An Amateur’s Guide to Coffee

To,

All the anxiety ridden people who get a panic attack every time they hold the line (or are stared down by the barista) while ordering Coffee.

Ever since Kaldi, Ethiopia’s very own observant goat herder discovered the invigorating effects of our beloved Coffee, or so the legend goes, it has become a staple part of our daily diet. Even so, nervous, awkward, folks like me get an anxiety attack every single time it’s our turn to order- As the superiority in the barista’s gaze makes you forget the ability to comprehend or pronounce the menu, and you long for the jar of instant Coffee lying in the pantry, severely regretting the impulse to try something new. The right solution to deal with this would be to get anxiety counselling, but since I don’t really have the budget or time for it at the moment, let’s make do with this Amateur’s guide to Coffee. Hopefully, this would prevent you from messing up your order daunted by the overwhelming social panic that would ensue.

In this hope, I have here attempted to compile a list of all the Coffee types I could find. Here, I issue a disclaimer that, all this information is second-hand with no guaranteed credibility and the sole purpose of guiding Coffee drinkers to make somewhat informed decisions. It is not advised to use this for the purpose of learning to prepare Coffee.

Here’s to a courage boost to step out and indulge in something richer than watered down instant Coffee, because in Lorelai Gilmore’s wise words, “If it was physically possible to make love to a hot beverage, this would be the one.”

Coffee Beans and Its Variants

So to begin with Coffee can be distinguished on the basis of Coffee beans used, such as Arabica, Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa. However, this distinction is largely associated with the growing requirements and as such is not much concerned with average Coffee drinker.

Black Coffee…or Not

More relevant to the drinkers is the distinction between Black Coffee and Coffee taken with milk and sweetener combinations. To begin with, every Coffee is black; for the basic definition of black Coffee is Coffee served straight after brewing without adding any milk or sugar. However, this does not mean that Black Coffee is only of one kind; rather it is a category onto its own, with variations in brewing methods that affect the flavour and strength of the drink. Additionally, certain combinations of these brew and water produce more variants of Black Coffee.

Brew Methods

Espresso- One of the most popular brews found in Cafes today, Espresso is brewed by passing small amount of pressurized hot water through very finely grounded and packed Coffee, using an Espresso machine. The additional force of pressurized water produces a highly concentrated Coffee which is used as a base for most other black and milk Coffee variants.

Filter, Drip or Freshly Brewed Coffee- One of the most often drunk Black Coffee, is brewed by placing the Coffee on a paper filter and allowing hot water to drip over the filter using gravity, without additional pressure being applied. It takes longer than an Espresso to brew but gives a stronger drink.

Pour-over- Instead of letting the water pass through under gravity (like Drip Coffee), the pour over is produced by, as the name suggests, pouring hot water over Coffee.

French press Coffee- Made in a special French press brewer through immersion method, as the Coffee is allowed to seep into boiling water and is then made to pass through the filter using a plunger to separate the grounds from the drink.

Moka- Is brewed in a Moka pot where the grounds are passed over with pressurized steam.

Siphon Coffee- Uses two chambers, water boils in the lower chamber while the Coffee grounds are kept in the upper chamber and are brewed as the steam from the boiling water creates vacuum and pressure, pushing the water up to the grounds.

Instant Coffee- is prepared simply by pouring hot water over instant Coffee powder without any sort of filter. It is used to make special drinks like Dalgona Coffee.

Cold brew method- in this type of brew instead of hot water, Coffee is left to brew in cold water for prolonged period of time resulting in a less bitter but highly caffeinated drink. This is different from iced Coffee which is brewed using hot water and cooled afterwards.

As mentioned above, brew methods are just one way to distinguish Black Coffee drinks; combination of these brews and water creates entirely new drinks. Most often these Black Coffee variants are prepared with Espresso as the base.

Black Coffee variants (using Espresso base)

Short Black- Is another name for a shot of concentrated Espresso- A thick Coffee with crema on top.

Doppio- Is double shot of Espresso and so a highly strong drink. The name comes from Italian word for double.

Ristretto- Stronger than even Doppio, is Espresso brewed with same quantity of Coffee but half the water.

Caffe Americano- Is a shot of Espresso diluted with hot water to reduce the strength. Today popularly drank as a breakfast drink, it originated during WWII as soldiers attempted to increase their limited Espresso rations.

Ishqbaaz lovers may recognize this as Sairabano ;’)

Long Black – Is a stronger version of Americano with two shots of Espresso in hot water.

Red Eye- Is a cup of freshly brewed filter Coffee but with a shot of Espresso to boost the caffeine.

Black Eye- A stronger version of red eye with double shot of Espresso in the drip Coffee.

Espresso also produces Coffee variants which may not be black. These drinks are largely a combination of three ingredients- Espresso, steamed milk and foam.

Milk Coffee variants (using Espresso base)

Macchiato- Is a shot of Espresso with 1-2 teaspoon of steamed milk. The name is a reference to the stain that appears as the milk is dashed onto the Espresso surface. A long Macchiato is Macchiato with doubled quantity of both the Espresso and the steamed milk resulting in a longer drink with same ratio.

Cortado- A shot of Espresso with roughly same amount of milk.

Breve- Shot of Espresso with half milk and half cream resulting in creamier and richer drink.

Cappuccino- Is Espresso with steamed milk and steamed milk foam. This thick layer of foam makes it an indulgence drink, often flavoured with chocolate or other additional flavourings.

Flat White- A mix between Cortado and Cappuccino as the ratio of the steamed milk to the Espresso is increased replacing the foam layer of the cappuccino with milk, making it creamier and less frothy.

Café Latte- Is a flat white topped with foam, meaning latte is like cappuccino but with increased quantity of the steamed milk.

Mocha- A hybrid of Coffee and hot chocolate with Espresso, steamed milk and cocoa powder or syrup and layer of foam often topped with whipped cream.

Iced Coffee- Shot or two of Espresso with thrice the quantity of milk and crushed ice mixture and different flavouring syrups added to taste.

Some other variants of Espresso-