All the elements that go into a cup of coffee–from beans to water to the proper container for the freshly made brew– are up for discussion, debate and diatribe as Americans conduct a passionate and uncharacteristic quest for taste perfection.
With demand and competition astonishingly strong, the focus is on making coffee the best that it can be.
Why?
Because the action is all at the top.
All over America, people have been drinking less coffee (1.7 cups a day per capita in 1994 versus 1.9 cups in 1993). But Jim Clark, vice president for marketing at Seattle’s Best coffee company (with two stores in Chicago), says the bright spot is the specialty coffee category, with a 25 percent increase.
Not only does this mean that the percentage of the population drinking cappuccino and espresso has increased, but such beverages also are being drunk more widely and more frequently than ever before.
No wonder those who supply and sell specialty coffees and coffee-related equipment are smiling broadly.
But for the consumer, it’s a maze filled with choices, especially for those who want to maximize flavor and pleasure with “gourmet” beans and espresso machines. To survey the various forms of making brewed coffee is only to inch open a Pandora’s box (see article on brewing methods and the glossary on this page).
As part of the java boom, an almost overwhelming selection of books was published this year to guide us through the task of buying and making coffee at home, including “The Joy of Coffee,” by Corby Kummer (Chapters, $22), “The Ultimate Espresso Machine Cookbook,” by Tom Lacalamita (Simon & Schuster, $27.50), and “A Cozy Book of Coffees & Cocoas,” by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler (Prima, $12.95).
It should be noted in passing that many people are as indifferent to all this as they are to advice on detecting the subtle flavors of a vintage wine. While coffee ranks as the nation’s No. 2 beverage (behind soft drinks), most of those cups come from preground, canned coffee that is neither “gourmet” nor “specialty” and is prepared at home in an electric drip machine.
In Chicago, the new focus on coffee may date to 1987, when the first Starbucks store opened here, and terms such as espresso con panna and latte fell on heartlanders’ ears.
Today, in addition to pacesetters Starbucks (with 61 shops) and Gloria Jean’s (with 27 stores), there are about 150 retailers in the area and the number keeps growing.
Supermarkets, where most people still buy their coffee, have upgraded and broadened their selection. Supermarkets also have been going into the cafe business themselves, or leasing concessions.
There’s also a rapidly growing mail-order business for freshly roasted coffee beans. In addition to Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee and Tea in Berkeley, Calif., (800-999-2132) and Gillies Coffee Co. in Brooklyn, N.Y., (800-344-5526) are veteran suppliers on each coast.
Another sign of gourmet coffee’s success: In 1987 the Specialty Coffee Association of the U.S.A. held its first trade show. There were 12 exhibitors. This April, in Minneapolis, the association expects more than 600 exhibitors at the show.
Several factors have led to the magnitude of this phenomenon.
– Taste is of growing importance in consumers’ choices of all types of beverages. Long a factor in Europe, taste nuances (not just “like” or “dislike”) can help rationalize paying higher prices for certain brands or types of beer or wine–or coffee.
– The coffeehouse itself is an attraction, an escape from busy lives where one takes time to sit down for conversation. It’s also obvious that a drink and conversation in a coffeehouse instead of a bar is more feasible for people under 21 and those who eschew alcohol.
“The coffeehouse has become the other place (other than home) in people’s lives,” Clark of Seattle’s Best says. “No quick-service restaurant sees customers more frequently than a good coffeehouse.”
Though Clark expects some consolidations and casualties among the many competing shops and coffeehouses, he believes there’s room for everybody.
“There are 1,100 cafes in Milan,” he says. “Project the ratio of people to cafes in that city out to the United States and you end up with 80,000-plus cafes. That won’t happen, but I can envision 15,000 or so,” or about triple the current number.
To draw the same customers at different times of day, coffeehouses are selling baked goods and some savory items at a rate that makes food “the fastest-growing part of the coffeehouse business,” according to Clark.
To strengthen ties to the customer on the home front, the coffeehouse has gone into competition with department stores and specialty shops to sell coffeemakers and other equipment as well as beans.
“The market for coffeemakers and espresso machines is very exciting,” says Sharon Bernard of Home Furnishings Network. “Wholesale sales in 1994 were $105 million; ’93 was $82.7 million. That’s a 21.5 percent increase.
“People are trading up. They are realizing their $60 steam machines are not very good. So they are paying $200 to $300 (and up to $1,200) for new and better pump espresso machines.”
Is there an end to all this?
“We’re hoping not,” says Jill West, co-author of “Espresso Encyclopedia.”
“Maybe we won’t see anything like the aggressive growth of Starbucks again, but I don’t think coffeehouses will disappear like the kitchen gourmet shops did. They have a long way to go in the Midwest before saturation. I foresee tremendous growth in the next two years, then it will begin to level off.”
JAVESPEAK
The following definitions are from, or adapted from, “Espresso Encyclopedia.”
Acidity: In coffee, acidity is neither sour nor bitter. Instead it is a pleasantly sharp and “snappy” quality that is considered an attribute.
Arabica: A coffee bean with intense, aromatic flavor that contains less caffeine but costs more than the other major style, robusta. “Gourmet” coffees and blends are made exclusively with arabica, which may be called “high-grown” as well.
Blend: Mixing two or more varieties of roasted coffee or different roasts (lighter or darker). Many shops feature a “house” blend.
Burr mill: The preferred tool for grinding coffee. A grinder’s burrs are two corrugated steel cylindrical plates with cutting edges. They slice or shave the beans to a consistent grind that may be adjusted.
Espresso: A method of quickly extracting the heart of coffee flavor from specially roasted, finely ground beans under pressure.
French roast: A style of roasting coffee beans that leaves them very dark brown.
Froth: Milk with a foamy texture aerated by steam and used to complete the preparation of a cappuccino.
Italian roast: Another dark roast, similar to French roast.
Oils: The volatile oils brought closer to the surface of the bean by the roasting process. They contain the essence of espresso flavor.
Roasting: The process of turning green coffee beans in a drum over a flame to force moisture out, bringing volatile oils closer to the surface and releasing the bean’s flavor.
Coffee drink names:
Americano: An espresso that has been diluted with hot water to make the flavor less intense.
Cappuccino: Espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk in equal proportions. The frothy “cap” may be garnished with sprinkled chocolate or cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla powder or sugar crystals.
Doppio: A double portion of espresso.
Latte: Coffee with steamed milk, usually in one-to-three ratio. It can contain a flavored syrup and be topped with a layer of froth.
Latteccino: A frothier latte or a milkier cappuccino.
Macchiato: A single serving of espresso “marked” with one or two tablespoons of frothed milk. A latte macchiato is a single serving of espresso poured into a glass of steamed milk to “mark” the milk with espresso.
ONE OF THE BEST: THE MANUAL METHOD OF BREWING
The January-February issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine rates the manual drip first among eight methods of making coffee. Author Jack Bishop found it provides coffee with superior flavor and body at average convenience.
Corby Kummer, author of “The Joy of Coffee,” also favors a manual drip system that requires no machine at all. He uses a metal (gold-plated) filter in a large holder that fits into a thermal carafe.
As Kummer explained it during a recent visit to Chicago, a reusable gold filter (about $13 to $20) is a bargain when you consider how quickly the cost of paper filters mounts up. The only additional equipment he requires is a grinder, a measuring scoop and a tea kettle or pan to heat water.
The freshly ground coffee goes into the holder. Hot water is poured over it and soaks through the grounds, picking up or extracting about 20 percent of the estimated 800 flavor compounds coffee contains. It drips directly into the thermos, where it will rest content for several hours.
As simple as it seems, there are pitfalls at each step.
Kummer says freshly roasted beans are the most important factor in producing memorable coffee. It will come as a relief to the semipurist that he says, based on some comic failures of his own, “do not roast your own beans!” Instead, he recommends buying no more than a 10-day supply from a store (or mail-order house) that does its own roasting; store the beans at room temperature away from heat and light.
The source of these beans (and the variety of tree that produces them) is vitally important to the coffee purist. The best-known coffee-growing regions are Africa, Indonesia and Central and South America. Beans from Kenya, Sulawesi in Indonesia, Costa Rica and Guatemala–some from a single farm or estate–are connoisseur favorites.
Arabica beans are considered superior to the other prominent species, robusta. Growing in subtropical climates at altitudes of 3,000 to 6,000 feet, Arabica beans produce coffee with a more delicate, yet full range of flavors.
Once you have found the bean of your dreams, Kummer recommends a medium-fine grind for the manual drip method. He also says a $30 to $100 burr mill, which contains two shredding disks, is essential. Not for him the “inefficient” if widely used single-blade “propeller” grinder. Burr mills can consistently produce the kind of grind you want.
Most people don’t use enough coffee, he believes. He scoops 1/4 cup and pours 1 cup of water to obtain a 6-ounce drink. Water’s effect on coffee is considerable. After all, it accounts for 98 percent of what is in the cup. Kummer, who finds distilled water makes dull coffee, recommends filtering cold tap water, especially if it tastes of chlorine or other strong chemicals.
For best effect, the water should not be poured while still boiling, but after a 15- to 20-second delay. Pour only enough to moisten the grounds, pause 30 seconds, then add as much water as the filter container will hold.
“Premoistening creates an evenly resistant bed for the remaining water,” Kummer writes, “which will travel through the grounds at a consistent rate.”
The thermos should be an air-pump type ($25 to $40) and should be prewarmed with hot water.
The more familiar manual drip method, in which the coffee drips(less than)b0(greater than) into a glass carafe, is downgraded on one hand because the coffee cools quickly and on the other for the bitter taste that emerges if the coffee is reheated.
In the Cook’s Illustrated test, the automatic drip method into an insulated thermos provided “acceptable” coffee, as did an old-fashioned percolator. The magazine gave its worst marks for flavor and body to the automatic drip into a glass carafe on a burner and the French press plunger pot.
ESPRESSO AND ITS EQUIPMENT
Espresso and two popular beverages made from it, cappuccino and latte, are where the action is in the upscale coffee scene.
The word “upscale” isn’t dropped accidentally. While gravity encourages water to drip through ground coffee and “brew” a cup, espresso can be created only by highly engineered machines that force water through the grounds under considerable pressure. (The best machines use a piston or pump to drive heated water through the grounds; steam machines are less expensive.)
Kummer suggests a “convenient, low-tech, cheap” alternative, the Moka stovetop brewer. It is an Italian steam machine that produces a double-strength coffee, richer than drip but lacking the thick texture and super-intense flavor of espresso. Buy stainless steel, not aluminum, he advises.
The “Espresso Encyclopedia” tells us, “True espresso is a complex beverage, combining a special blend of arabica beans, darkly roasted, finely ground, densely packed and quickly brewed under pressure in individual servings. Properly brewed espresso with crema has a uniquely smooth and creamy, bittersweet flavor that captures the full essence of the beans.”
Which leads to the question, “What is crema?”
It is, the encyclopedia croons, “the heart and soul of true espresso flavor.” On a more mundane level, it is the “foamy, golden brown extraction that … encrusts the top of your espresso serving.” It requires a perfect amount and grind of coffee to meet–very briefly–a precise amount of water at the correct temperature.
The easiest way to achieve perfection is to allow the machine to do it for you. For $1,200 or a little less, you can purchase a fully automatic espresso machine. Set the grind consistency, regulate the water flow and push a button.
There are less expensive if more labor-intensive options: Bunn and Rancilio offer durable if noisy pump machines for about $400. An adjustable filter holder makes the pump machine easier to use and produces quality espresso. Saeco, about $300, is the leading brand; it’s sold by Starbucks as Estro. Another pump machine, with prepackaged ground coffee, is foolproof, according to Kummer, but only accepts capsules filled with the manufacturer’s coffee. Krups Nespresso and Lavazza are other brands to look for.
Kummer finds the Pavoni home piston machine beautiful but “very expensive and hard to operate.” Another option, the electric steam-powered machine, “does not make true espresso.”
Most Americans do a double-take when first confronting a serving of espresso. There’s almost nothing there! But the chocolate-colored brew is concentrated (2 tablespoons of finely ground coffee yield about 1 1/2 ounces of beverage). And it is remarkably fragrant and bitter.
Even Europeans rarely drink their morning espresso straight. They add milk at breakfast time to make the French cafe au lait (or Italian cappuccino). Americans add more milk and do it all day (and night).
In creating cappuccino, the Italians weren’t satisfied to simply add milk to espresso. They added two kinds of milk: one heated to the point of a boil through the injection of steam, the other heated and aerated to produce foam. The magical blend, the gossamer yet flavorful foam, is what has earned cappuccino a place in the beverage hall of fame.
The classic recipe for cappuccino is one-third each espresso, milk and foam. When making caffe latte, milk-addicted Americans mix four to eight parts milk, some foamed, with one part espresso to create a coffee-flavored milk drink.
Every espresso machine comes with a metal tube, called a steam wand, intended to produce the essential foam. But often, especially in cheaper models, the steam is not strong enough to make foam. That leads to buying an attachment such as Krups’ Perfect Froth or a separate milk steamer such as Cappuccino Crazy from Salton/Maxim.
And beware of adding those popular syrups or flavored sugars. They will further mask the taste nuances of the expensive, exotic beans that began the whole process.
BREWED COFFEE WITH CINNAMON AND NUTMEG
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “A Cozy Book of Coffees & Cocoas,” by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler.
1/2 cup ground medium-bodied coffee
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Scant 1/8. teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 cups cold water
Place the coffee grounds in a filter basket and sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Brew the coffee by manual or automatic drip method. Serve immediately.
CAPPUCCINO MOCHA
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
Adapted from “Espresso Quick Reference Guide,” by Phillip Janssen. Use an espresso machine to brew the espresso and to steam and foam the milk.
1 ounce thick chocolate syrup
1/2 cup skim milk
2 shots brewed espresso
Cocoa
1.Pour the chocolate syrup into the serving mug. Foam and steam the milk. Pour the espresso into the mug. Stir.
2.Pour steamed milk from under its foam to 1/2-inch from top of cup. Top with a 2-inch cap of foam from the milk. Dust with cocoa. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information:
Calories……….125 Fat……………..0.5 g.Cholesterol…….2 mg
Sodium………100 mg Carbohydrates……..28 g Protein…………5 g
