5 Ways to Brew the Perfect Cup of Coffee

Ah, coffee—that beautiful brew absolutely necessary for a great day.

Coffee is consumed by people all over the globe and has become a necessity in most people’s lives. But like everything else, people do things differently in different parts of the world.

Here’s a look at 5 of the most popular methods of brewing this amazing beverage that we’ve all come to love.

1. Instant Coffee
 

Although shunned by coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs everywhere, this remains one of the most popular means of brewing coffee worldwide.

Instant coffee is easy to make, doesn’t require the use of expensive machines and is available at almost every convenience store. All you need is coffee powder, some hot or cold water or milk, and sugar to taste. Voila! Enjoy your hot cup of coffee!

The reason this is looked down upon by connoisseurs is because it technically isn’t actual coffee, just extract that has been freeze- or spray-dried and powdered before being packaged. It’s still good enough to satisfy your caffeine craving in a pinch.

2. The Standard Drip Coffee Machine
 

This is the traditional method; it’s fast, easy, and convenient.

It involves pouring water through ground coffee beans in a coffee machine. The coffee brewed using this method is also among the healthiest, since the filter in the machine keeps out cholesterol-rich oils in coffee beans.

Apart from the fact that you have to spend money on a machine, one common gripe is that the filter also removes oils that contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are those magical substance that gives coffee its distinct aroma and taste.

A recent variant of this machine is the single serve coffee maker, which uses pre-ground and pre-measured ‘pods’ of coffee instead of ground beans. These Nespresso compatible pods are the closest you can get to freshly brewed coffee if you’re looking for the real coffee experience.

3. The Chemex Way
 

This approach to making coffee, originally used in the 1940s, is now making a steady comeback due to its superior texture and flavour. The Chemex Coffeemaker is an hourglass-shaped borosilicate glass vessel with a simple wooden collar and tie at its center. The main attraction on this piece is a filter that takes 3 times longer; giving you a highly concentrated liquid rich in caffeine without some of the harmful oils found in traditionally brewed coffee.

4. Using A French Press
 

For this technique, you’ll need a French press pot and a timer in addition to the usual ground coffee beans and water. To brew, you place the grounds in the pitcher, add heated water, and let it steep for five minutes. Then you push the in-built strainer downwards and you get a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee.

This method gives you a coffee that is high in caffeine content; just what you need to jolt yourself awake. However, this extra caffeine means higher amounts of Cafestol, the molecule that causes your cholesterol to shoot up.

This became quite evident from the results of a study published by the European Journal of Clinical Medicine, which demonstrated that regular drinkers of French Press coffee had raised cholesterol levels.

5. The Aeropress
 

This is a new favourite among the coffee aficionados. With slick looks and the ability to produce a solution with a high concentration of caffeine. It’s quite easy to use too, just add hot water to the ground coffee and pour this mixture into the chamber. Then you press-down slowly using a plunger to get a highly concentrated solution of strong coffee that you can use in any way you wish.