FILTER COFFEE | HOW TO MAKE DEGREE COFFEE

  
    Making a filter coffee may sound easy to many but, not any one can make a good coffee. And if any one of your family member is a coffee lover, then you have to make a perfect coffee every morning to make their day brisk… Before marriage my mom makes coffee only for my grand parents and herself. My father having seen my grandparents addicted to coffee, never allowed us to drink coffee anytime. So both me and my brother are not used to drink coffee/tea. I have also seen many coffee drinkers, who miss to take coffee at their usual time, develop headache.
    But after marriage, my in-laws family all are coffee lovers and my MIL is very famous among our relatives/friends for her degree coffee. She makes best coffee everyone says. I am not a big fan of coffee and I never know how a coffee should be, but even I have smelt her coffee while she makes, its smells so sweet and divinely. So I always wanted to learn from her and make coffee just like her for Vj. And having watched her for these many days, now too am very comfortable and confident to make filter coffee. When my in-laws visited 2 months back, as a matter of hope, even my FIL certified me that my coffee is tasting great!!  My father in law never says that to anyone so I was so happy hearing that :)  But still I am not claiming I am an expert, but I can say I make a very good coffee :)
     And when a blog reader requested me to post, I was very happy to do this post. I have always asked for tips from both my MIL and FIL for making the best coffee. And I learnt there are three main factors for making a good coffee. Coffee powder and fresh milk are main factors. I have seen both my inlaws and mom buying coffee bean and roasting and grinding freshly for each and every day coffee. But now a days, they buy coffee powder from coffee day. Its equally good. When I visit Chennai yearly once, I buy some half KG of this coffee powder and store it in the fridge. Here in Singapore, I either buy Coorg coffee powder or the best is Cothas coffee powder, which Jeyashri is sweet enough to buy and pass it to me every month :)

   The next thing which is very very important is the decoction making, which I have explained in the post. Since the post is “How to make degree coffee” let me first tell you degree coffee means making coffee with the thick, (not diluted with water) and fresh milk and 1st degree decoction. That is, while brewing the decoction, we have to use only the first batch of brewed thick decoction. As in households, my mom & MIL both also brew second time from the same coffee powder, it will be obviously less in strength and flavour. So if you want to make first degree coffee, use only the first brewed decoction and it should be thick and strong. Hope you can see the strength of first and second degree decoction in the below picture.

        The first batch will be thick and if you add hot water and again brew in the same coffee powder, it gets diluted. In my family, elders like only degree coffee. And others don’t mind or few even like only the coffee made by mixing both first and second degree(batch) decoction. They say it has a  mild  bitterness that they like in it. So its your preference. One more fact they say is the sugar quantity has to be correct and according to the individual preference. Not too sweet, not too bitter as well. So let me  move on to the post.

Filter Coffee / Degree coffee

Raks kitchen Indian Beverages

Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 5 mins    |  Serves: 3

1. For making perfect decoction, choose the correct filter size. I make only for my hubby. So I have a small one. Add 3-4 heaped teaspoons of coffee powder in the perforated upper part. This also depends on how much coffee decoction you need. I roughly calculated that 1 & 1/2 tsp for a person. But cant make single serving for my hubby, so make extra, to make the decoction quality better.
2. Press gently with the plate with handle.I use my fingers to do this to keep the pressure we apply in my control. otherwise I sometimes press too hard, then the water wont get through the powder if too much pressure is applied and pressed. So be gentle while you press. If you press too loose, then the water gets through so fast and the decoction wont be strong(thick). It will be very diluted.
3. Heat required water to fill the filter and let it start to boil. Add it to the filter and fill up to the rim and close immediately with the lid.
4. Wait for 15 minutes - 1/2 hour. Collect the 1st degree decoction and keep covered. If you want you can again add hot water and brew second time.
5. Boil milk well, and then froth the milk with sugar once.
6. Add required amount decoction say 2 tsp – 1 tblsp and froth well. Let it be hot. So don’t do for long time.

                       
                          We always use “Dabara tumbler” to serve authentically :) Enjoy it piping hot!

Notes (Tips)

• Choose correct filter size , you have to at least fill quarter and add water accordingly. If you add too much water then the strength may not be thick.
• By chance your first brewed decoction gets dripped fast and its too thin, immediately pour the collected thin decoction again in the filter and brew for the thick one. The flavour may have to be compromised this way. But just in case. Trouble shooting ;)
• If by chance your coffee decoction never collects down ,in case you pressed too hard the coffee powder, just gently tap the filter carefully on the rim.
• If you have any leftover decoction or you want to make it in bulk and keep, just add 1/4 tsp sugar in it and keep covered in the fridge. This is what my MIL told me. Don’t ask why we need to add sugar. I don’t know ;) But will update if I come to know.
• Sometimes, the pores in the filter gets stuck with the coffee powder, so clean with a needle point if needed. Just immerse the filter in boiling water weekly once or so to keep it clean.
• Never ever re-heat the coffee. It wont taste good. Boil milk in stove top as it keeps hot for long time than the microwave boiled milk.
• Milk is a very important factor, so use fresh milk always. My MIL uses aavin light blue pack, its perfect for her coffee.

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