The most comprehensive guide to using coffee equipment

Coffee is one of the three major beverages in the world. Its global trade volume is second only to oil. It is a more popular beverage in the world than tea. There are many ways to make coffee. We will focus on introducing several common brewing methods: 1

Filter Coffee

The most popular way of brewing coffee among coffee lovers is to put lightly roasted and coarsely ground coffee powder into filter paper (or flannel), slowly pour hot water into the center of the coffee powder to extend to the periphery, and then return to the center from the periphery (no matter how to pour water, it is important to be even), soak the coffee powder in hot water and then drip it into the sharing pot to complete the extraction. Each cup of coffee uses about 8 to 12 grams of coffee powder, and the hot water needs to be 85-95℃.

Difficulty level: ★★★★

Playability index: ★★★★★

Flavor acquisition: ★★★★★

Equipment needed: hand brewing pot, filter cup, sharing pot, thermometer, grinder

2

Moka Maker

A type of distilled coffee brewed in a moka pot has a calm concentration and aroma. The moka pot is divided into two parts, the water is boiled in the lower part of the pot. When the water boils, due to the pressure of the steam, the boiling water rises through the filter containing coffee powder to reach the upper part of the pot. When the coffee begins to flow to the upper part of the pot, the fire needs to be turned down, because too high a temperature will cause the coffee to have a burnt taste and destroy its original flavor. The common Japanese siphon brewing method (syphon pot) also uses the same principle of thermal siphon. I personally do not recommend brewing a moka pot. The moka pot does have a greater impact on the flavor, and brewing fine beans is a waste of food.

Difficulty level: ★★☆

Playability index: ★★☆

Flavor acquisition: ★★

Equipment needed: Moka pot, grinder (or buy coffee powder directly)

3

Espresso Machine

Coffee beverages are extremely unstable liquids, and their properties and tastes can change in an instant. This is the main reason why the espresso machine was invented. The espresso machine can extract several cups of coffee continuously. The high pressure during the brewing process can emulsify and dissolve the oil and colloid in the coffee beans. The essence of the coffee beans is completely extracted through pressure, making the brewed coffee more concentrated, with a more mellow taste and aroma.

Difficulty level: ★★★★★

Playability index: ★★★★★

Equipment required: Italian coffee machine, Italian bean grinder and a series of supporting equipment

4

Siphon

There are generally two ways to brew coffee in a siphon pot. One is to put the coffee powder into the upper funnel first, then add water to the lower pot, and then put the funnel mouth tightly into the pot mouth, boil the water, and when the boiling water goes deep into the funnel, stir and soak for about 40 to 60 seconds, and then turn off the heating device. When the coffee drops back into the pot, you can remove the funnel and pour out the coffee to drink. The other is to boil water first, wait for the water to enter the upper pot, then pour the coffee powder into the upper pot, stir and soak for about 40 to 60 seconds, turn off the heating device, wait for the coffee to flow back to the lower pot, and then remove the funnel and pour out the coffee to drink.

Difficulty level: ★★★★

Playability index: ★★★★☆

Flavor acquisition: ★★★★☆

Equipment required: siphon pot, grinder, heating tools (alcohol lamp, gas stove, halogen lamp, etc.)

5

Belgian Pot/Balancing Syphon Pot

The principle of the Belgian pot is the same as that of the siphon pot. It also uses the principle of thermal siphon to extract coffee. At the same time, it also cleverly uses the principle of lever. The pot body is divided into two parts, which we will call the heating kettle and the extraction kettle for the time being. Pour the ground coffee powder (the coarseness is the same as the siphon pot) into the extraction kettle and heat the heating kettle with an alcohol lamp. When the water is close to boiling, bubbles will be generated and the water will be pressed into the extraction kettle to soak the coffee powder. After almost all the water is pressed into the extraction kettle, the body of the heating kettle becomes lighter and tilts up through the principle of lever. At this time, the cap of the alcohol lamp is automatically closed, the heating kettle begins to cool down, and the coffee liquid in the extraction kettle flows back to the heating kettle. In this way, the coffee is ready. Making coffee with a Belgian pot is a very ornamental method. To put it simply, it makes people feel high-end, atmospheric and classy.

Difficulty level:★

Playability index: ★★

Flavor acquisition: ★★★

Equipment needed: Belgian pot, grinder

6

French press

The French press method requires a glass or porcelain container and a wire mesh. In order to make the taste better, you'd better heat the container first, put in an appropriate amount of coarsely ground coffee powder, add 85~95 degree hot water to soak for 3~5 minutes, stir slowly, and then enjoy the fun.

Difficulty: ★★

Playability index: ★★★

Flavor acquisition: ★★★☆

Equipment needed: French press, grinder, thermometer

7

Clever Coffee Dripper

The smart cup is a very interesting device invented by Taiwan's EK Int'l company. It is a product produced by combining hand-pour and French press. Compared with the hand-pour drip cup, the smart cup is more convenient to use and more suitable for home users. The method of use (for reference only) is to put the filter paper into the smart cup, pour in 85~95℃ hot water to preheat the cup, then pour out the waste water, grind the coffee powder with the same coarseness as the hand-pour, pour in the hot water at a ratio of 1:12~15, stir evenly and let it stand. This process takes about 2 minutes, then put the smart cup on the coffee cup, the coffee liquid will automatically flow out, and a cup of fragrant coffee will be ready. In addition: the smart cup can also be used as a hand-pour filter cup.

Difficulty level: ★★★

Playability index: ★★★☆

Flavor acquisition: ★★★☆

Equipment required: Smart cup, grinder

8

Aeropress

It was officially released by the American company AEROBIE in 2005. Its structure is similar to a syringe. When using it, put ground coffee and hot water in its "syringe", then press the push rod, and the coffee will flow into the container through the filter paper. It combines the immersion extraction method of the French filter press, the filter paper filtration of the blister (hand-brewed) coffee, and the fast, pressurized extraction principle of Italian coffee. By changing the size of the coffee ground particles and the pressing speed, users can cook different flavors according to their preferences. In addition to being fast, convenient and effective, its cleaning and maintenance methods are also surprisingly simple - it only takes a few seconds to clean after use. AeroPress also has the advantages of being small and light and not easy to damage, making it quite suitable as a coffee brewing device for outdoor use.

Difficulty level: ★★★☆

Playability index: ★★★☆

Flavor acquisition: ★★★☆

Equipment needed: AeroPress, grinder, thermometer

9

American drip coffee maker (electric coffee maker)

Electric coffee makers are simple in structure, a device that heats water, and then drips the hot water directly through the filter containing the coffee. Because of the fast flow rate, the taste is light, and too high water temperature can easily cause over-extraction of coffee. Automatic drip coffee makers can brew moderate-tasting coffee without oil stains and sediments. Please choose a drip coffee maker with a minimum of 1000 watts. A coffee pot is a good coffee maker. In addition, remember to grind the coffee beans according to the shape of the filter; conical filter filters are suitable for medium-ground coffee beans, and flat-bottomed transitions are suitable for fine-ground coffee beans.

Difficulty: ★★

Playability index: ★★

Flavor acquisition: ★★★

Equipment required: American drip machine, grinder