Coffee Info

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Ah, coffee... The fuel that gets me through the day.

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages on the planet after water, tea, and beer.  In the U.S. alone, coffee generates $18 billion in revenue annually.  Over 50% of the U.S. population over 18 consumes coffee on a daily basis.  Check out these facts, along with a slew of other fascinating coffee statistics here. 

Seriously, I cannot remember the last morning I did not have at least one cup of delicious, steaming cuppa joe.  My father, and his father, are both avid coffee drinkers, and by growing up around the two of them, I've inherited the habit.  All three of us drink it black (the only acceptable way) and it's a great way to facilitate inter-generational bonding.

The thing that most fascinates and excites me about coffee is how the seeds from a single plant, Coffea arabica, can produce an infinite variety of flavors.  Depending on the growing conditions, washing methods, roasting degree, coarseness of grind, and method of brewing, the final cup of coffee can vary drastically.

Coffee is unique from other beverages I review on this blog because, unlike beer, soda, and wine, I, the end consumer, have a greater degree of control over the final product, depending on how I grind the beans and brew them.  Keeping this in mind, my coffee reviews will take equally into account the properties of the beans themselves as well as the method used to prepare them.  So let's take a look at the different ways I have of preparing my morning boost.

Brewing Methods

Drip Brewer

The old standby.  

French Press

Definitely my favorite method of brewing coffee, the French press delivers the boldest flavor and often brings out subtle notes in a coffee that are lost with other brewing methods.

Stovetop Percolator

I found my trusty 1960's Cory DGPL-4 percolator at a thrift store for only $2.  The sturdy bakelite handle gives it a sort of mid-century elegance as well as a high heat resistance.  Equally at home on electric ranges and open campfires, the Cory percolator delivers a bold flavored brew, almost on par with the strength of a French press.  Also like the French press, the percolator requires very coarsely ground beans.  

The downside is that it takes much longer to brew than any other method I have tried.  Even over high heat, it takes about 15 minutes for the percolator to get going, but once it does, it's a sight to behold.  With clear glass sides, you can watch the first drops of coffee drip back down into the bottom, slowly staining the whole pot of water a delicious brown.  Whenever I use the percolator I think of the story of Jesus changing the water into wine.  I've always thought of Jesus as being more of a coffee person.

Cory DGPL-4 Percolator

Espresso Machine

Krups

Other Equipment

Burr Grinder

My current grinder is a Cuisinart DBM-8 that I found at a thrift store (starting to see a pattern here?) for only $6, which is pretty good since it retails around $50.  While it's not the fanciest grinder out there, it definitely gets the job done and does it well.  There are sixteen increments of fineness you adjust by rotating the whole upper hopper.  A slider bar adjusts the amount of beans to grind ranging from four to eighteen cups.  Once you set the fineness and the amount, you press the button and the rest is fully automatic.

The one downside is that even when grinding coarsely, a significant amount of very fine grounds build up on the upper right side of the bottom hopper.  These grounds inevitably fall out with the rest of the grounds as you dump them into your brewer, leading to particularly sludgy French presses.  I personally don't have a problem with a sludgy French press, but some people do.  Overall a very solid grinder.  I am very happy with my thrift store find!

Cuisinart DBM-8