Coffee Maker Follow Up

In a follow up to my coffee maker post, I read this in “The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee the other day, and thought I would share:

Would you cook a good steak in a microwave? Why would you let a machine make your coffee? Letting a machine brew your coffee is like putting popcorn in a microwave and “popcorn.” It takes the power away from you.

For most of us the answer is yes. Now I’m not going to diss the coffee maker. Nope. I own one, and am on record as loving it. Coffee makers serve a purpose for us - they provide coffee when we want it. For the on the go person, they can have coffee waiting for them before they head out the door in the morning. 

Now, for the more devotees of coffee, other methods have a way enhancing the flavor, bringing to the forefront all the flavors the roaster wants you to experience. A pour over is a preferred way to achieve this. In fact, more and more coffee houses around the country are serving pour over coffee.

Does the average person running into the coffee house taste the difference? I don’t know. I’d like to think so, because they go back again and again. Starbucks though insists their regular drip coffee if the biggest selling drink they serve. 

You’ve seen how they brew coffee. There are vats of it brewed, and they are all timed for freshness. When the beeper goes off, it’s time to make more coffee. 

The problem for most coffee lovers is, as coffee sits in a pot, the flavor of the coffee changes. Oils separate, and coffee can become more bitter as it sits. And please, don’t get me started on my old pet peeve of microwaving coffee. Good lord what did that poor coffee bean do to deserve that fate. 

As I drink my coffee in a thermal mug over an hour, do I notice a change in how it tastes? Yes. I still drink it though. I understand you want to drink the coffee at its freshest, but I liken this to wine. You want to savor a coffee, as you would a glass of wine. The difference is you if the coffee gets cool, you might want to drink it a bit quicker. 

I leave it to you to decide how you like your coffee. As long as the coffee is good, and nothing bad has happened to it, it can be brewed in any number of ways.

Charlie