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COFFEE AND ROBOTS

July 7, 2010

 

I have discovered how to make the perfect cup of coffee, and it doesn't involve the use of a robot.

When I say robot I'm talking about a coffee maker, a machine that is in fact a virtual robot that pretty much makes the coffee for you (i.e., it does the work for you).

Somebody (I think it was Marshall McLuhan) once said that Man has made so many useful things that he himself has become useless.

If you want to feel a little less useless every day try making your morning coffee without the aid of a robot. (I like to think of it as being my own slave.)

I do, I will admit, use the microwave in this process, but only to boil the water. I don't go so far as to gather wood to make fire. But other than the microwave I use no other sort of robotic device in the morning coffee-making ritual.

For starters you have to have a fine-mesh strainer. DO NOT use filters! They take away the best flavor. Use a stainless steel strainer.

Amounts are important too (very important). Use a single tablespoon to six ounces of water. I slightly round the tablespoon so that it's actually a tad more. (If you want an eight-ounce cup of brew you'll have to add about another teaspoon of coffee. You might have to experiment to get it just right.)

You will also need two GLASS containers. NO PLASTICS! I use a classic-looking glass coffee cup and a glass (pyrex) measuring cup.

Here's the process:

1. Measure six ounces of good water (definitely filter out the chlorine) and put in the microwave to bring to a boil (about two minutes).

2. While the water is in the microwave, measure a tablespoon of coffee (finely ground is stronger and therefore better) into the pyrex cup.

3. When the water comes to a boil pour it over the coffee grounds. (Be sure to make note of the time when you're doing this part.)

4. Cover the pyrex cup with a clear glass bowl.

5. Allow to steep for at least four minutes.

6. Strain the coffee into the same cup that you used to boil the water with. (The cup should still be warm from its time in the microwave.)

When I first started using this method of making coffee I was a bit put out by the coffee mud at the bottom of the cup. No more. I love that mud! I savor it. I regard it as the same as the goody at the bottom of the pan that you use to make gravy with after you sear meat.

I stumbled upon this coffee-making ritual when my French press broke. I wasn't about to run to the market to buy another one, at least not without having a cup of coffee first. And yes, I do have a coffee maker. I just don't like it. I have never been completely happy with any that I have ever used.

This process may sound a bit tedious, but it has become a morning ritual that I actually cherish. I love everything about it; seeing the water come to a boil, the steam collect on the bottom of the glass bowl, the rich coffee foam at the top of the cup and the exquisite mud at the bottom.

Not to mention the taste of the coffee!

If you want coffee that tastes like coffee smells, this is the only guaranteed way to get it every time.