In the UK we’ve always been known as a nation of tea drinkers – but coffee is catching up fast! In fact, according to the British Coffee Association, we now drink approximately 98 million cups of coffee per day in the UK. We also drink 100 million cups of tea, so tea is only slightly more popular. Coffee is not only incredibly popular, it’s also great for the UK economy.
While we obviously don’t grow our own coffee beans, up to 76% of the value of each cup you drink is produced in the UK. That could include processing, transport, packaging and serving. In fact, the coffee industry creates over 210,000 UK jobs. While 80% of us still buy instant coffee, fresh, ground coffee is becoming more popular. One of the fastest growing areas is single-serve coffee capsules for insertion into a specialist machine.
If you’re the kind of person who grinds their own beans and has a coffee machine that cost only slightly less than the whole kitchen, then you don’t need us to tell you how to enjoy the perfect coffee! For the rest of us, though, it’s surprisingly cheap and simple to produce great coffee at home. Here’s how.
You’ll need either a cafetiere (also known as a French press), or a pour-over coffee filter. You’ll also need some ground coffee, a kettle and milk and sugar to taste.
Choosing the right coffee
‘The right coffee’ is very subjective, and a matter of personal taste. There are two varieties of coffee bean, Robusta and Arabica. Robusta are grown at lower altitudes and are less expensive to produce. Instant coffee is largely composed of these cheaper beans. Premium coffee blends tend to contain a higher proportion of Arabica.
Which you actually prefer is up to you! Coffee from different regions will vary in taste and strength. The strength of the roast (i.e. dark or light) will also affect the flavour. The only way to find out what you like is to experiment a bit.
Storing coffee
Ground coffee is vacuum sealed when it’s fresh. As soon as you open the bag, the coffee starts to lose its freshness and flavour. Once you’ve opened the bag and used a bit of coffee, seal it with a clip and put the whole thing in an airtight container to be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.
Fresh coffee really needs to be used within one or two weeks after opening. It’s a myth that you should store it in the fridge! Coffee is very good at absorbing other odours, so coffee stored in the fridge might well come out smelling of onions or curry.
Water temperature
The temperature of the water you use is critical! Water that’s too hot will result in bitter coffee. Water that’s too cold will leave you with weak, under-brewed coffee. The ideal water temperature is 90.5 – 96.1 C. If that sounds a bit too precise, just boil the kettle and then wait five minutes before you pour the water out. Heat the cafetiere first, by pouring in some hot water, swilling it round and pouring it out again.
Brewing time
This is a controversial one, as again it’s partly down to individual taste. The general consensus, though, is that if you’re using a cafetiere you should leave it for four minutes before plunging the filter. This gives time for the complex flavours to develop without making it bitter. If you’re using a pour-over filter, then you don’t need to worry about brewing time, just pour the water in.
Milk first or coffee first?
Another controversial topic, and one that’s divided the internet! Personally we like to put the milk in last so that we can see how strong the coffee is, but we won’t argue with the people who like to put the milk in first. Using hot milk means that you’re preserving the temperature of the coffee and therefore the flavour, but some people just prefer cold milk! This one’s up to you.
If that all seemed like a lot of hard work, at least you can relax now – with your delicious, fresh cup of coffee.
If you enjoy trying different types of coffee, then why not learn how to make your own delicious Biscoff frappe.
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