Text Juuso Viljanen / Uuttaja
Photos by Arttu Muukkonen
If you follow coffee professionals, coffee enthusiasts or cafes on any social media channel, you have probably noticed that nowadays you can use all sorts of tools and gadgets to make coffee. Often these gadgets can be very valuable. Have you ever been bitten by a little coffee bug?
Do I need to start buying expensive pots and pans now? Not necessarily. You can make a good cup of coffee without a hundred-euro jug or a coffee scale. Many tools make it easier, but they don't have to be high-end.
Below are five steps that will help you get started with hi-fi without spending a lot of money. And with just the basic stove you have at home.
1. Wet the filter paper with hot water before dispensing the coffee.
This prevents the taste of the paper from getting into the finished product, i.e. the coffee you drink. If you are skeptical about this tip, do a test: put two glasses of water on the table. Put a filter bag in the other glass as well.
Let the glasses and bag sit for three to four minutes, remove the bag and taste the water from each glass. You'll understand why this free little trick is recommended by every serious coffee lover or professional.
2. Weigh both water and coffee
Do you visually measure the amount of coffee in the filter bag? Do you make a stronger morning coffee by adding an extra spoonful? It wouldn't be worth it. You can significantly improve your coffee by weighing both the water and the amount of coffee during preparation. This is especially emphasized in hand extraction methods, but is also fully applicable when brewing with a Moccamaster.
Of course, you need a scale to weigh. And don't worry, it doesn't have to be a Hario for eighty bucks to be successful. You can get decent scales for a couple of bucks at Prismas, Tokmanni and kitchenware stores. A scale that shows grams accurately is good, and one that shows 0.1 gram accurately is even better.
3. Grind coffee beans just before brewing
Of course, you need a coffee grinder for grinding. You should immediately forget about coffee grinders with a chopping blade, they will immediately kill your hi-fi experiment. Investing in a conical-blade grinder is an investment in significantly better coffee cups. Conical-blade grinders can now be found for less than a hundred and are excellent devices for the price.
( Wilfa Svart from Lehmus Roastery's online store 95.00€ )
There's nothing stopping you from immediately investing several hundred in a disc-blade grinder, but if you want to start with a budget solution, for example, Wilfa's collections include a couple of different versions of conical-blade grinders.
4. Stir before serving
This is often forgotten. So when all the coffee has poured into the pan, before pouring it into the cups, lift the lid of the pan and even swirl it a few times with a spoon. The stronger extraction at the bottom mixes with the “weaker” extraction on the surface and the end result is more equal for all drinkers. Otherwise, you might have to make a little face at the bottom of the pan. Or at least add an excessive amount of milk - or even sugar - to the coffee.
5. Don't let coffee stand in a pot on a hot plate
Gas stations know this and everyone knows what they say about gas station coffee. So if you have leftover coffee cups in the pot or you brewed more than you can handle in a moment, pour the coffee into a thermos rather than storing it in a pot on a hot plate in the coffee maker.
The hot plate burns the coffee and turns it into the “tar”-like disgust familiar from workplace coffee rooms. Coffee stays warm in a thermos for even longer, as long as it is intact.
Finally, an extra tip if you want to get into new coffees and try out small roaster coffees:
+1. Give new coffee a chance
Tasting it once is not enough. Coffee has more flavor and aroma compounds than wine, so it's pretty clear that tasting it once doesn't tell the whole story. Take the time to smell the coffee, both in beans and ground, and savor your coffee over time, carefully and without rushing.
Let the coffee cool down a bit, as in many cases the flavors only come out then or are at their best. Coffee that is too hot will just burn your mouth and you won't taste anything at all.
Have a nice coffee time!
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If you want quality, freshly roasted coffee, visit In Lehmus Roastery's online store .