Crema ( The caramel-colored foam that comes to the surface of the espresso-much like the head on a beer, only slightly thinner. The crema is vital to a good esp. It is made up of the solubles that pass through during the brewing process.
Making a good cup of coffee does not mean you have to make from only (expensive Espresso machine) though there are a lot of way to make a good cup......(amy)FRENCH PRESS
A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger or cafetière, is a simple coffee brewing device, probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Attilio Calimani in 1931.
A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical jug usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a "plunger", made of metal or plastic, which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grinds at the bottom of the jug.
The French press goes by various names around the world. In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa the whole apparatus is known as a coffee plunger and coffee brewed in it is known as plunger coffee. Its French name is cafetière à piston. In French it is also known by its brand names, notably a Bodum or a melior, from an old brand of this type. In the UK and Ireland the device is known as a cafetière, the French word for a coffee maker or pot.
Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee should be served immediately so as to not become bitter from over-extraction. A typical 8-cup French press is considered expired after 20 minutes.[citation needed]
Coffee for use in a French press should be of a consistent, coarse grind. The use of a burr mill grinder gives a more consistent grind than the whirling blade variety. The ground coffee should be more coarse than that used for a drip brew coffee filter, and far coarser than that used for espresso, as a finer grind will seep through the press filter and into the coffee.
A French press is also more portable and self contained than other coffee makers. Travel mug versions also exist made of tough plastic instead of the more common glass, and have a sealed lid with a closable drinking hole. Some versions are marketed to hikers and backpackers not wishing to carry a heavy metal percolator or a filter using drip brew.
Despite the name, the French press is not noticeably more popular in France than in other countries. In most French households, coffee is usually prepared by drip brewing, using an electric coffeemaker and paper filters.[citation needed]
A French press can also be used in place of a tea infuser to brew loose tea.
As the French press is a filterless brewing method, some compounds in unfiltered coffee are thought to lead to an increase in cholesterol. See health risks of coffee for a more detailed explanation.
MOKA POT
The Moka pot (or Espresso pot, or Moka Express), is a stovetop espresso maker, based on the principle of preparing coffee with pressurized boiling water. On their English language website Bialetti refers to their product as a coffee maker, not an espresso maker.[1] As the beverage produced by a Moka pot is not the same as coffee or espresso the terms moka or stovetop espresso is often used to refer to it. It was invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and while there are currently many manufacturers, his company Bialetti continues to market the leading model, known by the brand name Moka Express. The original design was made from aluminium with bakelite handles.
In Italy, where Bialetti is based, the moka pot is in almost every home; elsewhere, it is known as an iconic design, displayed in modern industrial art museums, such as the Science Museum in London. Mokas come in different sizes, from one to eighteen coffee cups.[2]
Water is poured in the boiler (marked A in the diagram) and the funnel-shaped metal filter (B) is inserted. Finely ground coffee is added to the filter as shown below. The upper part (which has a second metal filter at the bottom) is tightly screwed on the base. By placing the pot on a heat source, the water is brought close to boiling point creating steam in the boiler. A gasket ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, where a safety valve provides a necessary release in case this pressure should get too high (with clean filters, that should not happen).
The steam eventually reaches a high enough pressure to gradually force the surrounding boiling water up the funnel through the coffee powder and into the upper chamber (C), where the coffee is collected. When the lower chamber is almost empty, steam bubbles mix with the upstreaming water, producing a characteristic gurgling noise.
As with percolators, the pot should not be left on the stove so long that the coffee boils. Ideally, with a little practice, it should be removed from the heat before it actually starts gurgling--usually, when only about half of the top chamber has been filled.
The coffee produced by a moka pot is a form of espresso known as stovetop espresso. [3] The flavor of moka pot espresso depends greatly on bean variety, roast level, fineness of grounds, and the level of stovetop heat used. Due to the higher pressures involved, the mixture of water and steam reaches temperatures well above 100°C, causing a more efficient extraction of caffeine and flavours from the grounds, and resulting in a much stronger brew when compared to that obtained by drip brewing. However, since a typical moka cup is about 30ml, the actual amount of caffeine per serving is smaller.
Moka pots require periodic replacement of the rubber seal and the filters and a check that the safety release valve is not blocked.
After use, a coat of greasy coffee residues is left lining the interior of the stems, filters and upper chamber. This thin layer protects the coffee from contact with the aluminum wall, which might otherwise give a slight metallic taste to the coffee.[citation needed]
Moka pots are normally made of aluminium for use over an open flame or on an electric range. However, Bialetti now makes several electric moka pots and several stainless steel stovetop espresso machines of a somewhat different design.
Brikka is an improved Moka pot by Bialetti. It incorporates a weight on top of the nozzle that causes pressure to build up inside the water tank in a manner similar to old style pressure cookers. It is designed to give a crema foam similar to that of an espresso machine, although it should be noted that the crema delivered by the Brikka is different and thinner. Also the taste differs from both the Moka Express and espresso. The brew is generally considered to be more enjoyable than the Moka Express'.
Mukka Express is a recently-introduced Moka pot by Bialetti. It has a special valve that froths milk while the coffee is being made. The result is a coffee drink similar to a latte, though the Mukka Express product is weaker than the version of the drink often made in cafés. The name, 'Mukka', is a pun on the Italian for cow, 'mucca', and moka.
| AERO PRESS There’s always a better way – ALWAYS! Humans have been consuming coffee for 1200 years, the first coffee shop opened 500 years ago and coffee is the world’s second largest traded commodity, behind only oil. More than 1.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day with the US market for coffee machines at 20 million a year and growing. You’d think we would have already perfected the best way to produce a cup of coffee from coffee bean but several years of research by Stanford University mechanical engineering lecturer Alan Adler (the inventor of the Aerobie flying disk which holds the world throwing record of more than a quarter mile) appear to have found a better coffee machine. Independent reviews suggest the new Aerobie AeroPress delivers the smoothest, richest, purest and fastest cup of coffee (under 30 seconds) you’re likely to find and the bonus is that the AeroPress costs just US$30. And while it might look like a French Press because both use immersion and pressure, it works quite differently. Human use of coffee originated in Ethiopia more some 1200 years ago, with the first cultivation of coffee in Yemen, the world’s first coffee shop opening more than 500 years ago (in Constantinople in 1475), and the first western coffee shops opening some 350 years ago (Italy 1640, Venice, 1652 London, 1672 Paris, 1675 Vienna). Coffee has been big business for a very long time, and surprisingly, is still the world’s second largest traded commodity, behind only oil. Logically, the process of roasting and grinding coffee beans and turning them into a beverage would have long since been perfected. After all, there are more than 1.5 billion cups of coffee prepared every day with the US market for coffee machines at 20 million a year and growing.
All these pieces make the AeroPress seem more complicated than it really is. It can be packed into a compact package, and you don't necessarily need to take all these items for travel. | |
| 1. Prepare the Press | |
 Put a single paper disc in the black plastic cap, twist it onto the clear brew chamber (right). Band-Aid not included with AeroPress! |  |
| 2. Grind the Coffee | |
 Measure out your coffee using the scoop provided, 1 level scoop per "cup." Using my method, you will add 50-65% more water to the concentrate after brewing, so you will roughly double the amount you initially brew in the AeroPress. These amounts are in blue ink on the side of the press. I suggest 2 scoops to make a 10-12 oz mug of coffee. Of course, you will dilute to your personal taste, which will require some experimentation. You can use the funnel (right) to grind directly into the brew chamber. Ditting mill not included with AeroPress! |  What grind to use? I prefer a medium fine; finer than French Press, a bit finer than drip filter coffee, not nearly as fine as espresso. If the press is hard to plunge, make the grind coarser. |
| 3. Add Hot Water And Brew! | |
 Add hot water. I recommend using the TOP of the ovals indicated on the side. I prefer to brew using 2 or 3 scoops, and using the top of the ovals marked 2 or 3 respectively. Thoroughly wet the grinds while pouring. Then stir grinds rapidly, using the stirrer paddle. Surfboard coffee mug not included with AeroPress! |  Olympus camera strap not included with Aeropress! |
| How Hot Should the Water Be? Okay, here is where things get subjective. Aeropress recommends low temperature brewing with 165 to 175 f water. They say "professional coffee tasters" preferred low temperatures. I do agree that the Aeropress should be brewed with temperatures on the low end of the traditional coffee brewing window from 195 to 205 f. But if you add a small amount of hot water to a room temperature brew and room temperature ground coffee, you immediately experience a big temperature drop. I suggest adding 195 to 200 f water, begin stirring in 10 seconds, continue for 10 seconds, then go to Step 4 and start plunging ... | |
| 4. Plunge It, Dilute It. | |
 As mentioned, this is a fast brew method. The coffee tastes overextracted if you let it steep 3-5 minutes, as with other brew methods. Steep 10 seconds, stir 10 seconds, then plunge for 10-20 seconds. I think pushing with even, light force is better than pushing hard and fast. In either case, push the plunger all the way down. |  Add hot water to dilute the concentrate to a drinkable coffee. For me, 50-65% additional hot water seems right. You don't want the undesirable tastes of overly strong coffee (liquor-like flavors) nor weak, watery cup results. |
| Variables: Grind, water temperature, steeping/stirring/plunging times, dilution. All 4 of these are going to affect the brew results greatly. If at first you are not pleased, experiment with these variables. I think it is a good feature of the AeroPress that you control the variables and can customize your results, even if these variables may give some occasionally unwanted variability to the results. | |
| 5. Clean Up | |
 One of the nice things about the press is clean up. Simply remove the black plastic cap from the brew chamber. Then hold it over a compost bin or trash, and push the plunger in a bit further. The puck of coffee grind and paper filter will pop out. |  You can rinse the end of the plunger, and the inside of the brew chamber, but actually, you can just wipe it off with a towel too. Voila, that is it! This makes the AeroPress really convenient for use in a hotel room or office, where you want to brew coffee without a real kitchen. AeroPress says you can even heat the water inside the plunger in a microwave, if you are desperate. |
| Other comments | |
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| Coffee Concentrate: Note that you can also store the undiluted brew as a cold concentrate, either to add hot water for a quick cup or for iced coffee. (My opinion: saving a concentrate can be great for convenience, but is not as good as freshly brewed coffee, no matter the method of brewing, storage or reheating. Volatile aromatic components are lost when coffee is stored. But it can be very convenient for camping, traveling, etc.) This concentrate is great for baking, and other recipes. The Moosewood Cookbook has THE best chocolate cake recipe that uses coffee, and the AeroPress is ideal for that... Please ignore the box: As mentioned, I find the Aeropress package (but not the instructions) to be a bit embarrassing. Maria didn't even want to carry it based on the way it is marketed and sold, and the packaging. I too dislike the use of unsubstantiated, unprovable "superlatives," and the Aeropress box contains a year's supply of those: "The World's Best Coffee and Espresso Maker," Smoothest, Richest, Purest, Fastest","The Ultimate Coffee Experience." If you have a good item, why all this nonsense? Can you prove it's the world's best? Did you try all the coffee and espresso makers in the world? And then who decided it is best? How about the expert's quote: "When used properly AeroPress produces a remarkably good straight espresso ... In fact, it produces a better shot than many home machines that cost twenty or thirty times as much" -Kenneth Davids . Illy's research shows that espresso is a beverage brewed at 7-11 bars of pressure, with water temperature between 194 and 203 f (without temperature loss from a cold coffee handle, etc). Even if the AeroPress had the organoleptic features of espresso, and the appearance of espresso, I don't think it is within these parameters. If it is such good "espresso" why will I probably not see a Barista making AeroPress Latte Art at the Western Regional Barista Championships next month? It's a joke, but the point is, we need to protect the term "espresso" from mis-use. Aeropress is a good brewer, no need to call it an espresso machine. |
