Art and science of coffee making

This article shows one of our founder’s passion about the art of coffee making and drinking. Firstly, you should recognize that costly equipment will not give you a great cup of coffee if you don’t put efforts in fine tuning the process that ultimately affects the taste. Just check the video below to get the feel of complete process.

Coffee making process

1. Getting coffee (roasted whole bean or grounded)
2. Grinding
3. Brewing machine and brewing
4. Milk frothing
5. Feeling the taste
6. Refine the process

Lets cover each of them one by one.

1. Getting the coffee

This is the first step in the process and can have biggest impact on the taste because  these coffee beans will be brewed and give the taste. Coffee is grown in different parts and heights of the world, this brings a variation in taste across different produce of coffee. Try different coffee beans before you find your taste, take the risk of trying as many as different coffee beans (imagining about the taste and aroma they can produce).

2. Grinding

This is also very important step and can impact the taste if you don’t understand it well. Grinding should be smooth and grounded coffee should be near equal size parts. If we use a normal blade mixer then it will not create a smooth grind, it creates coarse on the top and very fine at the bottom, along with this, it will add a burning taste to the coffee due to the blade friction.

Burr grinders are the most suitable tool as of now for grinding, specifically ceramic burr grinders because they don’t burn coffee beans. We have used Hario clear grinder which is manual and can be a headache some time when you want quick coffee. There are several automatic coffee grinders in the markets like Bartazza, Delonghi, etc.

3. Brewing machine and brewing

Just like other steps, it is also very important step as it involves bringing the actual coffee out from the grounded beans. Machine should provide atleast basic function like prefusion, pressure control, brew temperature control, milk frothing hose.

Coffee machines at the lower price levels come with pressurized baskets which may not be give you the taste as per your liking, so you need to either go for non pressurized machines or make a non pressurized basket by removing the second layer. Prefusion is a very essential step which makes grounded coffee damp so that when the hot water comes after that all the oil from coffee and crema comes easily with the flow.

4. Milk frothing

Milk frothing should be done with full steam and cold milk (experts recommend milk with cream without boiling but we got good result from the cream removed milk after boiling and cooling in refrigerator). Bubbles created during the frothing should be removed by tamping the frothing jug or cup on a surface. Milk should look like a smooth creamy flow not a soapy with bubbles (even small also) all around.

5. Feeling the taste

After frothing, you can make either latte/cappuccino (depending upon your taste – add more or less milk) or you can have espresso shot directly. Coffee is best tasted in white small cups with flat or round base. The reason is, in white cup, we can feel the coffee color clearly and it is pleasant to our eyes. During your first sip of the coffee, close your eyes and feel the aroma and taste. Have a healthy discussion on coffee or sit in solace.

6. Refine the process

In case you don’t get your coffee right in first time, repeat the process again with steps fine tuned again till you get a desired taste. As I said in the beginning, it is an art in the sense that you have to feel it to make it right and create a masterpiece every time. It is a science in the sense, to get a good coffee you need to understand the basics of coffee beans, machines, prefusion and why it is necessary, etc.

We will add the reference to each steps in coming days in this article. Share your coffee story and the memories and experiences you have about and with coffee.