Sizzling Bite | Cooking with Love

Filter coffee : A perfect cup of it is a bliss. Oh my, it is a great way to start the day! I love coffee because it smells good, it tastes good and drinking coffee, makes me feel good. Coffee is a mood booster; it gives me energy, and keeps me alert all through the day.

My dad had taught me that great coffee takes a little bit more work, but its worth it. His expertise in the coffee industry has helped me master the art of making perfect coffee.

Coffee is my homes specialty as my dad is in the retail chain of coffee Industry. As an added advantage, my family enjoys the fresh roast, ground and brewed coffee every day. It is a relatively simple pleasure in life that I miss after moving to U.S.

Coffee is an addiction. To be more precise, I was not able to enjoy any of the Instant powders found here. Coffee powder we get here in the U.S.A. doesnt work for filters. I had to grind again to make into a fine powder. So I was always on the search of best coffee. There were so many flop attempts and upset mornings without a decent filter coffee.

Surprisingly, I figured out of the way of making the authentic coffee here. My sister who was in the same boat shared her product review about Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill. That has changed my coffee experience every day till now.

Tips For Making Best Filter Coffee

Grinding your coffee immediately before brewing gives the maximum flavor.
Using ground coffee powder from fresh, high-quality beans
Making decoction manually with coffee filter offers a much better taste. You can make with Indian coffee makers also but manual filter is surely a winner.
Controlling the water temperature is the key for perfect taste. Let the water start to boil in stove or kettle and then give a 30 - second rest time before pouring into the filter.
Choosing the coffee filter perforated with tiny, pin pricked holes,
rather than big and scattered holes.
Using fresh boiled milk rather than microwaved milk.

Coffee Filter

Filter consist of upper and lower cup, lid and pressure stick or filter umbrella or the gravity insert. The upper cup that has pierced bottom for the decoction to drip in to the lower cup. The gravity insert/pressure stick prevents the coffee blooming and floating on the water. Using the pressure stick in filter makes a great difference in coffees taste.

Buying Your Coffee Filter

Choosing the coffee filter with perforated with tiny, pin pricked holes,
rather than big and scattered holes. If, the filter has tiny perforated holes it takes time to slowly drip brew. Moreover, decoction is thick, optimum flavor is absorbed.

Coffee Bean/Ground Coffee

Buy fresh, whole bean coffee. High-quality coffee beans has a rounder taste and produces the right “kick” to the senses. If you choose to buy coffee from coffee stores in India go for equal mix of roasted and ground Plantation Peaberry and Plantation A coffee beans for super tasting coffee. Some people prefer Chicory for strong and thick brew. Chicory blend should be within 10-20%.

Pure Coffee - equal mix of roasted and ground Peaberry and Plantation A/B coffee no chicory
Mild Strong Coffee - 10% chicory
Strong Coffee - 20% chicory
Very Strong Coffee - 30% chicory

During my India trips I carry S.K.S. Coffee from Chennai. I store the roasted bean and ground Coffee in the freezer for about a month. Here, I get French roast coffee from local stores. Kirklands Supremo and San Francisco Bay from Costco tastes good in U.S.

Chicory

Chicory produces a more ‘roasted flavor than coffee does and since it tends to make the brew stronger(thickens the decoction) and darker coffee.
Normally 10% chicory blend with coffee is advisable. 20% chicory blend produces stronger and thicker brew. As a matter of fact more than 25% chicory blend alters the coffee taste. Usually, coffee companies add chicory in blend to protect margins.

Grinding Tips

Ground coffee loses flavor within 10 minutes. Grinding your coffee immediately before brewing gives the maximum flavor. Microwave the roasted beans for 30 seconds and then grind the bean for better aroma. I use Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill . It grinds the coffee in to very fine powder suitable for Indian filter.

Water Temperature

Your brewing water temp should be 195° to 205°F. Water boils at 212°F, so boil water in a kettle or stove, take it off the heat, and let it sit for 30 seconds before pouring in the filter.

Reheating

Coffee should be made with boiled hot milk. If, you reheat the coffee it will taste bitter.

Storage tips

Coffee Beans/ ground coffee: Properly store beans/ ground coffee in cool dark place. Once a bag of coffee beans is opened, it begins to lose its freshness and flavor within a week. So, store your coffee in a tightly sealed container, in a dark, cool cupboard, away from strong smells and flavors. Also, freezer will retain the coffee freshness. Since, coffee beans absorb water, smells, flavors around them, don’t store the coffee bean/ground in the fridge.

Leftover Decoction:

Pure coffee brew can be stored in room temperature for a day. Chicory blended coffee decoction should be consumed within 3 hours to avoid tartness (harsh, sour taste).

Cleaning Your Filter

The coffee powder gets stuck in filter pores. So, apart from regular cleaning, dip the upper cup of the filter in hot water and clean the pores with brush weekly once. If the pores are fully clogged, soak in hot water for a few minutes and clean with sharp needle tip.

You cant buy happiness, but you can buy coffee and thats pretty close.

Cusine: Indian
Preperation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 cups milk 2% or full fat
2 tsp sugar
5-6 tbsp ground coffee/coffee powder
1.25 cup water

Making Decoction

Choose right size filter, fill the upper cup of filter with 5-6 tablespoon of coffee powder and level it with spoon slightly.
Using the pressure stick in filter makes a great difference in coffee’s taste. Gently place the gravity insert/pressure stick and press it with one finger. If too much pressure is applied and pressed hard, then the water wont get through the powder. If the stick is not tight enough to hold the coffee powder down, will make the water pass through coffee grounds quickly resulting in watery decoction.
Now, pour the boiled water in to the filter and close the lid. Controlling the water temperature is the key for perfect taste. Let the water start to boil in stove or kettle and then give a 30 second rest time before pouring into the filter.
It takes 15-30 minutes for the brew to drip in to the lower cup. That will be your first decoction. You can brew second time with ¹⁄₃ cup of water for second decoction. This is will be less intense both in flavor and strength(strong).
In the mean time, boil milk in the stove and let the milk heat for a few more minutes after its fully boiled. This will make the coffee taste better.
Now, take required milk in the tumbler and pour the decoction. The amount of decoction depends on individual preference. If you prefer strong coffee add more decotion.
Add sugar and mix well and make it frothy before serving.