It is not always necessary to have a coffee maker to make coffee. The coffee maker is just an instrument that makes things easier, but not the only method of getting coffee. If you want to have a coffee and you don't have a coffee maker at home, it is possible by following some extremely simple steps that anyone can do at home with the usual kitchen utensils.
Although making coffee without a coffee maker may seem unthinkable, you will see that it is a very basic procedure. Just have to sharpen your wits a bit and look for the steps to be able to extract the aroma and flavor of the coffee in our infusion without the need for these inventions that make life so much easier... And the best thing, there are several methods to choose from!
What is coffee?
Coffee is really a type of infusion. An infusion is any drink that is prepared from herbs or fruits that are introduced into boiling water to extract their properties, such as flavor and aroma. That way, they pass into the water and you can drink it without any solid residue.
In the case of coffee, what is used are berries of this silver that go through a roasting process and then are ground so that the water can obtain that characteristic flavor. However, the pressure reached by professional coffee machines also helps to extract the maximum from the coffee, although the temperature would be enough.
With this, what I intend to make you see is that if you can make an infusion at home without having any type of special apparatus, you can also make coffee in the same way. In fact, if there are no machines for infusions, it is because there is not an industry as widespread as that of coffee, although it is true that you can find some products such as French presses that are used for both coffee and infusions, etc.
Filter coffee (infusion type)
In this case, it is quite similar to the previous procedure, but it will remind you of preparing the infusions. In fact, coffee is just that, a special infusion. The idea in this case is boil the water so that it reaches a suitable temperature, either in a saucepan, in the microwave, or wherever you prefer.
As the water heats up, you can put in the exact amount of ground coffee you need for your coffee inside a filter for coffee. You must make it a kind of package, similar to tea bags. Then you close it to prevent the coffee grounds from coming out.
Once the water is at boiling temperature, the next thing is to pour the water into a cup and insert the bag you have prepared in the previous step into the water so that it leaves the flavor and aroma. You have to let it rest for a few minutes so that it takes on the right flavor, in addition to letting the water lose some temperature, since it will be too hot to drink it.
Once it's ready, you can remove the filter with the coffee wells. If you see that it has soaked up too much water, you can press it down a bit to get most of the water out. Once you have your coffee, you can add whatever you want: sugar, milk,...
By the way, it would make things a lot easier for you if you have one French press or plunger coffee maker. Although it can be considered as a tool for making coffee, it is not a coffee pot as such…
Instant coffee
Another option available to you is to use instant coffee than you can find in any supermarket. This coffee is ready to add to water and obtain the drink without the need for a coffee maker or any other procedure. A method that saves time and effort, but with which you will not obtain the same aroma and flavor as with a different type of coffee.
In this case, you only need instant coffee, water brought to its boiling point and sugar. That's all you need to make coffee. Add the amount of coffee you want to the hot water, stir well until it dissolves, add the sweetener (sugar, honey, stevia, saccharin,...), and whatever else you want (milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon, liqueur, …).
Cold brew technique or cold infusion
Cold brew, or cold infusion, is a new and innovative technique, and has not spread too much. But it is another way to prepare coffee without any special device.
Being a way of infusing coffee without the water being hot, like a cold infusion, it will be necessary to prolong the time in which the coffee is in contact with the water. In fact, the usual thing for this technique to be successful is to reach 24 hours.
Therefore, it is not a technique to make a coffee quickly and in any case, you will have to do it the day before. But in return, the wait will have a series of advantages over hot infusion. For example, when using boiling water some unwanted flavors can also be extracted. For example, with temperature some components of coffee beans such as esters, ketones and amides will be released.
those components add acidity and roasted aromas that are not nice. In addition to that bitterness, they can also sometimes give the coffee a certain astringency. By using the cold brew technique you will be able to obtain the aroma and flavor, but without releasing those undesirable components. Being purer, you can even better appreciate the differences between varieties and nuances of the different types of coffee.
And of course, if you are worried about money, being cold It will also be a cheaper technique not needing any source of energy to heat the water. Although WOW! Because once you prepare the coffee using cold brew, it can be heated to consume it hot if you want, although it is usually taken cold.
How to make cold brew coffee
The procedure for cold brew coffee is
- Ready coffee what are you going to use It is good that it is of great quality, much better if it is in grain and you grind it at the moment. But for this technique, unlike others, a coarse grind is better. That is, leave a sandy texture.
- Use water that does not add flavor. If in other hot procedures it is important that it be distilled water suitable for consumption or with weak mineralization, for this cold procedure a water with a neutral flavor is even more important.
- Also have a fine paper filter for coffee.
- You also need a container where to prepare the cold infusion. The ideal is a glass jar or a glass bottle. There are some on the market specially designed for cold brew, but you can use whatever you like, as long as it's very clean and doesn't add strange aromas. By the way, if the container does not have a lid, you can use kitchen film to cover it.
- Another utensil you need is a funnel.
- Now mix the ground coffee with the water inside the pot. The ratio should be 1:8, that is, one part of coffee for every eight parts of water. For example, you can use about 125 grams of ground coffee for every liter of water.
- Shake well and let rests for at least 12 hours covered. Although the ideal to obtain the best flavor and aroma is that it remains 24 hours. Also keep in mind that the more time passes, the higher the caffeine content of the resulting coffee. In addition, from 14-15 hours it is possible that some compounds that contribute some bitterness will also begin to come out. There are those who like the most powerful coffee, others prefer it milder. It is a matter of taste, therefore, control the time according to your case.
- Use the funnel and filter to filter the contents of the pot, and pour the mixture into the cup, glass or thermos.
- Now you can take it as is, heat it, add other additional ingredients, or whatever you need...
- Just left enjoy of your cold brew coffee.
Once made, you can keep for a few days… In the refrigerator it can last up to 7 days. Although it is not good for you to keep it for too long. Better do every day what you are going to take the next day.
pout coffee
One way to make coffee without a coffee maker is to use a pot, saucepan, or pot to heat the water and bring it to a boil. You could also use other sources of heat, like a microwave. But in any case, what you have to do is drink the amount of water necessary to prepare the amount of coffee you want and bring it to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, you can remove the container from the heat and pour in the ground coffee. Move well to mix and leave rest for 5-10 min. The reposado process is important, some people skip it and what you get is water with a slight coffee flavor.
Now you can filter the resulting liquid using a strainer or filter of disposable coffee to pour into a cup. That way you can remove the holes in the coffee that are unpleasant. Then you can add any extras, like sweetener, milk, or whatever you want to add.
