Kiwisizzler

I’m a coffee snob. There, I said it! Nothing wrong with that is there?!

Aluminium Bialetti 8 Cup

I consider myself extremely lucky to be a coffee snob. It means I’m a bona fide Wellingtonian, coming from a city that has more cafes per capita than most cities in the world. To succeed as a cafe proprietor in my home city you MUST make exceptional coffee or you’ll be swallowed up by the competition. One particular cafe that had the earliest influences on me was Caffe Mode, up in Kelburn Village. The cafe latte that Craig Walden gave me on my first day began a voyage of discovery revolving around a beverage that becomes more intricate and refined as each new  experience layers upon another.

Do you have a top of the line espresso machine in your kitchen? You do? Lucky bugger! Can I come to your house for coffee??! Unfortunately for the rest of us, we have to make do with the classic Italian way which is why I’m going to focus on the most common and simplest way to make coffee at home, with a stovetop espresso pot.

In order to make a great coffee we need to bring together several simple but important components. Firstly, we must use the best beans we can lay our hands on. As to where the beans come from, this is secondary and we don’t need to be a coffee guru to source quality ones. Buying coffee beans is opposite to the traits of making a decent scotch whisky. Rather than being about single origins, it is the skill of the roaster that captures the best of the beans by blending to create a harmonious result. I suggest buying your beans from a cafe that makes fantastic coffee to begin with. They will usually have freshly roasted beans available to take home and if they roast their own beans, such as London’s Monmouth or Bullet Cafe, or Wellington’s L’Affare or Mojo, you can be guaranteed freshly roasted beans. When I catered for a Wellington law firm I sourced beans from Mojo, who guaranteed them to be roasted within the past 24 hours. Super fresh! Beans for home brewing don’t have to be this fresh but make sure they are no more than 1 week from roasting and that they have been stored in a sealed environment, ideally vacuum-packed or in one of those bags with a one way valve to release any excess gases. When storing the beans at home, there are varied schools of thought – freezer, fridge or simply in an airtight container. Personally I see no problem in leaving them in an airtight container at room temperature as there are other factors in extracting your coffee that will play a greater influence on the quality. As long as you only buy small quantities regularly (250g as a guide) you should get through it fast enough to not lose much quality.

Stainless Steel Pot

The next step to making a decent cup is getting the grind right. In this department you have three main options: the trusty (and inexpensive) blade grinder which can also be used for grinding dry spices, a flat burr grinder and a conical burr grinder; check out Buyer’s Guide to Coffee Grinders for more info on the different grinders. I, like most people who make coffee at home on a purely casual basis, am only using a blade grinder and find this suffices though given the option, I would easily opt for a conical step-less burr grinder which gives infinite control over the grain texture and superb consistency. When it comes to obtaining the best grain for an espresso, we are looking for a texture finer than caster sugar but not as fine as a powder. If you are using a blade grinder it is best to start by grinding a little on the coarse side and then giving it a few short blasts until you reach the right grind. If the grind is too coarse, the coffee will be weak and washy as the water will pass through it too fast. Too fine and the water will struggle to find its way through and will ‘drill’ minute holes through the beans, resulting in a bitter coffee. Practice makes perfect!

The Dose

Next comes the dose. Put enough cold water in the bottom of your pot to give you the amount and strength of espresso you desire. Less water means a stronger brew, more means weaker. There will be a valve in the side of the water chamber which is used to release the steam pressure if you have too much or too fine coffee in the basket. Under no circumstances should you fill above the valve or you may get boiling water squirting out the side! There needs to be enough ground coffee in the basket to give the coffee strength but not so much that the water can’t get through evenly. When using a stovetop pot, there is no need to ‘tamp’ or press the coffee into the basket. Simply spoon your beans into the basket until they form a slight hump above the lip. Run your finger around the edge of the lip and make sure there aren’t any grains that could compromise the seal. When you screw the top on tightly, this will press the coffee into the basket.

Disassembled - Base, Basket and Jug

Set your pot on a medium flame and close the lid. It will take a minute or so to get going as the water heats and the pressure builds up under the basket. Once the coffee is flowing, listen for a gurgling sound. That will indicate that your espresso is about done.

If you like an espresso, great. Enjoy your brew. If you like a cafe latte or cappuccino, here’s how to get frothed milk without a steamer. Heat your milk in a saucepan or microwave. Don’t bring it to the boil – it wants to be 55-60 deg C. You should nearly be able to hold your finger in it, but not quite. Heat a metal coffee plunger under running hot water (you can use a glass one if you are careful but metal is easier) and dry. Transfer your hot milk to the plunger and plunge repeatedly to get your bubbles. This can take anywhere from 10-40 plunges, depending on the milk. Remove the lid and sharply tap the plunger several times on a firm bench to knock the air out of the large bubbles. We are looking for a silky, creamy texture. Give the jug a quick swirl to even out the consistency and gently pour over your freshly brewed espresso. Perfecto!

Tips

- Water is an important component of a good coffee. When speaking to a master barista in Naples (and the pizza guys there will say the same thing about their pizza doughs) we were told how the coffee in Naples is revered because of the minerals in their volcanic region’s water. We prefer to use bottled water rather than ‘London Tap’ which is high in lime.

- Don’t use hot water. It will get too hot in the pot before enough pressure is obtained to force it through the grounds resulting in burnt, bitter coffee.

- I prefer to use semi-skimmed organic milk. Organic milk is proven to have more nutrients than regular milk and semi-skimmed won’t bloat you as much as full fat milk will (and it’s better for the waist-line!). The time of year can also influence the quality of milk, depending on what the cows have been feeding on.

- If buying a top-of-the-range machine, do your research. Check out Caffe Italia for all you need to know about coffee machines.

- When it comes to stovetop pots, there is no need to spend a fortune. We’ve bought several lovely stainless steel coffee pots over the years with the mindset that since they cost more they must be better. The chef school of thought also teaches that since aluminium reacts with acidic substances such as wine, vinegar and lemon juice and, as coffee is acidic, why would I want traces of aluminium in my coffee? My favourite pot is an aluminium Bialetti 8 cup. It performs more consistently than the steel ones – my theory is that it expands more than steel, creating a better seal. It makes too much for me alone but for a group of afficianados it is great!