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Speaking About Coffee
Speaking About Coffee
Speaking About Coffee
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used to brew coffee by continually cycling the
boiling or nearly boiling brew through the grounds using gravity until the required
strength is reached.[1]
Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popularity but were supplanted in the early
1970s by automatic drip coffee makers. Percolators often expose the grounds to
higher temperatures than other brewing methods, and may recirculate already
brewed coffee through the beans. As a result, coffee brewed with a percolator is
susceptible to over-extraction. Percolation may remove some of the volatile
compounds in the beans, resulting in a pleasant aroma during brewing, but a less
flavoursome cup. However, percolator enthusiasts praise the percolator's hotter,
more 'robust' coffee, and maintain that the potential pitfalls of this brewing method
can be eliminated by careful control of the brewing process.
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A guy walks into a coffee shop and... In today's age of coffee culture, finishing
that sentence might be a little more difficult than it once was. Does he get an
espresso? A cappuccino? A macchiato? A pour over? So many options, so little
time.
Do you get confused about the differences between all these many choices?
Here's a cheat sheet to ten of the most common coffee terms to help you order
the coffee you want to drink.
How about you? When you go into a coffee shop, are you the kind of person
that knows what you want or are you willing to try new things? Sometimes it
can be intimidating looking at a coffee list, and often, it can feel easier to opt
for the Americano just because at least then you know what you're getting.
But not to fear. There's no reason that a coffee shop should intimidate you in
the slightest, so here's a list of ten words that will help you navigate your
coffee choice. And no, we're not talking venti and grande.
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1. Espresso - Let's start with the basics. Most people know what an espresso
is, but in case you needed a reminder, espresso is a coffee drink made by
forcing hot, pressurized water through finely ground coffee beans. This creates
a very concentrated drink, often with a layer of caramel-colored foam on top
thecreme.
Espresso, however, is not a type of coffee bean or roast; while espresso is
commonly made with darker roasts, it can be made with any type of coffee
beans.
2. Americano - On the list of simple coffee drinks is the Americano, made by
pouring a shot of espresso into a coffee cup and then adding hot water.
Americanos can be made with one, two, or even three shots if you're feeling
feisty. The name is said to back to WWII, when Americans ordered coffee in
Italian cafes. Because they wanted coffee that was similar to what they drank
back home not the typical Italian espresso they would have the baristas
add hot water to dilute it.
3. Doppio - You could order a "double shot of espresso" but why not just go
with the Italian name instead?
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8. Pour Over - Pour over is exactly what it sounds like: the coffee is made by
pouring hot water over grounds. There are several methods for making pour
over coffee like a Chemex or the Hario V60 ceramic coffee dripper which
you may have seen at some coffee shops but the concept is the same. The
grounds are placed in a filter in a pour over cone, and hot water is slowly
poured over them. It is a simple and clean way that brings out the coffee's
flavor in a very distinct way. It's also a fun one to experiment with at home.
9. Single Origin - A single origin coffee is a coffee that comes from a single
place. But this phrase can be used broadly, with some brands using it to define
coffee that comes from a single farm, and other defining coffee that comes
from a group of farms in the same area. Some roasters focus on a single
section of a single farm. Want to know more about where your coffee came
from? That's what your barista is there for. Just ask!
10. Blend - At specialty coffee shops, especially places that roast their own
coffee, you may have a choice of what type of coffee you would like to drink. A
blend is exactly what it sounds like: a mixture of two or more coffee varieties.
Roasters will make these blends depending on how the beans will be made. A
blend intended for espresso may be darker than a blend intended for a pour
over, for example.
Are there any other coffee terms that have puzzled or confused you? Do share
in the comments; we'll explore them next!
(Image credits: Anna Brones)