5 Coffee Brewing Methods
Canadians love their coffee. In fact, Canada scores 3rd when it comes to coffee consumption worldwide. In Vancouver, you can find an artisanal coffee shop on practically every street corner, and a Starbucks on literally every street corner! The automatic drip coffee machine is no longer your only option.
While there are many coffee brewing methods available today, you may wonder, does it really make a difference whether my cup of joe comes from a drip machine or a French press? The coffee lover will tell you, unequivocally, yes.
Here’s a look at five common coffee brewing methods and the unique benefits of each:
1. Automatic Drip Machine
How does it work?
We’ll start with your basic coffee brewing method. The automatic drip coffee machine works by pouring hot water over ground coffee beans. The brew is strained with a filter or a mesh material. Though high-end drip machines can provide good flavor, cheaper machines yield average coffee.
What are its benefits?
- Convenience — This is no doubt the most convenient coffee brewing method. You can set your machine to start brewing in the morning and wake up to a fresh cup of joe.
- High caffeine — Since the beans are in contact with the brew for longer, drip coffee is higher in caffeine than other methods. This can be a pro or a con depending on your preference!
- Unique features — High end machines offer lots of unique features like a “keep warm” setting and built-in grinders.
2. Aeropress
How does it work?
Aeropress is a relatively new method for brewing coffee that was invented in 2005. This manual device uses pressure to brew a single cup. It’s a two-step process that involves steeping the brew, and then pushing the brew through the coffee grounds to yield a strong cup of coffee.
What are its benefits?
- Speed — Because you are using the force of gravity to extract a lot of the caffeine and flavor, this method is very fast and takes only about 30 seconds to brew.
- Inexpensive — Aeropresses are relatively inexpensive and easy to purchase online or in a specialty coffee shop.
- Travel-friendly — These devices are small, light and easy to pack for traveling!
3. French Press
How does it work?
A classic coffee brewing method, the French press or press pot, is a simple device consisting of a container and a filter. It works by adding hot water over coffee grinds, letting the brew steep for a few minutes, and then pressing down the filter to separate the grinds.
What are its benefits?
- Flavor — The flavor of French press coffee is rich and intense. It’s lighter than espresso, but denser than drip coffee. Many people enjoy the medium body of this type of coffee.
- Health considerations — This method of brewing is considered the cleanest method because you aren’t using filters that can contain chemicals, and the antioxidants found in coffee beans are preserved.
- Strength — It’s easy to customize the strength of French press coffee. It just depends how long you let the brew steep before filtering it.
4. Moka Pot
How does it work?
A moka pot makes strong coffee that resembles espresso. This stovetop device uses steam pressure to push water through coffee grinds. The pressure isn’t as strong as the pressure an espresso machine exerts, so you don’t get the same level of flavor, but in a pinch, it’s a good alternative.
What are its benefits?
- Strength — This method of brewing yields strong, espresso-like coffee. Once again, this could be a pro or a con depending on your preference.
- Inexpensive — A moka pot is relatively inexpensive to purchase, and you can pick one up online or in a specialty store for around 40$.
- Flavorful — This type of coffee is very concentrated and has a robust flavor. You can really taste the coffee beans.
5. Turkish Coffee
How does it work?
Turkish coffee is a traditional method of infusing almost boiling water with finely ground coffee. The trick to brewing Turkish coffee is the extremely fine grind of the coffee beans. Fine, almost powder-like, coffee grinds are slowly brewed in a brass pot to strengthen the flavor of the coffee.
What are its benefits?
- Full-bodied — Of all the brewing methods, Turkish coffee has the fullest body. It is strong, flavorful and as close to espresso as you can get using a brewing method!
- Not bitter — Because Turkish coffee is brewed over a lower temperature, you don’t get the bitter taste that occurs when you boil coffee.
- Less grinds — With Turkish coffee grinds being so fine, you only need around a third of the amount of coffee that you would use for other methods.
At VanGo, we love learning about different methods of creating flavor profiles using the same base ingredients. It goes to show that technique is often as important as what you have to work with! These methods inspire us to create new and innovative e-juices, like our best-selling Coffee Shop Collection.
Coffee Shop covers all your classic coffee flavors including Caramel Macchiato, French Vanilla, White Chocolate Mocha and Double Double. No matter what your coffee preference, one of these flavors will fit the bill! If you are a coffee lover with an especially sweet tooth, there’s also Coffee Delight, a delicious flavor that tastes just like the classic Italian dessert, Tiramisu!
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