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Author:
Melissa Collins
Everybody knows how to make coffee – you need coffee grounds, water, and whatever coffee maker is it hand. That’s how it’s done, that’s how it’s always been done, it’s tradition. Or is it?
If you think about it, coffee comes in beans, and the first incredibly smart humans who discovered you can brew them probably used them as such and were quite pleased with the result, which is why they kept drinking it and left us this wonderful legacy.
So, how about it? Can you brew whole coffee beans?
Let’s talk about a simple way of making coffee without a grinder or indeed a coffee maker. Who knows when it might come in handy, perhaps during a power outage or if you find yourself camping in the middle of nowhere?
All you need is a Mason jar, a bigger pot, and, of course, water. A Mason jar is useful as you can check the tick marks on the side.
Some say this is an emergency method only, but there are coffee lovers who insist grinding the beans actually spoils the coffee. For one thing, the heat in the grinder can scorch the coffee, making it more bitter.
On the other hand, if you use a traditional grinder you will probably get an inconsistent grind, mixing fine particles with coarser ones. This is indeed a problem, as, during the brewing process, some of the finer particles might be over-extracted, while the coarser ones will be under-extracted, which all adds up to you getting a weak unsatisfactory coffee.
Grinding coffee doesn’t do anything to improve the flavors of your coffee, it just helps you brew it quicker!
However, coffee enthusiasts are adamant this is not the proper way to make coffee, pointing out the oily hard shell of the beans prevents a good extraction of the natural flavor and aroma molecules.
If you do not have a grinder at hand, you’re better off improvising, using a hammer or a pestle to grind the beans. Even if they are coarse, the coffee will still be better and more flavorful. Well, maybe they do have a point.
So, if you find yourself in a situation when you cannot grind your coffee beans, you can try to get your caffeine fix by simmering them over the stove for an hour. Maybe it won’t be the best coffee you’ve ever had, but it’s better than nothing!
Brewing Coffee Without a Grinder
https://goodfolkscoffee.com/blogs/news/brewing-coffee-without-a-grinder