Coffee is, without doubt, one of the most highly consumed beverages on the planet. People just can’t seem to get enough of it!
In today’s times, there are countless flavours and variants of coffee that cater to the different tastes of people across the globe. The development of the coffee industry has also led to significant changes in how coffee is manufactured and served.
Today’s coffee drinkers no longer rely on kettles to boil or brew coffee. This is because more and more sophisticated coffee machines are now doing what kettles can do, and then some! People do not need to go to places such as Starbucks to get their daily coffee fix since coffee machines small enough for home use are now readily available.
Let’s have a look at what makes coffee such a popular tipple around the world:
The coffee plant
There are basically two main species of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is considered the better tasting variety and is thus categorised under premium. On the other hand, Robusta is much easier to grow because it is more resistant to diseases and harsh weather conditions. Coffee manufacturers blend these two types of beans to create different qualities of coffee products. However, the best gourmet coffee is said to be made exclusively from Arabica beans.
Coffee preparation
The coffee cherries that contain the beans do not ripen at the same time on one branch. Therefore, coffee cherries are laboriously handpicked during harvest time to allow the younger cherries to ripen for another harvesting session. The cherries are then dried and roasted. Coffee roasting involves adding heat to the beans in order to add complexity to the different chemicals. This is what is responsible for the coffee’s aroma and taste. Roasted beans are then usually ground and prepared for commercial sale.
Traditional styles of making coffee
In order to become the beverage almost everybody loves, roasted coffee beans need to be brewed. There are different ways of brewing coffee, each resulting in a different coffee experience for the drinker.
Boiling: The simplest way of making coffee is by brewing the beans in a kettle. This process is easy because all you have to do is mix water with ground roasted beans and leave to boil.
Steeping: Similar to boiling, steeping uses a French press which filters ground coffee so that only the liquid mixture is poured out after boiling. The ground is left inside the French press and is discarded after use.
Filtration: Filtration is the common method of brewing coffee used by ordinary coffee makers that you find in most homes. In this process, hot water drips through a filter containing the coffee grounds. The time that the hot water and coffee grounds are in contact with each other in the filtered container is enough to make a liquid mixture that will fall into the waiting cup.
Pressure: Also known as espresso brewing, this method involves forcing 91 to 95 degree water through a tightly packed coffee ground in a pressurised manner. The pressure accounts for the more intense flavour of the resulting coffee beverage.
Modern styles of making coffee
With today’s advancements in technology, modern coffee machines are now incorporating the use of computer processors into producing a perfect hot drink every time. Products from the Tassimo coffee machine range are using intelligent technology that produces an invigorating cup of coffee with just a push of a button. With advanced technology, you can use the machine to make consecutive different flavoured coffees without having to change anything except the T-discs.
How it works
The Tassimo coffee machine uses T-discs to make you the ultimate hot drink. The T-discs contain the ingredients for the drink as well as a barcode which holds all the necessary instructions that the coffee machine needs to ensure that the beverage is made perfectly. The barcode instructions dictate the level and temperature of water as well as the amount of pressure to be used in the production of each cup. This innovative coffee machine can make a wide range of hot drinks including gourmet coffee, tea and even hot chocolate.
With exciting new technology like this in charge of making a cup of coffee, it’s no wonder kettle sales are rapidly losing steam!
