Coffee : Making traditional Italian Coffee (Part 1/3)
I’ve kept this secret far too long from my blog, and I have to share how awesome and easy homemade coffee can be. (Part 1 of 3 about DIY coffee.)
Last year, all I could talk about after we got home from Miami that October was how much I missed the cafe con leches we’d get at the various restaurants. It was so great to people watch and drink coffee next to the beach. So, last Christmas, Dave bought me (us really) an Bialetti Italian stovetop espresso maker.
But Why a Stovetop coffee pot?
I have a few reasons for this post
- I got this AWESOME Bialetti Italian stovetop espresso maker from Dave at Christmas last year and never wrote about it. Sorry!
- A post about K-Cups by Adam Jackson.
- Saving time and money. I LOVE Starbucks and the mom & pop coffee shops, but to save money you can do similar things at home. No complicated coffee pots that require special water, cycles and filters to make ‘OK’ cups of coffee.
Coffee = not complicated
With this set up, making your own fresh cup of espresso is easy! Even half asleep you can do it. The hardest part may be picking a bean or even a syrup to add to it. If you don’t want to make a huge investment, but still want a great tasting coffee our favorite brands are Eight O’Clock, Folgers (we had a coupon) and of course Starbucks.
I have decided to write three different posts about the coffee making process. By itself it’s really easy, but there’s other easy things you can do to build on that simple cup of coffee even if you don’t use my method of brewing a cup I think you’ll enjoy making your own milk foam and grinding your own bean. (Future posts)
The Star : Italian Coffee Pot
The Bialetti Italian stovetop espresso maker is an aluminum coffee pot that comes in three parts:
- Collecting Chamber
- Basket
- Bottom Chamber
Occasionally I’ll clean out the collecting chamber where the coffee percolates into with some mild dishsoap, but never the bottom chamber where you fill with water. (Depending on the type of water you use, tiny bumps (harmless) will form in the bottom chamber. This is just the water reacting to the aluminum. Again – harmless! However, if you must clean it – try a chain mail scrubber.)
Make a basic cup or two of Coffee : Using already ground coffee (Yield : 2 strong cups of coffee)
Step 1 : Unscrew all the pieces and give the insides a quick rinse.
Step 2 : Fill the bottom chamber to the fill line – see red arrow. If you fill to the line you’ll get two (2) strong cups of coffee or one (1) really big cup of coffee. Perfect for a Monday! You’ll see little bumps on the bottom of the pot where the water reacts with the pot over time.
Step 3 : Fill the basket with ground coffee. If you fill to the top, your coffee will be pretty strong, but that also depends on the type of ground or bean coffee you bought. About 3-4 Tablespoons should fill it. Experiment with the amount to get the strength you want.
Step 4 : Drop the basket into the bottom chamber.
Step 5 : Screw the collecting chamber to the bottom chamber.
Step 6 : Put the pot on burner to start the process.
Step 7 : Few minutes later, as the water gets hotter. Pressure from the steam forces the water up through the basket and coffee grounds to the collection chamber. The sound of the water bubbling up changes once there’s no more water left. To describe it best, it goes from gurgling to a dry cough.
Keep an eye and ear out. Here’s what a full pot looks like.
Step 8 : Pour and enjoy. Be careful it’s very HOT!
If you don’t like the taste of the coffee, have no fear – freeze it and use it to cook or bake with. Use the coffee in some of these other coffee and chocolate recipes on my blog.
Best part about this set-up is no filters to keep track of. Making a cup of coffee in no time flat for anyone at anytime. Plus we get to compost our coffee grounds.
Next two posts I’ll teach you how to grind your own bean and make your own milk foam!
https://www.thesugarpixie.net/2011/11/14/coffee-making-traditional-italian-coffee-part-13/Making traditional Italian Coffeehttps://i0.wp.com/www.thesugarpixie.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Coffee_14.jpg?fit=500%2C332&ssl=1https://i0.wp.com/www.thesugarpixie.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Coffee_14.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1How-To / DIYRecipesbreakfast,coffee,cooking,espressoI've kept this secret far too long from my blog, and I have to share how awesome and easy homemade coffee can be. (Part 1 of 3 about DIY coffee.) Last year, all I could talk about after we got home from Miami that October was how much I missed...thesugarpixie thesugarpixie@gmail.comAdministratorThe Sugar Pixie
