What is the old way of making coffee?

Coffee has been consumed for centuries, with the earliest credible evidence of its use dating back to the 15th century in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. The traditional methods of preparing coffee have evolved over time, but the basic principles remain the same. This article will explore the origins and traditional techniques of making coffee by hand.

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Where did coffee cultivation originate?

The coffee plant is native to subtropical Africa and parts of the Middle East. The earliest cultivation of coffee is believed to have occurred in the highlands of Ethiopia during the 15th century. From Ethiopia, the coffee plant was introduced to the Arabian Peninsula in the 16th century. Coffee cultivation then expanded throughout the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe over the next few centuries.

How was coffee traditionally prepared?

The earliest methods of coffee preparation involved boiling the seeds of the coffee cherry in water. This produced a beverage akin to coffee decoctions made in parts of Africa and the Middle East today. Some key traditional methods of manually preparing coffee include:

Boiling/Decoction – Coffee seeds are pulverized and then boiled in water for a few minutes. This method is still popular in Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Infusion – Finely ground coffee is steeped in hot water for a few minutes. This method was popularized in France and continental Europe.

Filtering – The coffee decoction is strained through a filter to remove grounds. Linen, cotton, metal filters were traditionally used.
Roasting – The green coffee beans are roasted over a fire or in a pan to induce the flavors and aroma. Roasting is a crucial precursor to most coffee brewing methods.

What was Turkish coffee and how was it made?

Turkish coffee refers to the method of boiling finely powdered coffee in water in a pot known as a cezve. It originated during the 16th century Ottoman Empire and remains a popular traditional beverage in Turkey and across the Middle East.

To make Turkish coffee:

Very finely ground coffee, almost powder-like, is added to cold water in a long-handled brass or copper cezve.
The cezve is then slowly heated, mixing the grounds in the water.

As soon as foam starts to rise, the pot is removed from the heat. This prevents over-boiling the brew.
After a few minutes of brewing, the coffee is poured into tiny cups and enjoyed straight, with or without sugar.

The foam or froth in Turkish coffee is highly prized. It is considered a marker of a perfectly brewed cup.

What was the origins of espresso?

The origins of espresso coffee can be traced back to the early 20th century in Italy. The technology that enabled espresso was the invention of the steam-driven coffee machine by Italian engineer Luigi Bezzera in 1901.

This machine forced hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee in a brewing chamber. This allowed for the rapid production of a highly concentrated, aromatic crema topped beverage that became known as espresso. The technology was further refined by Desiderio Pavoni in 1905.

The espresso method gradually spread from Milan to the rest of Italy and Europe in the early 1900s. The first espresso machines were hulking, complex devices largely limited to cafes and restaurants. It wasn’t until the 1940s that smaller domestic espresso makers like the moka pot became more widely accessible.

What was the percolator and how did it make coffee?

The percolator was a widely popular method of brewing coffee from the 19th to the mid-20th century, especially in the United States. It involved continuously cycling boiling water through coffee grounds to produce a concentrated coffee extract.

A typical stovetop percolator had a bottom chamber that held the water, above which sat a small metal filter basket that held the ground coffee. As the water boiled, it rose through a vertical tube into the filter basket. The hot water extracted compounds from the coffee grounds before dripping back down into the bottom chamber. This circulation was repeated continuously for several minutes to brew the coffee.

Once the coffee achieved the desired strength, the percolator was removed from the heat source. The continuous percolation process extracted more bitter compounds from the coffee compared to other manual methods like French press.

What was the moka pot and how was it used?

The moka pot is a stovetop coffee maker that produces coffee by passing hot water pressurized by steam through ground coffee at high pressure. It was patented by Italian inventor Alfonso Bialetti in 1933.

A moka pot has three chambers:

Bottom chamber filled with water.

Middle chamber filled with ground coffee.
Top collection chamber.

As the water heats up, pressure builds in the bottom chamber forcing the water through the coffee grounds and into the top collection chamber. This results in a strong, concentrated brew.

Moka pots were popular in Europe before the widespread adoption of electric drip coffee makers. They are still used today by coffee aficionados who appreciate the strong, robust flavor profile of moka pot coffee.

What was the French press and how did it brew coffee?

The French press, also known as a cafetière, is a coffee brewing device popularized in France in the 1850s. It’s a simple pot with a plunger and filter that brews coffee by steeping coarse-ground beans in hot water.

To make coffee in a French press:

Coarsely ground coffee is added to the empty beaker.
Hot water just off the boil is poured over the grounds.
The coffee is left to steep for 3-4 minutes.

The plunger with its filter mesh is then slowly pressed down. This separates the grounds from the brewed coffee.
The coffee is poured out and enjoyed.

The resulting coffee is smooth and aromatic with little bitterness or acidity, since the grounds have room to expand and extract fully.

How was cold brew coffee traditionally prepared?

Cold brewing involves steeping ground coffee in room temperature or cold water for an extended period – usually 12 hours or longer. This prolonged extraction results in a smooth, mellow, less acidic coffee concentrate.

While cold brew has gained mainstream popularity recently, its origins can be traced back centuries:

In 1600s Japan, cold brew was prepared by dripping room temperature water over coffee grounds for several hours.

Traditional Vietnamese cold brew uses a small metal drip filter called a phin that drips water over ground coffee overnight.
Throughout history, various cultures brewed coffee cold for medicinal purposes.

The simplest traditional cold brew method involves coarse coffee grounds, cold water, and a container. The grounds are mixed with water and left to steep at room temp or in the fridge. The liquid is finally filtered before drinking.

What was coffee roasted in traditionally?

In the early days of coffee, the green coffee beans were roasted over an open fire in pans or in closed pans on stoves. Some traditional roasting methods include:

Pan roasting – Beans roasted in an iron pan over a wood fire, shaken and stirred frequently.
Oven and stove-top roasting – Using pans, popcorn poppers or rotating drums attached to stoves.

Cyclinder roasting – Roast coffee tumbled in a rotating metal cylinder over a fire or stove.

Many cultures had communal roasting areas devoted to preparing fresh roasted coffee daily. In large plantations, there were dedicated spaces for roasting sizable batches of coffee beans at a time.

How was coffee ground traditionally?

In the early centuries, coffee beans were often ground to a powder by hand using mortar and pestles made of stone or wood. Some other traditional grinding methods include:

Spice grinders – Early version of pepper mills or nut grinders adjusted to coarsely grind the roasted beans.
Burr grinders – Used interlocking metal or stone teeth to crush the beans into consistent sized grounds.
Roller grinders – Used two counter-rotating metal rollers to grind coffee.

The grinding was adjusted depending on the intended brewing method – finer for Turkish coffee and coarse for French press, for example. The earliest coffee grinders date back to the 1400s in the Middle East.

What were some traditional coffee brewing tools?

Some common traditional coffee preparation tools included:

Cezve – Long-handled copper or brass pot used to boil and brew Turkish coffee.

Phin filter – Vietnamese drip filter used for cold and hot brewing.
Palangil – Indian filter pot made of clay or brass for South Indian brewed coffee.
French press – Simple plunger-based brewing pot popularized in France.

Moka pot – Stovetop espresso-style brewer invented in Italy.
Sokoni – East African clay pot with spout used for hot brewing.

These portable, manual tools were used for generations to handcraft coffee in different cultural traditions worldwide.

What containers were traditionally used to store and serve coffee?

Some traditional ways of storing and serving coffee included:

Copper or brass pots to keep brewed coffee hot.
Wooden boxes and ceramic urns used to store roasted coffee beans.

Hemp or jute bags used by merchants to transport green beans.
Glass bottles with cork stoppers and ceramic jugs to store liquids.
Ornate copper coffee pots, silver urns and porcelain cups for serving.

Hourglass-shaped finjans to serve Turkish coffee.
Brass dabarahs to serve Ethiopian coffee ceremonies.

The containers aimed to protect the beans and brew from air, light and moisture. They also kept sediment from getting into cupped coffee. The serving vessels were designed to retain heat and flavor.

What is a coffee ceremony and how is it performed?

A coffee ceremony is a longstanding Ethiopian and Eritrean tradition used to brew, prepare and serve coffee on special occasions and to welcome guests. It is an elaborate ritual that can last up to a few hours.

The main steps involved in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony include:

The green beans are roasted in a pan with butter or oil over a charcoal stove.

The roasted beans are ground with a mortar and pestle.
The coffee is brewed by boiling the grounds in a clay pot (jebena) on the stove.
The coffee is brewed 2-3 times, with the first round considered the strongest.

The coffee is poured into handleless cups (siniyah or finjal) and enjoyed with sugar.

The ceremony is accompanied by the burning of frankincense and a shared meal or snack. The host prepares the coffee in front of the guests to fill the air with the aroma.

Conclusion

Coffee preparation was heavily influenced by traditional techniques from the past that often relied on simple tools, quality beans, and time. The ritual of manual coffee brewing focused on maximizing flavors and aromas in every step starting from the roasting. While modern coffee making has become highly automated, traditional methods are still valued by discerning coffee lovers all over the world.