Gilliver's Travels
Peripatetic
The range of opinions expressed so far confirms that coffee is entirely a matter of individual preference. No two people will ever agree on the 'ideal' coffee.
On TLO's point, Americano may well taste similar to filter coffee, but it's supposed to be made as an espresso shot that's topped up with hot water. My Italian mother-in-law always used a stovetop Moka, and others here have mentioned percolators, but both these methods commit the cardinal sin of boiling the coffee. Purists insist that the water temperature must not exceed 93 C, otherwise it burns the coffee and makes it bitter.
As for blends, I much prefer a dark, chocolatey roast, so buy Velluto Nero or Esotico from the Algerian Coffee Store in Soho for brewing espresso in my Gaggia Classic machine. But an Americano can be made with any kind of bean – it's a process rather than a flavour.
Real coffee purists will always grind their own beans – some even roast them as well. Grinders can be ludicrously expensive, and I make do with a simple Krups machine – but it's a burr grinder (which crushes the beans) rather than the whirling blade type which overheats the beans and ruins the flavour.
IF you really want to get into this kind of thing (but beware, for it will suck you in) there are a number of good websites. This (American) one does a good job of explaining and demystifying the black arts.
On TLO's point, Americano may well taste similar to filter coffee, but it's supposed to be made as an espresso shot that's topped up with hot water. My Italian mother-in-law always used a stovetop Moka, and others here have mentioned percolators, but both these methods commit the cardinal sin of boiling the coffee. Purists insist that the water temperature must not exceed 93 C, otherwise it burns the coffee and makes it bitter.
As for blends, I much prefer a dark, chocolatey roast, so buy Velluto Nero or Esotico from the Algerian Coffee Store in Soho for brewing espresso in my Gaggia Classic machine. But an Americano can be made with any kind of bean – it's a process rather than a flavour.
Real coffee purists will always grind their own beans – some even roast them as well. Grinders can be ludicrously expensive, and I make do with a simple Krups machine – but it's a burr grinder (which crushes the beans) rather than the whirling blade type which overheats the beans and ruins the flavour.
IF you really want to get into this kind of thing (but beware, for it will suck you in) there are a number of good websites. This (American) one does a good job of explaining and demystifying the black arts.
