Coffee Grounds and Coffee Percolators - What You Should Know About
Coffee is the third most consumed beverage in the world. Amazingly, it surpasses orange juice, soda, beer and other popular refreshments. Ever since its discovery in Ethiopia in the 1400's, coffee has been part and parcel of the developed world's morning fix.
The two most common types of coffee are Arabica and Robusta. The Arabica plant is delicate and needs more attention than Robusta. Because Robusta is more resilient and cheaper to grow, it is mostly used as instant coffee, where mass production is more beneficial. Robusta also has a much bitter taste due to its caffeine content. It almost has twice as much caffeine than Arabica.
More often than not, the ground coffee used in percolators, drip type coffee makers, Espresso machines and other coffee brewers is Arabica.
It's The Grind (Coffee Grind Levels)
The best tasting coffee is often ground just right before it is brewed. Even so, not everyone has the time nor the passion to grind and brew. That's why pre-ground coffee are very popular.
Coffee grounds are sold with a certain group of coffee brewers in mind. For instance, medium ground is compatible with drip type coffee makers while fine ground is used by Espresso machines. There are 7 types, each serving a particular group with a distinct brewing preferences:
Extra course - cold brew
Course - French press and percolators
Medium-course - Chemex
Medium - automatic drip coffee makers
Medium-fine - Aeropress
Fine - Espresso
Extra-fine - Turkish
If you want to know which brand or product you're likely to choose, check out this article with a chart on the best selling coffee grounds.
Roasting With Style (Roast Levels)
The grind type is generally not indicated in the package. The roast level, on the other hand, is prominently shown below the brand. The three levels are:
Light roast - raw, sour taste and dry, light brown beans
Medium roast - balanced taste and dry, medium brown beans
Dark roast - bitter taste and oily, dark brown beans
Medium and dark are the most frequently sold, while light roast does not have as much demand as the other two. When in doubt, medium roast is the ideal choice.
Where Coffee Beans Are From
Coffee is mostly grown in tropical countries. The plant requires a certain level of altitude and temperature for it to grow nicely. Well-known coffee producing countries include Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Vietnam. 70% of the coffee produced worldwide are of the Arabica variety. Alternatively, the top importers and consumers are Western nations.
Some consumers are also mindful of the health and ethical aspects of the coffee grounds that they buy. That's why several brands are putting labels into their packaging, such as Fair Trade Certified or 100% Organic. The Fair Trade Certification, in particular, guarantees that the coffee beans came from farms with sustainable practices and reasonably compensated farmers.
Percolators Through The Years
There are a handful of ways to brew coffee. The most common method is through a drip type coffee maker. This machine is widely available, easy to operate and very affordable. However, those who would like to take it to the next level make use of more sophisticated brewers, such as a coffee percolator or a French press coffee maker. We'll focus on coffee percolators in this article.
A coffee percolator is similar to a conventional coffee maker, except that the water reservoir of a percolator is the same one where the brewed coffee goes. In a typical coffee machine, the water goes to a water tank, passes through a filter and finally to the carafe. Percolators are either stovetop or electric.
Prior to the 1970's, when the coffee maker that we know today first came out of the market, percolators dominated the coffee drinker's household. The coffee percolator was a thing for more than a century, but the rise of instant coffee and more innovative machines eventually led to its decline. Nowadays, coffee percolators are still selling well, although not as good as their more advanced counterparts.
Many coffee drinkers swear by the taste that a coffee percolator creates. They often say that Grandma's coffee had always smelled and tasted best. Whether it's true or not rests on those who have experienced other coffee brewing methods.