IN winter, drinking coffee is a great way of staying warm. When it’s cold outside, walking to a coffee shop can be a drag, but there is a way of having a nice cup of coffee without leaving your home. Here is how you make a cup of coffee that you can enjoy with your feet up on the sofa.
Beans
You can’t make a good coffee without high-quality beans, according to Li Jianwen, owner of the Shenzhen Zunweilu Trading Co. Ltd., a professional coffee importer.
Buying freshly roasted beans, as opposed to those packaged and stored for months, is a sure way to make a better cup of coffee. The best beans should be no more than two months old.
You should check the grade of a coffee bean. Grade is generally used to indicate coffee bean size, which is associated with coffee quality. While there are many exceptions, coffee beans grown at higher elevations tend to be denser, larger, and have better flavor. The process of determining coffee bean size, or grading, is done by passing unroasted beans through perforated containers, or sieves.
“For example, Kenya AA grade is very good and half a pound of roasted coffee beans at this grade only cost about 130 yuan (US$20.5),” said Li.
There are two major categories of green beans, Arabica and Robusta. Arabica are quality beans which are used at high-end coffee shops, while Robusta is more affordable.
“Higher-grade beans contain fewer bad beans and this can also affect the taste of the coffee,” he said.
The third thing to look for when choosing beans is their roast level. “You can tell the level from the color. Higher level beans will have a darker color and stronger taste. For most people, medium roast is an ideal choice as it can maintain the beans’ flavor,” Li said.
How to brew
If possible, use filtered water instead of tap water.
The water temperature is also important. It is better to keep the temperature at about 85 to 93 degrees Celsius. Never brew your coffee with water at 100 degrees Celsius.
After you’ve bought some high-quality, freshly roasted beans, the next step is to keep them fresh before grinding them yourself. One of the best ways to do this is to buy whole beans, store them in an airtight container, and grind them just before brewing. In this way, you’ll keep the flavors locked in.
Of course, if you don’t want to bother, you can always have them ground at the coffee bean shops.
You can decide how heavily you grind them according to your taste. Heavily ground beans have a stronger taste.
Different equipment requires different brewing time, so don’t forget to check before making the coffee. The ratio of water to coffee in the cup should be about 10-20 to 1.
The right gizmo
To make coffee, equipment such as syphon, dripper and French press are all recommended.
If you are looking for something easier to use and cheaper to acquire, American coffee maker may be your best choice, as the only thing you have to take care of is the beans’ grinding level.
In Shenzhen, places such as Sungang Warehouse and Luohu Commercial City have fairly cheap coffee makers and you can always find even cheaper ones on taobao.com, the country’s largest online shopping Web site.
However, if you want high-quality makers, you need to go to a reputable shop or supermarket.
For high-quality coffee makers, Japanese brands, such as Hario and Kalita, are recommended. “Don’t buy these brands on taobao.com. If you don’t have professional knowledge about these products, you may end up paying through the nose for a fake,” Li said.
(Wang Yuanyuan)
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