Coffee Maker Style Guide

According to statistics, 52 percent of Americans are coffee drinkers. This translates to greater than 140 million people who drink coffee daily. Americans are a diverse population and far from unanimously agreeing on what makes a good cup of coffee. Happily, there are a number of different kinds of coffee makers available today. 

Coffee lovers can select the brewing machine that matches their preferences. Common coffee maker styles include Automatic Drip, Automated Espresso, French Press, Percolator, Stovetop Espresso, and Vacuum style. Each has its own pros and cons and gives the person varying control over the end result. 

Automatic Drip Coffee Maker 

The automatic drip coffee maker might be the most popular alternative for Americans. This style is simple to make use of and are inexpensive to purchase. Most operate on the identical principle. Contained in the coffee pot is a filter basket where a paper filter holds the coffee grounds. Cold water is poured into the reservoir where it is heated before being poured over the grounds. The resulting coffee flows into a carafe. The brewed coffee is kept warm by the hot surface beneath the carafe. 

Individuals who don't like to use automatic drip coffee makers complain that they do not make a very good cup of coffee. Keeping the coffee maker and carafe clean, utilizing quality coffee and disposable paper filters will help ensure a better result. 

Automatic Espresso Coffee Maker 

Automatic espresso coffee makers are available in semi-automatic, fully automatic and super automatic versions. Semi-automatic models tamp the coffee grounds, brew the coffee, fill the cup and eject grounds. Fully automatic models also grind the coffee. Super models supply all kinds of options, including built in water filters. 

French Press Coffee Maker 

French Press coffee makers are also referred to as press pots or plunger pots. The pot is a glass or porcelain cylinder which incorporates a stainless, mesh plunger that works as a filter. 

The consumer measures coffee grounds into the pot and adds nearly boiling water. The plunger is put in place but not pushed till the coffee has steeped a number of minutes. After steeping, the plunger is pushed and the espresso is ready. 

There is no hot surface to maintain coffee temperature so the coffee must be served instantly or placed into a thermal carafe of some sort. 

Percolator Coffee Maker 

Percolator coffee makers are available in range top types and in electric styles. Most modern ones are both electric and can be programmed. Some models make just one cup of coffee, others could make 12 cups at a time. The large coffee urns utilized by many organizations work on the percolation principle however brew more than one hundred cups of coffee at a time. 

Percolator coffee makers are not used as often as they used to be. These machines constantly run the water over the grounds and the water is boiled. Many coffee lovers claim that both actions violate the legal guidelines of creating good coffee. 

Coffee made via percolator tends to be stronger and often bitter tasting than coffee made with other brewing methods. 

Vacuum Coffee Maker 

Vacuum coffee makers look more like chemistry lab equipment than coffee machines. This type consists of two overlapped containers that are connected by a syphon tube. There's a filter in the bottom of the upper container. 

The user places water in the lower container and coffee grounds within the upper container. The machine is then placed on top of the stove where the heated water vaporizes and passes through the syphon tube into the upper container. 

A brewing cycle lasts roughly three minutes. When the unit is removed from heat, the vapor turns back to water and is forced through the filter and back into the lower container. Farberware created the first automatic vacuum coffee maker model whereas Sunbeam made the first truly automatic modern one. 

Coffee lovers can choose from a wide variety of coffee makers. From cheap range top coffee pots to high end super automated coffee makers, there is a coffee maker for every choice as well as every budget.

By: Dr Bryan Stoker

Coffee Processing and Storage

Most coffee beans are made up of two flat-sided seeds – the peaberry has one single small bean - which lie within the flesh of the ripe cherry.

Wet processing

Wet processing is relatively expensive, but is beneficial to the quality of the coffee, due to the fermentation process, which takes place during wet processing, imparting certain beneficial flavours to the bean. The berries are first soaked in water to remove impurities, and any unripe berries are left to sink to the bottom, leaving the ripe fruit to float on top. The ripe berries are collected after soaking and ‘depulped’ – usually with the help of a machine – to remove the outer flesh and then put into large water tanks where they are left to ferment. This process (which lasts a couple of days) removes the non-soluble parts of any remaining flesh and also imparts aroma and flavour to the bean.  On completion of this fermentation process the coffee beans are washed again.

In some areas and on some estates, machines are utilised to eliminate the fermentation stage and obviously this has some effect on the flavour. At this stage of wet processing, the beans are still covered by what is known as a parchment husk, and for this reason the beans are referred to as 'parchment coffee'.

The washed parchment coffee is next spread out on to concrete slabs or drying racks and left out in the sun to dry naturally. The beans are turned several times a day to ensure even drying. Depending on weather conditions, this process can take five or six days. Large coffee growing estates make use of drying machines - huge metal drums inside which hot air circulates - and to ensure the beans dry evenly, the drums rotate continually. This drying process lasts about 24 hours. Dried parchment coffee has an attractive golden yellow colour and is known as ‘pergamino’ (or ‘oro’) coffee.
The next stage of the story is the storage of the pergamino coffee beans in large silos prior to them being mechanically hulled (the removal of the dried outer ‘husk’) by special machines with grooved cast iron cylinders.

Coffee Dry Processing

Dry processing is utilised in Brazil and across a large part of Africa - generally for lower quality Arabica and Robusta coffee cherries. This is a simple technique, which is less labour intensive than wet processing - however cheaper production costs must be offset against a loss in quality, since the length of the drying process is dependent on the climate.  Once all twigs, leaves, and other foreign objects have been sieved out, the dry processing begins. The coffee cherries are processed immediately after harvesting, either by sun drying, solar drying or artificial drying. In sun drying, the coffee cherries are placed on a clean floor and left to dry in the open air. In solar drying, the cherries are placed in a closed cabinet in sunlight, which has ventilation holes to let moisture out. Artificial drying is used mostly during the wet season, when the low level of sunlight means the time needed for solar drying makes the cherries prone to mould. After drying, the cherries are hulled in the same way as the wet processed ones.
At the end of the hulling process the beans attain their familiar olive green colour, however some varieties have a blue shade and are the high quality so-called 'blue' coffees.
Finally the finished coffee beans are packed in to 60 kilo bags (although Colombia still insist on using 70 kilo bags) and stored in dry cool barns or warehouses.
The cultivation and processing of the coffee bean is now largely at an end, and the producer will next sell his product on to a wholesale distributor or exporter.

The Art of the Perfect Espresso Crema

Espresso drinks are enjoyed the world over and there are an enormous number of different types and makes of espresso machines available. However they all use a similar process to extract the delicious coffee oils into the final beverage.

It is the quality and formation of the ‘crema’ that reflects the quality of the espresso beverage. The best indication of good espresso is the crema. The ‘crema’ traps and holds the finest coffee oils and aromas that in other brewing processes are lost to the atmosphere. The crema should form as a thick, golden-brown, marbled foam across the whole surface of the espresso cup and cling to the sides.
In addition to the quality of the crema, the appearance of the flow or pour of the espresso from the spout of the espresso machine also signals quality. Initially, you should see a thick, almost viscous, dark, honey coloured flow that gently lightens as the extraction proceeds. The flow should form a continuous, flickering stream, similar to the tail of a mouse, up to the point of shut-off 20 or so seconds later.
It is important to look out for the signs of under or over extraction in the espresso process and take corrective action accordingly.
Over-extraction is signified by a slow, broken trickle with a dark brown (burnt) crema. This means that the water and coffee were in contact for too long. This occurs if the coffee grind is too fine, effectively blocking the filter, or by using too much coffee in the filter basket. The coffee will scorch in the basket and the espresso will taste bitter and burnt. Over-extraction can also occur if the brew cycle is too long and harsh coffee acids and tannins are extracted by too much water passing through the coffee. The appearance of white marks or streaks appearing towards the end of the pour is an indication of the brew cycle being too long.
Under-extraction is signalled by a rapid, bubbling flow from the spout and a thin, broken crema. This can be a result of using a coffee grind that is too coarse, by not using sufficient coffee or from tamping too lightly. All result in the hot water passing through the coffee too fast so it is unable to extract the desired coffee solubles and oils. The result is a thin, insipid sour brew of espresso. Under-extraction can also be a result of the water temperature being too low.
By carefully watching out for these symptoms the espresso machine operator or barista can take corrective action to ensure delicious espresso drinks are always available.
Written by Fenton Wayne - (Fenton Wayne is an independent advisor in the coffee and vending trade where he has over 25 years experience.

How To Make Unusual Coffee Drinks

In order to make your own unusual speciality coffee drinks or to produce them in your catering establishment you will need a few extra ingredients.

In addition to your espresso beans, sugars, milk and chocolate sprinkle that are used to make most standard coffee drinks you will need to purchase a supply of cherries, almonds, hazelnuts, whipped cream and ground cinnamon. These will probably suffice for most recipes and of course not all are required for every recipe.

The final ingredients required however, are flavoured syrups. These special syrup flavourings are available from good coffee retailers or can be ordered over the internet easily enough. If you run your own establishment then your usual coffee supplier will probably stock these items and can deliver them with your usual coffee order.

There are several makes of flavoured syrups available depending on which country you are from, but my particular favourite are the 1883 de Philibert Routin brand from France. The most common flavoured syrups are vanilla, chocolate, amaretto, cinnamon, caramel, Irish cream and hazelnut, but more exotic and unusual flavours are available for more elaborate recipes.

Why not start with a couple of flavours and build up a collection as you get to know and experience various recipes.
There are many recipes freely available on the internet which you can try out as well as experimenting and perhaps designing your very own!

To get you started here’s a couple you may want to try out.

We assume you have you own espresso machine with steam wand and are familiar with steaming and foaming milk.
Mochanilla
Ingredients:
16 ml chocolate syrup
16 ml vanilla syrup
1 shot of espresso
6 oz (180 ml) cold milk
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder

Method:

Mix together the two syrups and the milk in a jug. Steam foam the mixture. Pour the espresso into a 12 oz (250 ml) glass, and add the steamed milk mixture. Top with whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.

Bistro de Paris
Ingredients:
8 ml  hazelnut syrup
Double shot of espresso coffee
Whipped cream
Shaved hazelnut

Method:

Pour the hazelnut syrup into a 6 oz (180 ml) cup. Add a double shot of espresso and stir. Top with whipped cream and garnish with shaved hazelnut.

Try making these at home for a delicious change or offering them at your own catering establishment as an alternative – you may be surprised at how popular they will become.

Written by Fenton Wayne - (Fenton Wayne is an independent advisor in the coffee and vending trade where he has over 25 years experience.