I’m a recent convert to coffee - I managed to get through both of my degrees without drinking the stuff. But somehow over the last few months, my palate has decided that what was once “ick” is now “mmmmm”. (Funny, that’s how it happened with beer, too.)
But my newly acquired appreciation couldn’t have come at a better time - I had the chance last week to meet with Erica Hess, “Coffee Educator” for Peet’s Coffee & Tea. West coasters may be familiar with the Peet’s brand - and after years catering to caffeine-desperate east coast transplants through mail-order, Peet’s is now gracing the shelves of grocery stores in the DC area. To promote this move, I got to spend an hour talking with Erica about coffee, how to brew it, and best of all, how to drink it with and without food.
The most important thing about choosing your coffee is that it’s fresh - freshly roasted, and freshly ground. After that, it’s all about personal taste, whether you like the richer, thicker flavor of a French Roast, or the sharper bite of a Sumatran.
No matter what kind you like, there are tricks to brewing the perfect cup. I like a french press myself - mostly because I don’t drink coffee often enough to justify another appliance on my limited counter space. It’s a great way to get the most flavor out of your chosen beans.
The secrets to a good french press are, as with so many things, in the timing. You have to take the time to grind your beans fresh, in a coarse grind. Then it’s measuring out 2 tablespoons for every 6-8 ounces of water. You start with freshly drawn (and probably filtered, if you live in DC) water, brought to a boil. But here’s the trick - once it comes to a boil, you wait 20 seconds to take the edge off the water so it won’t scorch the coffee on contact.
The brewing takes about 3-4 minutes - you can plunge it halfway after a few minutes to release some of the gases (whole coffee beans contain gases that are partially released when ground, and then the rest of the way during brewing. It can put a lot of pressure in that little pot, so don’t be afraid to push hard). Plunge all the way, then swirl the coffee in the carafe to balance the brew before serving, since the water towards the bottom will be heavier with coffee.
This was all well and good, but after sitting there smelling coffee for a half hour, what I really wanted was to taste it. Drinking coffee is a lot like drinking wine, really - each brew, each bean has its own distinct flavor and feel on the palate. For me, I experience the differences in the way it feels on my tongue. The Sumatran, with its spicy bite tingles in the front quadrants, the Major Dickenson’s Blend sat evenly and lightly over the whole expanse of my mouth and the French Roast had a thicker, oiler sensation that feels rich to the sip.
And then there’s the process of pairing the right brew of coffee with the right desert. A blend of beans is usually the “just right” with most everything - not too dark or light, not too much oil or bite. The light flavor of the chocolate and coffee éclairs went well with the blend, as did the mille foille. But for the bolder flavors, a bolder cup went better. The rich chocolate tart needed the bite of the Sumatran to clear the palate, and surprisingly, the puckering lemon tart went beautifully with the French Roast - the darkness of the coffee adding a complex note to the sweet-sour dessert.
Coffee is such a personalized process - everyone has their favorite cup, their own balance of cream, sugar, or nothing, and their own way of enjoying it. No two people I asked had the same preferences on blend or brewing. How do you take your coffee?
