5 Ways to Celebrate National Espresso Day: November 23

Everyone loves a holiday, and coffee drinkers are no different. Although no one knows the exact origins of National Espresso Day – November 23 - espresso certainly deserves its own day of celebration.

Espresso dates back to 1822 when Louis Bernard crafted the prototype of the first espresso machine in France. Then in 1901, Luigi Bezzera of Italy tried to speed up the brewing process by adding steam pressure to force hot water through the coffee, resulting in a more flavorful yet stronger cup of coffee. Although Bezzera patented his machine, he was never able to market it, and in 1903 Desidero Pavoni purchased the patent and began producing the espresso machine commercially, distributing it throughout Europe.

Since then, espresso has increased in popularity, leading to a variety of espresso-based drinks. Some of the most popular espresso drinks include the Cappuccino, Mocha Cappuccino, Spicy Viennese Espresso, Espresso Macchiato and Cappuccino Ciocolocino. If you do not have your own espresso maker, then try instant espresso available at your local grocery store. Have fun with these recipes and do not be afraid to be creative.

Cappuccino

 Cappuccino

The basic Cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk (foam) to fill a 6 ounce cup. Although the strength of your Cappuccino can vary between coffee shops, fixing one at home allows you to adjust the strength according to your taste, so feel free to vary the proportions. Garnish the finished product with a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, or vanilla powder.


If you have a steady hand, you may not need to use separate steaming and frothing operations. Frothing gives hot steamed milk at the bottom of the container and milk froth or foam on the top. Pouring carefully can give you the proper proportion of steam to froth.

Mocha Cappuccino

 Mocha Cappuccino

A Mocha Cappuccino uses the 1/3 espresso to 2/3 part steamed milk ratio, with a change. Dissolve cocoa or chocolate syrup to taste in the milk. Then sprinkle cocoa powder on the top. Want something more decadent? Add whipped cream before sprinkling with cocoa powder.

 

Spicy Viennese Coffee

Spicy Viennese Espresso

Begin with 3 ounces of espresso, then add 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon allspice and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Espresso Macchiato

Espresso macchiato

Top your espresso with a small dollop (spoonful) of frothed milk.

Cappuccino Ciocolocino

 

Cappuccino Ciocolocino

How about turning your coffee into a dessert? After preparing a traditional cappuccino, add a scoop of vanilla, coffee, or chocolate ice cream.

These easy recipes can help you make every day a National Espresso Day. Enjoy!

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Seven Methods of Brewing Coffee: An Overview

Coffee can be brewed using several different techniques. If kept hot, coffee flavor will deteriorate quickly, and reheating can destroy some of the flavor. Brewed coffee kept at room temperature will also deteriorate, but if kept in an oxygen-free environment it can last almost indefinitely. Coffee can be brewed 7 different ways, according to the grind: Turkish, Percolator, Drip Brew, Plunger/French Press, Vacuum, Cold Water, and Espresso. 

Turkish

Grind: Turkish

                                                     

Handmade copper Ibrik

Turkish brewing dates back to over four and half centuries ago,  predating all other methods of preparing coffee. This is the only brewing method where the coffee is in contact with the water during the entire process. The Turkish grind (a pulverized coffee with a texture similar to that of talcum powder), water, and sugar – if desired—are placed into an Ibrik. Bring this mixture to a boil 3 times while removing the Ibrik from the fire quickly when the foam begins to rise. After the grounds have settled, this coffee is poured into small cups, holding back the foam with a spoon. After all cups are poured, gently spoon the foam over the coffee. The resulting brew is thick and muddy.

Percolator

Grind: Coarse

Stove Percolator

Percolators use the pressure of steam to force water through the coffee grinds  located in a basket at the top of the pot. Water brought to boiling temperature “percolates” through the coffee, then drip back into the water below, which is forced back through the percolating cycle repeatedly, resulting in a coffee that is sometimes bitter. Percolators require monitoring. Electric percolators immediately begin a warming cycle after they have finished perking, and this warming cycle can make the coffee more bitter. Stovetop percolators need to be removed from the heat immediately after the perking is finished. 

Drip Brew
Grinds:
Cone/Wedge Filter : Medium
Basket Filter: Medium
French Double Drip: Coarse

White Porcelain cone drip brewer

Double Drip Brewer

Drip brewing is probably the simplest method of brewing coffee and the most popular. Water heated to 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit is poured slowly over the coffee grounds to create a clear smooth cup of coffee. The filter for this coffee maker can be made from paper, cloth, metal, or plastic and be cone-or basket shaped. Drip makers can be manual or electric.

Plunger/French Press

GRIND: MEDIUM COARSE

The French Press uses an infusion process to brew coffee. Add 2 tablespoons for every 6 ounces of hot water to the apparatus. After 3 minutes, stir slightly. When using fresh coffee, the grounds will drop, creating a big head of foam. Add more hot water, wait 3 more minutes, then plunge, pressing the grounds down to the bottom of the maker, separating them from the brew above. This brew is rich and dense.

Another method is to stir vigorously after pouring the first hot water, add more hot water, wait 3 minutes, then plunge.

Vacuum
Grind: Coarse

Vacuum Pot

This method is often described as for the true coffee lover. Place the ground coffee in the top bowl (the funnel). The water in the carafe is brought almost to boil, then the steam pressure forces it into the top bowl (funnel). Once most of the water is in the top bowl, stir the coffee. In 1-3 minutes, extinguish the flame. The cooling mixture creates a vacuum which sucks the brewed coffee down into the lower carafe, leaving the grounds in the top bowl (funnel). The top bowl can then be removed from the carafe. This coffee is smooth and delicate with all flavors intact.

Toddy Cold Water Brewer

Cold Water
Grind: Coarse

In this brewing method, a pound of coffee and a half gallon of water are added to a bucket apparatus. This mixture then rests at room temperature for approximately 6-10 hours. Next, the plug at the bottom of the bucket is removed, allowing the coffee extract – separated from the grounds by a large filter – to drain into a large pitcher. This extract is then refrigerated. To make coffee, add 1-2 ounces to a cup along with 6-8 ounces of hot water. Coffee brewed this way tends to be light-bodied and bland since the heat needed to stimulate the coffee oils is missing.

Espresso
Grinds:
Stove Top:  Drip to Fine
Electric: Extra-Fine

Espresso can be made using a stovetop espresso maker or an electric espresso maker.  

Stovetop Espresso Maker

Stovetop espresso makers are either aluminum or stainless steel. They bring water to a weak boil, using steam pressure (much like a percolator) to send the water through a bed of finely ground coffee resting in a middle chamber of the brewer, through a narrow stem and into an upper receptacle. The espresso is ready when it stops spurting through the stem. Removing the coffee from the stovetop when finished keeps from exposing the coffee to too much heat. Aluminum coffee makers conduct heart more quickly than stainless steel makers do, so monitoring the heat and the brewing time is very important to avoid making espresso that has a metallic taste. 

Electric Espresso Maker

The best –and easiest—way to brew espresso is to use an electric espresso machine modeled after the professional machines. These makers use either a pump or a piston to inject hot water through the grounds directly into the cup, creating a textured beverage covered with a golden foam – REAL espresso.


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Matching Grind to Brew....and Brew to Grind

We can either buy whole coffee beans that we grind at home, or we can buy coffee pre-ground.  But wait, there’s more to it than that – we need to decide what type of  grind…from the fine grind of espresso to the more coarse grind used in a French press – all of this to turn those coffee beans into  that beverage we love!

Types of Grind

Types of Grind

Coffee Grinds are on a continuum from coarse to very fine, and your method of brewing determines the choice of grind… or, phrased another way -  the type of grind dictates the brew method…

A Coarse Grind is primarily used with the following brewing methods: French press (press or plunger pot), vacuum coffee maker, and percolators (making a comeback).

A Medium Grind works best with auto drip coffee makers with flat bottom filters.

A Medium/Fine Grind is used with auto drip coffee makers that use cone-shaped filters.

A Fine Grind is used in stove top espresso pots and some drip makers with cone-shaped filters.

A Super Fine Grind is reserved for espresso machines.

A Turkish Grind is used with Turkish style coffee.

An old-fashioned manual
burr-mill coffee grinder

The Grinding Process

The coffee grinding process is sometimes referred to as “milling” the coffee.

Ground coffee deteriorates more quickly than roasted beans due to the exposure to oxygen, so many coffee drinkers prefer to grind their coffee beans themselves immediately before brewing their coffee.

There are four methods of grinding coffee for brewing – burr-grinding, chopping, pounding, and roller-grinding.

Burr-Grinders

Electric Burr Mill
Coffee Grinder

Burr mill grinding gives more uniform results while preserving the delicate natural oils of the beans - for a better cup of coffee. A grind selection dial lets you automatically adjust the texture of the grind - from a very fine grind for espresso to a coarse grind for Turkish coffee and percolator brewing.

Burr coffee mills can be manual or electric and crush the coffee beans between two revolving abrasive elements such as wheels or conical shaped grinding elements. Burr mills grind coffee to a somewhat uniform siz , releasing the coffee beans’ oils which are then more easily extracted when infused later with hot water, leading to a rich and smooth-tasting coffee.

These mills often offer an assortment of settings, allowing them to grind coffee for such brewing systems as espresso, drip, percolators, French press, or others. Many burr grinders, however, are unable to grind the coffee beans fine enough for Turkish coffee.

Conical Burr-Grinder

Conical burr grinders use steel burrs which rotate relatively slowly, preserving the maximum aroma. These grinders are more quiet and less likely to clog than disk-grinders.


Grinders that use disk-type burrs rotate faster than the conical burrs and tend to be cheaper than the conical burr grinders. The disk-type grinders work well with small amounts of coffee for home use.

video: How to Grind Coffee Beans

Chopping

Electric Blade Coffee Grinder

Coffee beans can also be chopped in a blade grinder designed for coffee or spices or in a home blender. These grinders are often cheaper than burr grinders and tend to last longer. The grind, however is not as uniform using this method, producing particles of various sizes. This method also produces some friction which can warm the coffee. If only grinding enough beans for a few cups of coffee, this heat has minimal impact on the coffee.

These blade grinders can create a type of “coffee dust” that clogs up espresso machines and French presses, thereby making these grinders better suited for grinding coffee for drip brewing.

Pounding

Mortar and Pestle

Coffee beans for Arabic and Turkish coffees need to be ground almost powdery, much finer than most burr grinders can achieve. This coffee powder can be created using a mortar and pestle. 

Roller grinding 

Commercial Roller Coffee Grinder

A roller grinder uses pairs of corrugated rollers to grind the whole coffee beans, producing a very even grind size. This method tends to heat the coffee less than other grinding methods. This type of grinder, however, is used exclusively by industrial scale coffee producers due to the size of these grinders and their cost.

Water cooled roller grinders are also used commercially for fine grinds such as Turkish and espresso.

NEXT: Brewing methods

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