Espresso, pour-over, siphon, moka pot? Learn all the different ways of brewing coffee!

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Previous articles about various coffee brewing utensils have attracted a lot of attention from fans, so today the editor has specially sorted out the different common coffee brewing methods on the market: espresso, hand-brewed single origin, siphon pot, moka pot? Today, let you understand it all at once!

Espresso

Espresso is the fastest way to extract coffee, and the equipment is also the most expensive, ranging from just over 10,000 to hundreds of thousands, which is like parking a car on a table...

It is made by pressing coffee powder with hot water at about 90 degrees Celsius and a force of about 9 atmospheres (bar). Usually, a cup contains only 30 ml and has a reddish-brown foamy fat (Crema) floating on the surface. It has the characteristics of fast brewing and high concentration, and needs to be cooked in a special machine.

When coffee powder comes into contact with 90 degrees Celsius hot water, it releases carbon dioxide, as well as essential substances such as oils and spices in the coffee powder. Since carbon dioxide has its own gas pressure and water has its own surface tension, and the high-pressure water of 9 atmospheres has the same gas pressure as carbon dioxide, it can allow water to envelop carbon dioxide, which is the essence of coffee beans, and form Crema.

Italian coffee equipment

Italian coffee machine: It is recommended to buy one from a large manufacturer that costs at least 10,000 yuan, as the quality is guaranteed.

Bean grinder: The choice of blade type is very important. The importance of the bean grinder is even higher than the coffee machine itself, which affects the quality of the ground coffee powder.

Steel milk froth cup: a must for making milk froth and latte art. It is recommended to choose one that is twice the capacity of a coffee cup.

Thermometer, measuring cup, timer: Due to the extremely fast extraction speed, even the slightest difference in data will have a great impact on the flavor.

Italian coffee characteristics

The extraction speed is extremely fast: an average of 30 seconds for a cup of coffee. The steps are simple and it is easy to learn if it is made into a set of SOPs. It has become the preferred brewing method for almost all coffee chains.

Variety: It is very common to drink espresso directly in Italy (according to statistics, Italians drink an average of 7 cups of coffee in different forms a day). In China, espresso is mostly made into latte, macchiato, cappuccino and other fancy coffees.

Expensive equipment: Compared with skills, Italian coffee requires more equipment. Unlike hand-brewed coffee, it is difficult to brew a good cup of espresso with a coffee machine with a poor boiler and pump.

Unable to show the characteristics of coffee beans: Italian coffee emphasizes fast extraction, which to some extent destroys the original uniqueness of coffee. Currently, many stores choose to roast or blend coffee beans to show the characteristics of their own Italian coffee.

More Espresoo knowledge:

Hand-poured single origin coffee

In an era when all kinds of coffee machines are blooming everywhere, hand-brewed coffee, which requires simple equipment and requires careful tactile skills, is like a return to nature. It originated from Japan, which pursues exquisite culture, and has fascinated many coffee connoisseurs and life experts.

Hand-brewed coffee, as the name suggests, is to pour hot water on coffee powder and extract the coffee through filter paper and filter cup. The whole brewing process takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Since the flow rate, direction and temperature of hot water are all controlled by the brewer, the flavor of the coffee brewed is different almost every time. Although the equipment is simple, it requires a lot of skills and experience.

Hand brewed coffee utensils

Bean grinder: Freshly ground coffee is the freshest. The particle size and uniformity of coffee powder are also key factors affecting the flavor of hand-brewed coffee. The powder particles suitable for hand-brewed coffee are about the size of No. 2 sugar. The more uniform the particles, the better the brewed coffee tastes.

Filter paper: Different filter cups have their own suitable filter paper. Filter paper can absorb some of the coffee's flavor and oil. Unbleached filter paper may have some paper smell.

Pour-over kettle: There are various sizes and materials of pour-over kettles on the market, and you can choose according to your needs. The size of the mouth of the kettle will affect the brewing results because it is related to the amount of water output. Beginners are generally recommended to use a narrow-mouthed kettle (as shown below), which is easier to control. In addition, each pour-over kettle is suitable for different heating methods (induction cooker or gas stove), so pay special attention when purchasing.

Filter cup: The size and material of the filter cup are also different. There are three main shapes: fan-shaped, cone-shaped and wave-shaped. The size of the filter diameter at the bottom of the filter cup will affect the flow rate of the extracted coffee, and thus affect the flavor of the coffee.

The fan-shaped filter cup has a small filter diameter, slow flow rate, and a mellower taste; the conical filter cup has a large filter diameter, fast flow rate, and a lighter taste; the wave filter cup has a flat bottom and is paired with special wave filter paper to filter out the most even coffee. The more special one is the metal filter cup, which does not need to be used with filter paper, can retain more coffee oil and has a stronger taste, but some finer coffee powder may not be filtered out.

Share pot and coffee cups: Used to hold filtered coffee, it is best to heat it first to maintain the coffee temperature.

Auxiliary equipment: Electronic scales, thermometers and timers can make the coffee brewing process more accurate.

Characteristics of hand brewed coffee

Fast extraction speed and efficiency: Compared with other coffee brewing methods, hand-brewed coffee has fresh hot water continuously passing through the coffee powder during the extraction process, which makes the extraction speed faster and can extract more substances from the surface of the coffee. However, due to the fast speed, it may be over-extracted if not well controlled. This is the same as frying fish in a pan over high heat. The fish has a large heating area, but if it is not well controlled, it may burn.

There are many influencing factors: Although it is only a process of a few minutes, the water flow rate, water temperature, coffee powder particles, filter cup shape, etc. will affect the final flavor of the coffee, so sufficient research and preparation are required before brewing.

Coffee has diverse flavors: Coffee brewed under different conditions has different flavors, and different types of beans are suitable for different conditions.

Seeing this, you may think that hand-brewed coffee is complicated and requires skills, and it seems that it is not so easy to get started. Yes, hand-brewed coffee is certainly more difficult than brewing coffee with a coffee machine, but just like buying flour and kneading dough yourself, every detail can be controlled by you, and the flavor of the final brewed coffee is naturally unique. And by adjusting various variables, you can try all possible flavors of coffee, which is the charm of hand-brewed coffee!

Hand-brewed single product children - drip coffee

A mini version of the hand-poured method, it is convenient, fast and cheap. Although the aroma it can express is not as rich as hand-poured coffee, it can maintain a certain coffee flavor and is an ideal choice for a cup of single-origin coffee when you are busy.

Before drinking a single product, first understand how coffee beans are processed↓

Siphon coffee

The siphon pot originated in Germany and is a tool that uses the pressure generated by boiling water to brew coffee. The structure of the siphon pot is an upper and lower pot connected by a tube in the middle. The lower pot filled with hot water will first be heated by an alcohol lamp or a gas lamp; because under an atmosphere of 1 atmosphere, the volume ratio of 1 gram of liquid water to 1 gram of water vapor is 1:100, so when the volume of the water vapor in the lower pot increases with the temperature, it can easily push the liquid water through the tube to the upper pot equipped with filter cloth and coffee powder, and the water will continue to be supported in the upper pot by the endless water vapor.

When the heating is stopped, the air in the lower pot will gradually cool down and shrink, and the coffee liquid in the upper pot that has been soaked in hot water will flow back to the lower pot due to the loss of the support of the water vapor in the lower pot. The coffee grounds are blocked by the filter cloth and remain in the upper pot. Finally, the upper pot can be removed and the coffee in the lower pot can be enjoyed.

Siphon pot equipment

Siphon coffee features

Rich taste: Combining the richness of Italian coffee and the distinct layers of hand-brewed coffee, it is suitable for brewing single-origin coffee.

Beautiful utensils: Brewing utensils that resemble alchemy or scientific experiments are also an alternative decoration and taste when placed indoors.

Difficult to operate: When the water temperature is too high, the coffee powder will burn and cause bitterness, long-term soaking will produce astringency, and excessive stirring will produce sourness. Therefore, the siphon pot is a tool that requires considerable experience to use properly.

Moka Pot Coffee

A moka pot, also known as a stove-top Italian coffee pot, uses basic physics to brew the perfect cup of coffee. There are three compartments in the moka pot: one for water, one for ground coffee, and one for brewed coffee.

The Moka pot is heated on the stove, which makes the water produce steam, increasing the pressure in the bottom compartment, pushing the water upward through the coffee grains and finally into the upper compartment. When the coffee fills the upper compartment, it can be poured out. The pressure in the compartment of the Moka pot is relatively low, only accumulating to 1.5 bar, which is much lower than the 9 bar pressure reached by traditional Italian coffee machines. However, this coffee pot is simple in design and can brew good coffee, so it is widely popular among the general public.

Alfonso Bialetti invented the Moka pot in the 1930s, and it is said that he got the idea from watching his wife doing laundry. Early washing machines came with a bucket of soapy water that had to be boiled over a fire. The water was then pushed out of a tube and poured onto the dirty clothes. Bialetti's coffee pot used the same principle, and his design has not changed much to this day. Since its introduction in 1933, 300 million Moka pots have been sold worldwide, making it a must-have for coffee lovers around the world.

Moka Pot Utensils

The left side A is the lower pot for water, and the protrusion on the outer edge is the pressure relief valve. The right side B is the middle layer, which is used to store coffee powder.

Upper pot A is used to hold brewed coffee

Moka Pot Features

Strength: Between espresso and siphon coffee.

Easy to carry: A must-have for people who like to go hiking and swimming, it is durable and can brew good quality coffee. It is great to have a cup of good coffee with you in the beautiful scenery of the mountains. The traces on it are the struggles it has gone through with you.

Safety: Because of the pressure, pay attention to the control of the alcohol lamp when brewing, and the water in the lower pot must not flood the pressure relief valve.

Other Brewing Methods

American coffee machine & fully automatic coffee machine

The most common coffee machine is easy to operate and anyone can use it. Compared with other brewing methods, the quality of the coffee brewed is poor and the taste is monotonous.

Capsule coffee machine

No matter how good the milk powder is, it will never taste better than fresh milk. This is a logical problem. Don't be brainwashed by the evil Bird's Nest brand.

3-in-1 coffee, instant coffee

In fact, we should be skeptical about whether the ingredients of many instant coffees are "coffee" and what proportion of "coffee" they contain. Even if they are real coffee, most of them are made from low-quality coffee beans. It's a cost-effectiveness issue. After low-quality coffee beans are branded and packaged, they are sold at the same price as fresh coffee beans?

Conclusion

The knowledge of coffee is extensive and profound, even more complex than red wine. Different bean varieties, origins, estates, coffee bean processing, roasting methods, and brewing methods have evolved into tens of thousands of different coffee flavor variations. But in fact, as long as you buy a cup of coffee you have never tasted before every day and try it repeatedly, you can slowly become a little coffee expert. Don't be greedy for temporary convenience and lose the fun of exploring in life while drinking bad coffee.

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