Try these coffee-making methods for a more intimate caffeine routine at home
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- February 27, 2021
Here’s a fun fact: According to a 2018 survey conducted on Singaporeans aged 18 and above, 62.22% of participants picked coffee as one of their regularly consumed beverages. I can’t say that I’m surprised, considering the never-ending queue for Starbucks.
Apart from the convenience of cafes, most of us usually rely on coffee machines or instant sachets for our caffeine fix. But now that we have the luxury of working from home more often, I can’t help but wonder—if we love our coffee so much, perhaps it’s time we slowed down to smell the roses (or coffee beans)—and put a little more time and effort into making our very own cuppa.
To make your caffeine routine more intimate, check out these three coffee-making methods that you might fall in love with.
The pour-over
If you have tons of time and patience, the pour-over method really allows you to immerse yourself in the calming experience of brewing coffee. The concept is simple: You hand-pour hot water over a filter filled with grounded coffee beans, where the water then steeps through the grounds and into a cup to become coffee.
When done correctly, the result of your hard work is a clean and intricately flavourful cup of coffee.
What you’ll need: Coffee beans, a grinder, filter paper, a gooseneck kettle, a pour-over device to hold your filter (some options are the V60, Kalita Wave and Chemex), your favourite mug
While the pour-over method might be easy to understand, it can be difficult to execute for beginners. Check out these informative guides below on how to use each device when brewing your coffee. For a simpler process, you can also try Hook Coffee’s Drip Coffee Bags.
V60: Liberty Coffee, Apartment Coffee
Kalita Wave: Nylon Coffee, Common Man Coffee Roasters
Chemex: Liberty Coffee, PPP Coffee
The cold brew
If you often find yourself craving some ice-cold coffee on a warm day, stocking up your fridge with cold brew is perfect for quenching your thirst.
Compared to a pour-over, you’re less likely to mess up a cold brew: Start off by mixing a cup of coffee grounds with cold water, followed by leaving it overnight in the fridge to steep (at least 18 hours) before straining the coffee liquid into a separate cup.
What you’ll end up with is a concentrated, smooth and sweet cup of coffee with less acidity. A tip to avoid having a bitter brew is to use coarser grinds around the size of raw sugar.
What you’ll need: A cup, a grinder, coarsely-grinded coffee beans, ice water, a strainer, a separate cup for straining
Check out some of these helpful guides to aid you in your cold brew-making process: Common Man Coffee Roasters, DBS
French Press
Despite its name, the French Press is less of an arm-workout than the pour-over method. However, there are a bit more steps to follow, but you should be able to ditch the instructions after a few consistent practices.
A French Press consists of a beaker and the plunger-slash-lid, and this is a summary of how it works:
Boil some water while you work on grinding up some coffee beans (a suggested coffee to water ratio is 1:12).
To the beaker, add the coffee grinds and fill it up halfway with boiling water (let the water cool off for a minute first before pouring it).
After you have steeped the mixture for a minute, add the rest of the water and give everything a good stir to break up any crusts. After that, continue to let the coffee liquid steep for three more minutes with the lid on (and plunger up).
When the time is up, push the plunger all the way down before pouring the liquid into a cup, and what you’ll achieve is a taste of full-bodied coffee.
What you’ll need: A burr grinder (recommended for an even grind), a French Press (some options are Hook Coffee and IKEA, coffee beans, measuring cups or a weighing scale, your favourite mug
Check out these guides from Perk Coffee and Hook Coffee for using the French Press.
Whilst it can be difficult to pivot from using those fool-proof coffee machines, it’s always fun to pick up a new method and spice up your caffeine routine.
Feature image from Unsplash
