You want freshly roasted products. Buy only enough coffee to last two to three weeks, since it degrades quickly. 

When you start to drink coffees that are 3 weeks old instead of 2 months old, you’ll eventually be able to tell the difference. 

Get these products directly from local roasters. If they stock other stores, ask how often they add new products. Also, ask your roaster about a coffee’s flavor, acidity, aroma, aftertaste, and sweetness—all characteristics used by the coffee industry to evaluate products. 

A key decision while buying coffee is choosing whole bean or ground products. Ideally, you’ll want to buy whole beans, because they maintain their flavor far longer than ground coffee. 

But, if you don’t know how to properly grind coffee, let your roaster do it. 

Roasters have a variety of opinions on how to store coffee. Sorrenti, for example, refrigerates ground coffee for a week. In a week’s time, it doesn’t lose flavor. 

Many don’t like the refrigerator because food inside can transfer odors to coffee. They prefer storing coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dark area. Ground coffee will last for a week, while whole beans will last two to three weeks. 

Or, if you freeze coffee, take out only what you need, let it come to room temperature, then brew it.


Some recommend storing coffee in airtight packaging. Once you open the bag, transfer the coffee to an airtight glass or ceramic jar. 

But how to brew? Most brewing methods require water heated between 195 and 205 degrees. But you don’t have to use a thermometer to get a good cup of coffee. 

For example, when using a French press pot, boil water until it bubbles vigorously, takes it off the heat, and waits about 20-30 seconds before brewing coffee. 

Drip coffeemakers also bring up the question of which filters to use: gold, stainless steel, white paper or brown paper. Some folks can taste the chemicals from white paper in their coffee. Some like the gold filters because they last a long time, and they don’t impart off flavors. 

Whichever method you use, always use water that doesn’t have any off flavors. 

Since brewed coffee is 95 to 98 percent water, using bad tap water will produce bad coffee. 

And be sure to clean your equipment well after each use. Coffee leaves an oily residue that can turn rancid. Steiman prefers using soap and water, while Sorrenti uses distilled vinegar and water. In any case, wash everything well to eliminate any off flavors.

more from my notes -

How much ground coffee to what amount of water?

Once again - personal taste. How strong do you want it, are you drinking it black or adding sweeteners, milks, etc?

Start with two level tablespoon of ground coffee for each 6-ounces of water. Don’t trust the measurements on your drip coffee makers - there is a dang good chance they are off!

NOTE: Some brands of coffee are weaker in taste than others.

REMEMBER: Coffee can be kept warm on a burner for only 20 minutes before the flavor turns bitter.

ALSO: The finer the grind, the more flavor is extracted.

AND: Reheated coffee will have a bitter taste.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS’ DIRECTIONS FOR THE COFFEE MAKER.

 Six Coffee Brewing Techniques   

There are primarily six popular ways of brewing coffee (excluding espresso), each a permutation of the brewing variables - brewing temperature, introduction of the water to coffee, and separating the brewed liquor from the coffee grounds. These methods are Turkish brewing, concentrate brewing, percolating, vacuum brewing, drip brewing, and French Press brewing.


Middle Eastern, "Turkish" or "Greek"

Middle Eastern, "Turkish" or "Greek" brewing involves boiling in water coffee that was ground into a very fine dust. Traditionally the coffee is often brewed (boiled) with large amounts of sugar, but it may be brewed without the sugar. Middle Easterners seem to like to add spice to their coffee, and their spice of choice is often cardamom. The coffee is not filtered from the liquor and one is left with a pungent, thick, and muddy brew. In the western world this method is more of an occasional indulgence as opposed to an everyday brew.


Concentrate Brewing

The next method, concentrate brewing, is very popular in Latin America and some other parts of the world, and is starting to make a commercial appearance in the US. In concentrate brewing, large amounts of coffee are brewed with little water to brew a concentrate, when one desires a cup of coffee, some of the concentrate is mixed with some hot water. The concentrate can either be brewed hot or cold. When brewing cold one must let the coffee sit for at least a day. This method results in a mild, light-bodied cup with little aroma, and often little acidity and a muted flavor.


Percolating

Percolating, the procedure that involves continuous brewing of coffee grounds using boiling water which then turns to boiling coffee liquor brewing overextracted grounds. This method, while practical, is a disparaging disgrace to the coffee bean. Even brewing with boiling water is bad enough (coffee should be extracted at 195 - 205 degrees F), then actually boiling the liquor is asking for a thin, bitter, tarry cup. To add insult to a sufficient mangling, the grounds are continuously being overextracted. However, to show the variance of personal preference, I know of people that prefer this method. I can only imagine the preference can only stem from either positive memories associated with it, an acclimation to it over years of knowing no other, or the same phenomena that makes people stop to stare at a car wreck.


Vacuum Brewing

Vacuum brewing uses an elegant looking device that consists of two glass globes that fit together with an air-tight seal. Either in one of the globes, or between the globes, is a filter to separate the grounds from the liquor. Ground coffee is placed in the upper globe, often on top of the filter, and enough water to brew the grounds is placed in the lower globe. The globes are then fitted together and the lower globe with the water is heated. The water in the lower globe begins to heat to a boil and as this causes the pressure in the lower globe to increase it forces the water up a tube connecting the globes and into the upper globe containing the grounds. Once all the water has made this air pressure induced trip, the apparatus is taken off the heat source. This allows the lower globe to cool down back to room temperature, decreasing the pressure in the lower globe and thus sucking the brewed coffee back down (through the filter) into the lower globe. The coffee is then poured out of the lower container and enjoyed. Well, perhaps not always enjoyed. Because while the vacuum brewer is a great visual, scientific, and romantic experience, it does not always produce the best cup. A great cup of coffee can be achieved with the vacuum brewer, but it has its downfalls. Firstly, the coffee is being extracted by water around 212F, while it should be extracted between 195F-205F. Secondly, their is very limited control over the extraction time (the time grounds are in contact with water). Some swear by this method and it is growing in popularity.



Autodrip

Autodrip! This is the most popular way to brew in the US. Drip brewing is simply pouring hot water over grounds in a filter and letting the brew drip out the bottom. Drip brewing is a very good way to brew and can give an excellent cup if the correct equipment is used. A primary issue with autodrip machines is that they don't brew at the right temperature! I have read that Bunn is one of the few companies who's machines are calibrated to extract at the right temperature. If one has a good autodrip machine or one decides to heat and pour the water themselves, the next issue to surmount is the filter. Paper filters can impart a taste on the coffee and also do not allow many of the coffee oils and organic compounds through. A good gold-plated reusable filter (we do carry some) is a great option for drip brewing. Provided you clean and rinse it well after each use, it will not impart a taste on the coffee, and they don't trap as much of the coffee's essence as a paper filter. Another slight drawback is that drip brewing, in general, does not give the operator much control over extraction time.



French Press or Press Pot

French-press brewing gives the operator complete control. While it may be more labor-intensive then autodrip, the brewing variables can be easily and directly controlled. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in the glass carafe, then water at the desired temperature is poured over the grounds and the top is placed on. When brewing is complete, the plunger (a mesh filter on a stick) is pressed down, pressing the grounds to the bottom and leaving the coffee liquor on top to be poured off. The filter is not as tight as a paper filter and because of the larger pores, a coarser grind is required so the grounds are filtered out, and the plunger does not become almost impossible to press down. The mesh of the filter allows the coffee oils and all those delicious dissolved and undissolved solids through without a problem. Also, because a coarser grind is required, a longer steep time is required (because of the decreased surface area to volume ratio). A brew time between 3 to 6 minutes is common for French-pressing. This prolonged, direct contact of the grounds with the water allows for a more complete, more controllable, and even extraction. Unfortunately, even with the highest quality burr coffee grinder or mill, a coarse grind will still result in some very small coffee grounds. These grounds are not filtered by the French-press filter and thus end up in the cup. A cup of French-pressed coffee with be noticeably fuller, with much more body, and often with more flavor, it will often also have the tell-tale sediment at the bottom of the cup. 



it's just a matter of taste - years ago everything was "eyeballed" and brewed until it smelled done or looked done and it was something they drank even if it was lousy - dumping coffee grounds in a pan and adding water, then straining was typical years ago

Thank you. I was sent whole beans which I keep in the freezer. I grind just enough for a cup or two in a small electric coffee grinder. I keep two, one for the coffee and one for spices. I enjoy DRIP coffee and used a cone and natural paper filter.

[Insanity]

@Kitchen_Witch

I get a kick out of this one - you’re funny -

Hiya’ KW, Glad ya’ like my sense of humor.
Yet, the fact is, this whole coffee thing is intriguing me.
Imagine, I took what I thought was not so good grounds, and by changing the brewing time, made it pretty good.
What that tells me, is that every ground brand(even the same brand, can vary due to crops), has an ultimate point, where it would be at its best. Meaning, no drip coffee maker could ever adjust to make coffee at its peak.
Thus, there’s no perfect recipe, coz it will always depend upon the coffee you have to work with.
Kinda makes coffee, a whole new form of art…

[Insanity]

Many many years ago ( was 18), I was managing a Perkins Pancake House.
It was different back then, Perkins had little control over the store owners, but did, of course, have a fair amount.
But the brand of coffee was our choice. I remember once we had Maxwell House, but then swicthed to an institutional only brand, Superior. Then years later, we switched to 5th Avenue. Superior was great coffee, and 5th Avenue was even better.
Except, guess what ?
Our owner had a policy of allowing employees to purchase product from him at his cost. This would increase how much he ordered, thus getting a lower per unit price, and it really kept employees from taken things for free.
Well, when any of us would make 5th Avenue coffee at home, it was horrible. Yet when made in our Bun double coffee maker at the restaurant, it was the best. Neither Superior or 5th Avenue were availiable to the public.
As far as me writting a book…I wish I had such aspirations. Yet, sure does seem that someone needs to.
Hahahahahaha, just figured out, if ya’ type an ‘8’, and then type a ‘)’, ya’ get a smily wearing shades…LOL

[philo]

Mushroom coffee is a type of coffee that contains dried, powdered mushrooms, typically blended with traditional coffee beans. The most popular type of mushroom used in mushroom coffee is Cordyceps, a medicinal mushroom known for its energy-boosting properties.

Mushroom coffee offers several health benefits, including:

1. Increased energy - Cordyceps mushrooms contain compounds that increase energy and stamina, making them a popular choice for athletes and people with active lifestyles.

2. Improved cognitive function - The antioxidants in mushroom coffee can help improve brain function, memory, and concentration.

3. Reduced inflammation - The anti-inflammatory properties of mushrooms can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

4. Boosted immunity - The compounds in mushrooms help boost the immune system, making it easier for the body to fight off infections and illnesses.

Mushroom coffee is becoming increasingly popular among health-conscious individuals who are looking for an alternative to traditional coffee that offers added health benefits. It can be enjoyed as a standalone beverage or used as a base for lattes and other coffee drinks.

While mushroom coffee is generally considered safe, it’s important to keep in mind that the effects of consuming large amounts of dried mushrooms are not well understood. As with any dietary supplement, it’s important to talk to your doctor before adding mushroom coffee to your routine to ensure it’s safe for you to consume.

Here is a simple recipe for the best mushroom coffee:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
• 1 tsp of dried, powdered Cordyceps mushroom
• 1 tsp of sweetener of your choice (optional)
• 1 cup of milk of your choice

Step by Step Preparation:

1. Brew a fresh cup of coffee using your preferred method.
2. While the coffee is brewing, place the dried, powdered Cordyceps mushroom in a small bowl.
3. Once the coffee is brewed, pour it into a blender or large mixing bowl.
4. Add the powdered Cordyceps mushroom and sweetener (if desired) to the coffee and blend until the mixture is smooth.
5. Pour the coffee and mushroom mixture into a saucepan and heat over low heat until warm.
6. Add the milk of your choice to the saucepan and whisk until frothy.
7. Pour the mushroom coffee into a mug and enjoy.

This recipe makes one serving of mushroom coffee. Feel free to adjust the amount of Cordyceps mushroom to your preference. Some people like a more subtle flavor, while others prefer a stronger mushroom taste.

Note: If you prefer, you can also add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for added flavor. Additionally, you can use any type of milk you prefer, including almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.

Enjoy your delicious and nutritious mushroom coffee!

[Mizzo]

Who Should Drink Mushroom Coffee?

Mushroom coffee may be beneficial for some people, but it is not appropriate for everyone. People who are allergic to mushrooms should avoid mushroom coffee altogether. Additionally, anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid consuming medicinal mushrooms, as there is not enough research to determine their safety.

If you are considering trying mushroom coffee, it is important to be aware of the potential side effects and speak with your healthcare provider. You should also be cautious when purchasing mushroom coffee products. Look for high-quality brands that use organic mushrooms and have been independently tested for purity and potency.