I understand that most coffee lovers don’t like their coffee cold, so how does a thing like cold brew coffee catch on?  Well, it all comes down to chemistry.  The story behind the Toddy is that a chemical engineering graduate came up with the idea because cold brewed coffee is 67% less acidic, and smoother than many other brew methods.  Along with that, no risk of burning! So our hero Todd patented this ridiculously simple device, and probably never worked another day of his life. I wish I could do something like that.

Just because it is brewed cold doesn’t mean it has to be consumed cold.  Add boiling water, which dilutes it a smidgen, or just throw it into the microwave to heat it up.  Being one of the 25 million acid reflux sufferers in America, I understand the benefit of making things a little easier on the stomach, and this is a good way to do that without having to drink less than you want.  It is also very convenient as you can refrigerate it for several days.

You can order a Toddy cold brew system online, or from specialty coffee stores if you can find one. I am only aware of one such store in Tulsa, Mecca Coffee Co.  However, you can also buy a near identical product from Walgreen’s for half the price, which is what I did. And seriously, there is nothing to this process, so the contraptions work just the same.  The only difference is the size.   My little cold brew device is smaller, so you don’t get quite as much.  The other down side is that you are much more likely to find replacement parts for a Toddy than the “As Seen on TV” thing that I have, I know from experience.  My wife accidentally threw away the plug to mine, but luckily, the plug for the Toddy fits just the same, so I bought one from Mecca and was back to cold brewing in no time.  The other part you may need to replace is the cloth filter that fits into the bottom of the tank, and those do not come in the same size.

The Method

I suppose I should get to the details. Don’t worry, this will be short. How much coffee and water you can use depends on your device.  With the Toddy it is one pound of coarse ground coffee and 9 cups of filtered water.  With mine, I use something close to 12 ounces of coffee and 7 cups of water.  you can adjust the ratio if you like, but that will give you a pretty strong result, which is good for diluting in hot water to make an Americano type drink.

The instructions are explained quite well on the ToddyCafe web site.  As such, I will not go into detail on how to, but here is the skinny just to give you an idea of what it takes.

• Put the cloth filter in the bottom of the canister, making sure to push it all the way to the bottom.
• Insert the rubber plug in the hole from the bottom side.
• Add one cup filtered water.
• Dump half of your course ground coffee in
• Pour four cups water slowly and in a circular motion as to wet all of the grounds.
• Add the rest of the coffee.
• Pour the rest of the water.
• Cover it and let is sit for 12 hours, do not stir!
• When it is done, place it over the carafe and unplug it. The coffee will slowly drain out.

The Enjoyment

Drink it, heat it, pour it over ice, in hot water, or in a blender. There are a multitude of uses for cold brew coffee. It is perfect for an iced coffee or any kind of blended coffee drink. During the summer I will just pour it over ice cubes and drink it like that. In the winter I typically heat it in the microwave, just make sure you don’t boil it, that will produce some bitter flavors.  Another great feature of cold brew coffee is that it keeps for 14 days!  There is no waste.  If you don’t finish it, save it for the next day.

Cold brew coffee comes out very strong. I have heard others say as strong as espresso, but I wouldn’t say that. The lack of acidity and bitterness makes it much easier to drink than espresso, but for espresso lovers, it really isn’t the same.  As much as I like cold brew coffee, it will never take the place of a good hot double shot.

There is my take on cold brew. Let me know what you think.

I thought the Moka Pot deserved another look.  It is certainly worthy of one, and I have changed my approach since experimenting with it over the past few months.  If you haven’t read my previous post on the moka pot, then do so before reading further, as this may not make a lot of sense otherwise.

Exciting news: I bought a new moka pot!  My wife had been talking about checking out this place called Tuesday Morning’s which I was not familiar with, and although it was poorly lit, and not exceedingly clean, it had neat stuff for cheap, so I like it.  I found a moka pot there that was larger than mine, and I heard from another coffee enthusiast that larger moka pots produce better coffee, and she was right.  It produces more coffee than I would normally drink in a morning, but quality is everything, so it is more than worth it for me.

As for the change in approach, perhaps it is due to the larger size of my new moka pot, but I have found that it produces it’s best coffee when the stove is set to high, or just below high heat.  Of course you have to watch it, if it’s in the heat for too long you will end up with very bitter coffee, and if it starts to boil over, quite a mess(learned from experience).

So the main points to take home are: bigger may be better, high heat works, and don’t let your moka pot go too long.  Other than that, I just wanted to spend a little more time talking about the wondrous moka pot!  Recently heard from a friend that my instructions assisted her as she broke in her new moka pot.  So I consider it all worth while.  As always, I welcome comments and questions, and enjoy your coffee!

Now that we have visited France and Italy, lets see how things are done in the far East.  Cà phê sữa đá is Vietnamese for iced coffee with milk, and it is quite a treat.  This style of coffee keeps with the theme of cheap and simple ways to make coffee at home.  You can pick up a Vietnamese press pot for about $5.  Finding it might be the hard part.  Here in Tulsa they are sold at Nam-Hai which is an Asian grocery store around 21st & Garnett.  You can order one online, but the shipping will cost more than the product.

As you saw in the translation, this is iced coffee with milk, but not just any milk, sweetened condensed milk.  I happen to be a big fan of sweetened condensed milk, and it makes this drink a sweet creamy delight.  This isn’t a common drink here in the middle of the continent, but I have yet to find someone who didn’t like it when I made it for them, even non-coffee drinkers!  Of course you will have to adjust the ratio of coffee to milk to suit your preferences.  If I am making coffee for myself, I will brew it stronger with less milk, and then brew the inverse of that for my wife who generally does not like coffee.  This is easy to do because you brew this type of coffee one cup at a time.

You will need a coarse grind for this type of coffee filter.  You aren’t dealing with a paper filter so the same concept applies as with a french press.  If your grind is too fine, then a lot of it will make it’s way into your cup.  If you are buying pre-ground coffee, then I would suggest Cafe du Monde coffee & chicory.  The chicory is a common coffee substitute, and although it is similar to coffee, you will notice a difference.  The good thing is that chicory is caffeine free, and a soluble fiber.  So it is a healthy additive.  The coffee is also a french roast, so if you would rather not use chicory, then stick with a french roast.  The reason you use french roast in an eastern coffee is because the French are who brought coffee to Vietnam in the first place.

Now that we have our ingredients down lets get to brewing. Start with a glass like the the one pictured to the left.  I always use clear glasses when serving for guests as they usually get a kick out of watching the process.  It also makes it easier for you to see if the coffee is draining at a good pace.  Pour your sweetened condensed milk into the glass.  Use as much as you want, but remember, this stuff is very sweet.   Put about 2 heaping teaspoons of coffee in the filter and place it on top of the glass.  You can use slightly more or less depending on how strong you want it.  Now you are ready for the hot water(I use a tea kettle).  fill the filter up to the top and place the lid on top.

It is tempting to leave the lid off so you can watch as the water level goes down, but the lid helps with the biggest issue when using this type of brew method which is heat loss.  The thin metal filters don’t do much for keeping the hot water hot, so the lid is important as you want your coffee to brew at as small a temperature interval as possible(read: keep it hot).

After the water has filtered through you have a few options.  You can just start drinking with the hot coffee on top and a super sweet surprise at the end(not my favorite), you can stir it all up and have a sweet creamy hot coffee drink, or you can stir it up and pour it over ice.  The last option seems to be the most popular amongst those I have shared it with.

That concludes this post.  If you have any questions or suggestion then please share, and if you decide to make some Cà phê sữa đá for yourself, then please let me know what you think of it.  Enjoy your coffee!

One of my all time favorites is the french press.  When given the choice between drip coffee and french press I will always go for the french press.  To make things better, a french press is very cheap even when compared to drip coffee makers.  You can pick up a french press for $10 to $30 depending on how fancy you want it to be, or if you want one that is insulated.  I have seen electric french presses, but in my opinion, it would be a waste of money.

The french press if beautiful in it’s simplicity and ability to make a great strong cup of coffee.  They come in various sizes, but 8 cups is about the average size.  It is great for sharing with a friend as one french press is enough for 2.  Perhaps you drink more than 4 cups of coffee in a day, but a french press should be consumed within 20 minutes or the coffee will become bitter due to the fact that the grounds remain in contact with the water even after the coffee has been pressed.  So that equates to one cup per 5 minutes for 20 minutes which is a decent amount of coffee to be had in such a short time(I usually stop at 3).

I have been making french presses for a while and I have experimented with many different coffee varieties and roasts.  The traditional thing to do would be to use a French roast which I like very much.  An Italian roast is a bit too dark for me with this brew method, but if you prefer very dark coffee, then that might be for you.  Today I made a french press with a lighter roast.  I was given a blend from Santa Ana which is in El Salvador and it came out very well as this is some high quality coffee.

You need a coarse grind for a french press.  If you grind the coffee to fine, then you will end up with a lot of grounds making their way into your mug.  You will still end up with some grounds in your mug, but with a course grind you won’t get too much of it.  The picture on the left shows my french press with the grounds in it.  You can click on the photo to get a closer look.  This will give you an idea of what a course grind should look like.  As for the dose amount, you should use about four and a half ounces(9 tbsp) of coffee for an eight cup french press.

Another great thing about a french press is that all you need is hot water.  That means you just need a tea kettle and a heat source, or if you are in a coffee shop you just have to pour some hot water out of the machine.  You want to brew coffee at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius), and the boiling point of water at standard pressure is 212F/100C.  So if you are using a tea kettle then you want to get your water to a boil and then let it set for a few seconds until you no longer hear it boiling and pour it into the french press.

Let the press brew for three to four minutes and then plunge the grounds to the bottom.  Do not force the grounds down too quickly, apply gentle pressure and slowly slide the grounds to the bottom.  This will allow less grounds through the strainer, and extract the maximum amount of flavor.

Now you are ready to serve your coffee.  What you get will resemble drip coffee, but stronger, richer, and more flavorful.  Another good substitute would be a café americano which is essentialy espresso diluted in hot water.  I must admit that I occasionally add a smidge of half and half to my cup of french press coffee.  I like to cream it up a bit, so if the coffee is too strong for your liking then feel free to do the same.  As always, enjoy the blog, and enjoy your coffee!

The moka pot, or stovetop espresso maker is my most recent crush.  I have owned one for a couple years now but started experimenting with it more in the past couple of weeks.

The moka pot is something of a poor man’s espresso maker.  It is cheap, easy, and very good.  It is definitely not going to compare to a $5 – $10k espresso machine, but considering how much cheaper the moka pot is, it is very good deal.  If you like strong coffee and don’t want to shell out the dough for a real espresso machine, then this is what you are looking for.  The next step up would be a Brikka, which I do not own, but hope to to get some time soon.  I heard that the basic idea behind the moka pot actually started in France, but I am not sure of that, so for now, we can give credit to the Italians.  Most specifically, Alfonso Bialetti who patented the moka pot(caffettiera in Italian) in 1933.  Bialetti is still a brand name of moka pots, Brikkas, and other coffee related products.

Now for the brewing notes.  I have gathered tips from various sources on how to get the best espresso out of a Moka Pot, then experimented with it on my own, and here is what gave me the best results:

The first step is to fill the bottom section with filtered water(bad tasting water will give you bad tasting coffee) to just below the pressure release valve.  I have tried this starting with cool water, as well as boiling the water in a kettle first, then pouring it into the bottom section, and although some say that this will make the coffee taste less bitter, it made no difference for me, but did speed the process significantly.  The down side to boiling first, is that you are double boiling the water which removes more oxygen which will negatively affect the taste of your coffee.  Perhaps it is a taste trade-off, but the main up side would be that it speeds the process, so take your pick.

I tried an Italian roast coffee bean simply because the stovetop espresso seems old world Italian-ish to me, so it seemed appropriate.  I really liked how it came out with these beans so I decided to stick with it.

As with any good cup of coffee, you have to start with whole beans, preferably roasted between 3 days to one week ago.  The grind is also an area of mixed emotions.  I was initially of the impression that you should use a fine grind because your goal is to get very strong coffee, but in comparison to an espresso machine, you are dealing with more temperature variation, and thus pressure variation, so the brewing may take longer than an espresso machine giving you an over extracted brew.  I think it is safest to go a little more coarse than espresso, but nowhere near as coarse as you would with a french press.

I loaded the filter up with ground coffee to just above the edge and then rounded off the top with my finger and wiped away and ground from the rim.  You load the filter to just above the rim so that the grounds will be tamped flat by the top section when it is screwed down.  For this reason, do not tamp the grounds prior to this.  It is also important to clean the grounds off of the edge, if the top section doesn’t screw down properly you may leak pressure and coffee which is all kinds of bad.

Now the hard part is over!  Just set the moka pot on the stove at just below high heat.  Since not all stove tops are the same you may need to adjust the temperature to what works best for you.  You have to heat the water to boiling so that the pressure will force the water up through the grounds and into the top section, but if you overheat the water, then you will scorch your grounds and leave yourself with some bitter espresso.  Once the espresso starts flowing into the top section, you don’t want to leave it on the burner for more than a few seconds.  Once you hear a gurgle sound, it is time to take it off of the stove and serve immediately.  If there is still water left in the lower section when you are done, that is fine.  The point is to get a small amount of very good coffee.  Then again, there are large moka pots that would leave you with a significant amount of strong coffee.  In that case, it would be nice to share.

That’s it! Serve it while it’s hot, and enjoy it.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, and I hope you enjoy your coffee even more.  Let me know if you have some better tips for me, or any questions about the process that I didn’t cover.