How to brew coffee without a coffee maker? There are many exciting devices to precede coffee, invented since ancient times. Alternative coffee, also called manual, is a beverage made without mechanical help. Every drink made by using low-tech methods requires skills and knowledge. So, coffee brewing has become an art.
Brewing Alternatives
A short comeback into history will help to understand where the alternative started. The development has taken place in Seattle, America, in the 90s. The group of coffee lovers formed their flow on the northwest coast of the States in 1970. These people especially appreciated natural brewing and accustomed Americans to beautiful coffee ceremonies. It is important to choose the right grain: for example, “Kenya” will be more acidic, berry, and very rich in taste, “Ethiopia” is more citrus, floral, and sweet.
What are other rules people who like alternative brewing should know?
Key Points
- Would prefer Robusta, light roasting. This sort of grain perfectly suits alternative brewing and helps to pull out the flavor.
- All-new is well overlooked old.
- Coffee is no worse than tea, so it requires a brewing ceremony.
- Use freshly roasted grains. Ideal: no earlier than three days and no later than a month after roasting so that it was at the peak of its taste.
- Keep the equipment clean. Wash all devices with special liquids to not accumulate coffee oils that will spoil your drinks.
- Pay special attention to water for making coffee. It must be odorless, impurity, and chlorine-free. Take SCA standards as an example.
- Be sure to purchase micro-precision scales. With their help, you can make the drink's taste stable and control all aspects of brewing!
- To achieve the ideal alternative brewing, take a 1:10 coffee to water ratio.
- The only possible way to boost the natural taste of coffee is to saturate it with oxygen. Yes, hand-brewing rituals take more time than machine processing.
If you have enough knowledge on how to brew coffee without a coffee maker, you should also keep in mind the specifics of each brewing device. Depending on the type of grain, a cup of chilled or cold filter coffee resembles a tasty fruit tea. Among the most significant advantages are:
- Full flavor and aroma
- View ritual
Here's a fact for those who believe in espresso and Americano: a cup of freshly brewed filter coffee has more caffeine.
Use Cezve
People have been making enjoyable coffee in a cezve since the 16th century. This is the very first method of fermentation coffee with a great history and culture. Most people consider cezve a method for home-brewing only. Strong and thick cezve beverage always has a special aroma. And this is not just a process, but first of all, a beautiful ritual and tradition.
Don’t forget that cezve is a huge field for experimentation - try to add and warm up a sip of your favorite spices before making, then add coffee and brew according to instructions. The most popular recipes include coffee with cinnamon, pepper, milk, jams, syrups, honey, and noble alcohol.
The Process:
For cezve, use only ice purified water, ideally thawed. The water is first heated on the stove, then coffee is added at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 100-120 ml of liquid. Lovers of sweet drinks can add sugar or spices.
Use Chemex
Chemex was another attempt to brew the perfect coffee in a simple home environment. Admittedly, the attempt was quite successful. The device was founded in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm. He just wanted to brew a delicious boosting beverage in his laboratory quickly and without much hassle.
Chemex is a rather primitive but effective filter flask for brewing. The device is made of a standard laboratory flask and a glassy funnel. A leather grip connects these two parts. Now, you can often meet plastic connection blocks in the shops. The drink made this way is really delicious.
The Process:
How to brew coffee without a coffee maker by using Chemex?
- Accurately put the cone-folded filter in the funnel.
- Pre-moisten the filter to stick tightly to the glassy surface.
- The first loading: 25 g of powder takes about 30-50 milliliters of water (temperature 88-93°C).
- Wait for 40 seconds.
- Add the remaining liquid in a thin, accurate stream from the edge to the center. This should be done very slowly, for 4 minutes.
It is necessary to understand clearly that such names as Chemex, Hario, Origami are not separate ways of brewing! These are manufacturing companies that have contributed individual features to the design of their coffee devices. Some of these companies have been on the market for dozens of years.
Use AeroPress
This apparatus is the newest for enjoying coffee at home. People took full advantage of it in 2005. Anyway, this device is similar to the French press, its older brother. American Alan Adler came up with it specifically so that everyone with a minimum of effort and clutter can enjoy a perfect cup without moving away.
Brewing coffee at home has never been so easy! Even a child can make a perfect cup with this simple construction. Besides, the press takes a little space in your backpack so that you can enjoy your favorite freshly brewed drink in the car or nature.
The Process:
Take 15 g of ground powder, 200 g of water, temperature 90-95°C, total brewing time 2.5 minutes.
- Fill the entire volume of ground coffee in the flask.
- Add 200 ml of water.
- Place the cover with a pre-moistened filter.
- Wait for 2 minutes.
- Carefully turn the air press back and place it on the cup.
- Press the piston for 15-30 seconds.
- Coffee is ready. Super!
Use Pourover Hario V60
Hiromu Shibata Works began with the production of laboratory utensils, and in 1964 released a siphon for enjoying your beloved drink. The funnel Hario V60 is a compact, stylish device that gives a good taste and aroma. It is convenient to take with you, but take care to have a supply of special filters. It competes with Kalita, a little simpler than Hario V60, and brews a great drink.
The Process:
- Water – 250 g, temperature 95°C.
- Coffee – 15 g.
- Infusion time - 2 min, total brewing time – 3 min.
- Place the paper filter into the funnel, pre-moisten, add a portion of coffee ground.
- Divide the infusion process into five stages of 50 g of water every 25 seconds.
- Pour water in a circular motion, carefully.
- The result is 250 g of the aromatic drink.
Wait until the coffee finishes brewing and enjoy!
Use Kalita
Kalita is the most beautiful funnel thanks to its ribbed filter, which also gives big advantages. These “waves” create an air gap between the walls of the funnel and the liquid, allowing you to maintain the drink's temperature. The second difference is a flat bottom with 3 holes. This unique feature helps to obtain a richer cup than when made with other funnels.
You can change grinding in other funnels to experiment with the taste of your drink. But you don’t have such a possibility with Kalita. The medium grinding is optimal.
The Process:
- The correct proportion of water to coffee is 1:12.
- 22 g of coffee 270 g of water, brewing time 1.30 min.
- Pre-soaking 40 g, wait 30 seconds.
- Pour water in a spiral of 230 g.
Use Siphon
How to brew coffee without a coffee maker? Try to use an old siphon technique. Brewing in such a way resembles a complex chemical experiment. In fact, this sort of alchemy is available to every coffee lover but categorically contraindicated for those who just want to quickly make a cup. The preparation requires following the instructions. In addition, the glassy device is quite difficult to wash.
The siphon was invented in1840. It has changed many times, but the basic principles of brewing remain the same: your drink is delicate, like tea. The sіphon can be quite fastidious. This is an interesting and beautiful way to make coffee for little money.
The Process:
- In principle, the sіphon is similar to a geyser coffee maker. It consists of two vessels: the bottom is poured hot water about 95 degrees, the top is filled with ground coffee.
- The water gradually moves to the upper vessel, passing through the ground coffee, thus brewing it. The drink is allowed to brew for a minute, stirring constantly, after which the siphon is removed from the heat.
- The coffee is moved through the paper filter to the lower vessel. Due to the high temperature, the drink is saturated, thick, and strong.
Use Moka Pot
Moka belongs to a big family of geyser coffee makers. The device got its name because it has a unique principle of operation. This process is almost identical to a real natural geyser. Why Bialetti? Bialetti is the best geyser-type brewing mechanism.
The pot originally received eight ribs and immediately gained insane popularity in Europe, especially Italy. It was in every home to be the symbol of the country. Moka is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most famous coffee pot.
The Process:
- Grind beans, choose fine grind.
- Pour ground powder into the coffee maker filter.
- Pour cold water to reach the level of the valve.
- Keep the heat low until the light honey color of coffee foam.
- Your beverage with Moka is ready! Carefully pour into your favorite cup, enjoy.
Make Dalgona Coffee
How to brew coffee without a coffee maker and make it the tastiest in the world? Have you ever tried Dalgona? It is instant coffee whipped into a soft foam with sugar and water in equal proportions. As a rule, such coffee is whipped to a mousse state, spread with a spoon on hot or cold milk.
The Process:
You will need instant coffee - 2 teaspoons, sugar - 2 teaspoons, water - 2 teaspoons, milk - 150 ml.
- Put in a bowl: instant coffee, sugar, and hot water.
- Mix all ingredients with a spoon until completely dissolved.
- Start whipping.
- Fill a glass 2/3 full with cold milk and spread coffee foam on top.
Use Origami Dripper
Meet a pour-over for making coffee with 20 ribs. The origami dripper is made only from ceramics by Japanese craftsmen in the Mino region, known for its 400-year tradition of making dishes. There are two options: S (1-2 cups) and M (3-4 cups), 11 colors.
Origami can be one of your favorite devices for making coffee in your collection. It is beautiful, elegant, pleasant to the touch, giving a consistently good result.
The Process:
Both wave and smooth filters are suitable for Origami. You can speed up or slow down the extraction by using different filters, changing the recipe for the same coffee.
- Use a wave filter.
- Heat the device with hot water.
- Fill with freshly powder, 15 g, large grind.
- Pour 50 g of water every 30 seconds in a circular motion - a total amount of infusions - 5.
- The total volume is 250 ml.
- Processing time 2:45-3:00 min.
Use Octo Storm
Why may you need Octo Storm if you can prepare espresso in any other pour-over? Sure enough, Octo Storm looks exactly like Origami but has 8 ribs instead of 20.
The Process:
- 20 g of coffee, ground larger than average.
- 300 g of water with mineralization of ~ 50ppm. But if you are open to experiments with a bouquet, try different water.
- Infuse water at intervals of 60 g every 25 seconds.
Now, you know how to brew coffee without a coffee maker? These are just several alternative brewing methods. In fact, there are many more variants than you can imagine. New ones will appear soon - coffee culture is experiencing a turbulent stage of development. And that’s so great that you can take part in this process even from home.
Each of these devices is a mini-lab that allows you to experiment by changing the size of the grind, the volume of the drink, playing with varieties of coffee. It is only necessary to devote some time to initial training and break your old drinking habits.