Gourmet Coffee at Home - the Common Man's Gold

Caffe in Italian, Gahveh in Turkish or Gahwah in Arabic, Kaffa in Ethiopia where it may have first been discovered ... it doesn't matter how you say it, coffee is a beverage that has fascinated, comforted, entertained, and inspired for centuries. To this day, coffee takes the form of elixir, health potion, energy drink, soother, and companion.

Far from the world of Starbucks, high in the Rocky Mountains of southwest Colorado, I grew up with an appreciation of coffee. One of my earliest memories is of sitting at the table in my grandparents' kitchen, watching as my Grandpa added just a touch of the stuff to a cup of milk so I could feel like a "big girl" drinking coffee like he was doing. It was the scent of camping, threaded in the burst of bacon grilling on a camper stove. Its beans were treasure, carefully hoarded by my father and ground each morning to be added to a pot steaming with beauty.

I never tasted "commercial" coffee until I'd moved from home and stumbled on my first Starbucks in Denver. A new variety of coffee pleasure opened up, but I've never grown out of my love for the home-made stuff. In all its forms and variations, there is nothing that quite compares to the cup of coffee brewed at home.

And why not? No one really knows how coffee was first discovered, but the most popular story claims that the drink originates from Ethiopia, where a goat herder named Kaldi found his wandering goats dancing around, in the throes of excitement. Kaldi watched his goats chew on the leaves and berries of an unfamiliar tree, and decided to try the strange fruits himself. He began to dance himself, wax poetic, feel super-human, and thus discovered coffee. It is the stuff of legend.

Want to feel like a real coffee connoisseur? This guide will walk you through choosing, grinding, and brewing gourmet coffee at home ... and offer a few recipes to make you really look great!

Coffee 101

I was recently reminded just how much of a difference fresh-ground beans makes. My fiancee is visiting, and poured out a cup of the coffee I'd just ground and brewed. I watched his eyes go wide with surprise as he stated, "Wow, this is great!" ... it was a cool compliment.

The fact is that while the price on that bag of beans might look shocking, coffee is one of the most affordable luxuries in life. You can get great coffee for just a few cents per cup, so you might as well get the best quality beans possible. In the long run, it will cost less than visiting the local coffee house, and taste much better than the pre-ground cans you can purchase.

The most important factor of quality in your cup of coffee is freshness. This means coffee beans that were roasted within the last week, and ground just before brewing.

A close second to freshness determining quality is your equipment. A good coffee maker will brew at about 200 degrees, and the total time it takes to finish brewing should be under 6 minutes. Why is all this so important? Coffee, the beverage, is an extract of the ground bean. Without it being heated at the right temperature, it doesn't fully extract the essential ingredients that we call "coffee", and it will usually contain too much acidity.

Step-by-step, here's how to serve the perfect cup:

1. Start with clean equipment - Never use soap to wash your equipment. Instead, soak removable parts separately in baking soda and give them a thorough cleaning under water. The "insides" of a coffee maker can be cleaned out by brewing regular white vinegar - just make sure to run a few pots of water through after the vinegar.

2. Use purified water - 98% of what we call "coffee" is actually water, so it makes no sense to seek out the best beans only to pour tap water over them. Fresh and pure, filtered water will affect the flavor of your coffee.

3. Grind the beans - Ground coffee stales quickly, so you will need to make sure that you grind only enough for the amount you want to brew. Also be sure you're getting the right grind. Espresso makers need a very, very fine grind but auto-drip coffee makers work a bit better with thicker, coarse grounds.

4. Measure the ground - The standard measurement for coffee is 6 ounces of fresh water to 2 tablespoons ground coffee. Most coffee lovers will quote a standard "3 tablespoons for 12 cups". It's easy to measure out - and will save you the frustration of using up your grounds (and cash) too quickly.

5. Keep it fresh - If you're using an auto-drip coffee maker, you will need to either drink quick (20 minutes) or remove your brew from the pot. Warm a carafe by running hot water through it, and place your brewed coffee in this. It will stay warm and fresh, and not taste "burned".

Gourmet Coffee Recipes at Home

Anyone can make a cup of coffee ... but how good that cup is depends on more than just taste. What it looks like and smells like is just as important as what it tastes like if you want to make an awe-inspiring impression.

Here are just a few recipes for coffee that go way, way beyond the standard cup with cream and sugar.

Coffee Ice Cream Cooler

Brew 2 cups of strong coffee (about 2 tablespoons coffee grounds per cup of water). While it's brewing, mix 1 cup of cold milk and a few drops of french vanilla syrup in a tall glass. Add the brewed coffee to this once it's finished, and top with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream. Garnish, if you like, with shaved chocolate.

Frappuccino(r) Copycat

Brew 1 cup of dark coffee (4 tablespoons grounds per 8 ounces of water). While brewing, blend 2 cups of vanilla ice cream with 2 cups of cold milk. Add 1 teaspoon cocoa for a mocha variation. Add brewed coffee immediately and blend again to make it smooth and creamy, and serve.

Spiced Mexican Coffee (Cafe de Olla)

Mix 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon with 4 tablespoons fresh ground coffee and brew with 2 cups water. While brewing, combine 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup in a saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into large glasses and stir in brewed coffee. Add 1/3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Top with whipped cream and garnish, if you like, with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Chocolate Orange

Brew any dark roast coffee. While brewing, juice 1/2 of a medium orange in a large cup and add 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate. Add the brewed coffee, pouring it over the top of the mixture, and stir well to melt the chocolate.