Living a fast life is one of the indicators of modernization. Thus, we have become habituated to anything fast as we have little or no time. That includes gravitating our lives toward fast food. If we don’t munch on McDonald’s, we’d find ourselves popping a tub of mac and cheese, pizza, or entrée into the microwave oven for a quick and hot meal.
And how about coffee? Sure, there is the reliable instant coffee – all you have to do is take one or two heaped tablespoons of it, put it into a cup, pour in the hot water, stir, and voila! Your cup of joe is served in a jiffy. Instant coffee is cheap, fast, and almost effortless. But if taste is the point, you really have to devote a little effort and time to making brewed coffee.
Despite the convenience that instant coffee offers, you know that nothing tops freshly brewed ground coffee. You cannot explain it, but you know you miss the taste and aroma of real brewed coffee.
However, you’re aware that going to the coffee shops would cost you a lot of money.
Fortunately, there are several methods of brewing coffee that require little time for preparation.
If speed is far more important to you…
These are a couple of ways to make quick, easy, and great coffee by using a Keurig machine or a Nespresso machine:
How to brew coffee using a Keurig machine:
- Fill the reservoir with clean water.
- Place your mug on the drip tray.
- Insert a K-Cup into the machine (K-Cups are coffee pods or coffee capsules that can be bought from a store or ordered online).
- Turn the Keurig machine on to brew your coffee.
- In a matter of seconds, your brew is ready! You may add sugar, milk, or cream if desired.
Note:
It’s recommended that you have done a clean-up first by running a brew cycle without the K-Cup. Fill the water reservoir with clean water, press the “go” button to run a brew cycle, then discard the used water before filling the reservoir with clean water for the actual brewing. Make sure that your Keurig machine is properly heated up before brewing coffee.
How to brew coffee using the Nespresso machine:
- Fill your Nespresso machine’s water tank with clean water at least halfway.
- Turn the Nespresso machine on to preheat the water.
- Wait a few seconds for the flashing light to become solid. Once the flashing stops, it means the water is heated.
- Place your mug below the coffee outlet. Depending on the model, you may have to lift or detach the drip tray if you’re using a bigger cup.
- Insert the Nespresso coffee pod into the machine.
- Select the desired cup size to brew your coffee. Most basic Nespresso machines have the Espresso and Lungo, while the higher-end models may have more cup size options.
- Your coffee is now ready! You may add sugar, milk, or cream if desired.
If you spare just a little more time…
These manual methods require a little more time and effort. Nonetheless, they still don’t take too long before enjoying your cup of freshly brewed coffee.
How to brew pour-over coffee using a manual drip:
- Line your coffee drip maker with a paper filter.
- Add two heaping tablespoons of medium grind coffee on the coffee drip maker.
- Have six ounces (30 ml) of very hot or just-boiled water.
- Pour one-half cup of water over ground coffee. Make sure that the coffee grounds are saturated completely. Let it stand for around 30 seconds.
- Pour the remaining hot water over the coffee grounds. Do this in batches when necessary, stirring gently after every addition.
- Enjoy your freshly brewed coffee! You may add sugar, milk, or cream if desired.
Note: For the pour-over method, there are different coffee making tools available in the market. But basically, all you’ll need is a manual pour over or drip coffee maker and a paper filter specifically made for this device. There are ceramic, glass, metal, and silicon coffee makers. Chemex is a brand famous for its glass pour-over coffee makers.
How to brew coffee using a French press:
- Warm up your French press. You can do that by adding some boiling water into your French press and then discarding the water.
- Bring enough water for brewing to a near-boil. If you’re using a 17-ounce French press, you’ll need around 350 grams or 12 ounces of water.
- Add 30 grams of coarse grind coffee into the French press.
- Pour 60 grams of water onto the coffee grounds.
- Give the coffee grounds a gentle stir, then allow them to bloom for about 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining water and place the filter on top of the grounds. But don’t plunge it just yet.
- Allow the coffee to steep for four minutes.
- After four minutes, gently plunge or press the filter down.
- Serve your coffee immediately – as it is or with sugar, milk, or cream, if desired. Letting the coffee sit in the French press for too long will cause it to continue brewing, and your coffee will become too bitter.
Alternatives to coffee
For those who want to enjoy a hot beverage but want to steer clear of coffee’s high caffeine and acid content, check out the many types of plants and fruits that can be used as coffee alternatives. But if you have little time to prepare these plants and fruits for beverage, you can purchase them online, such as dried dandelion roots, dried chicory roots, and even powdered carob seeds.