Any true coffee lover most likely has a variety of coffee accoutrements in his or her kitchen.
Of course, the most important key to brewing a great cup of coffee is the coffee beans themselves. Without quality beans, it doesn’t matter if you have a $20,000 Italian coffee maker. So any true coffee lover first has a supply of delicious beans. He or she doesn’t keep them in the freezer, doesn’t keep them in the refrigerator, but keeps them tightly sealed away from sun and air until he is ready to grind them. For the best cup of coffee, beans should be ground right before the coffee is made.
After superior, high quality coffee beans, the next most likely item you will find in the coffee lovers kitchen is probably an electric drip coffee maker. It could be one that grinds the beans itself and has a timer so you awaken to freshly brewed coffee. It could be a simple one that you fill with water, grinds and then flip a switch. It could be an elaborate Italian espresso maker that makes small rich cups of espresso and has an attachment to foam the milk.
But a true coffee aficionado doesn’t stop there. If you open the cupboards or look on the stovetop, you will probably find even more ways to brew those beans.
It wouldn’t be surprising to find Italian moka pots in a variety of sizes, small, medium and large. These hourglass shaped containers (usually made of stainless steel or aluminum) screw apart in the middle. The bottom chamber is for your water, the top has a small cup for your grinds. This is then placed on the burner of the stove. It is said that the lower the heat, the longer the coffee takes to brew and the better the taste.
Another staple in the coffee lover’s kitchen is at least one French Press. This is a (glass usually) container with a filter on a stick that you press down inside. The filter is connected to the press lid by a long stick. It is comprised of three parts: a filter cross plate, a filter mesh and a filter spiral plate.
To make a pot of French Press coffee, you begin by putting a pot of water on the stove to boil and a few tablespoons of ground coffee in the bottom of the French Press. Once the water boils, you pour it onto the grinds and then place the filter with lid inside the press.
At first, just gently press the filter into the water. Slow is the key here. Then a little more and a little more until you finally press it to the bottom.
Those are probably the main coffee items a true coffee lover will have in his or her kitchen, but there are a few other accessories that will make coffee drinking a little more luxurious, especially when guests are over.
Some people, especially the French, believe a truly luxurious way to drink coffee is in a coffee bowl. Having a few of these on hand ups the pleasure level.
In addition, a carafe that keeps coffee hot and allows you to bring it to the table for ease of refilling is also helpful. In addition, it is fun to buy whimsical containers for sugar and cream for your guests.
Remember, coffee drinking is a simple pleasure and with a little effort will always feel like one.
Author Resource:
Frank Yaconis has been a coffee aficionado for the past 20 years. He has spent the past few years relaxing from his quest to find the perfect coffee, which he found growing on the tropical paradise known as the Kona region of Hawaii. Find out more at https://konaluna.com .