This brewing method was first developed in 19th century France and quickly become the most popular way to prepare coffee. It involved putting ground coffee into a container between two chambers of a pot, with heated water added to the top chamber. The coffee was then percolated and dripped down through the coffee into the bottom serving receptacle. One of the biggest developments in drip coffee came in 1908 when a German woman called Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz invented the first coffee filter. She soon patented her paper filter and established the Melitta company, eventually creating the cone-shaped filter you’re familiar with today.
Now that you know what drip coffee is and where it came from, find out what a cappuccino is next.
The soluble and volatile contents of the beans are extracted, then the water is removed, leaving the powder or concentrated soluble coffee powder. It’s essentially dehydrated for your convenience – just add water and enjoy! You might also see instant coffee referred to as soluble coffee, powdered coffee or granulated coffee.
Like other coffees, instant coffee also comes in a variety of roasts: dark, medium and light, so you’re still able to choose the strength that you love. You might also be looking for the same rich flavour, but less caffeine. Luckily, decaf instant coffee is available with the same convenience.
Instant coffee is so easy to make, simply follow these 4 steps:
1. Pick your favourite mugAnd there you have it – an indulgent, rich coffee with minimal fuss.
Instant coffee is often enjoyed with milk or your favourite plant-based alternative, but you can easily add flavoured syrup like vanilla or caramel.
Coffeeography: The Coffee Producers is a node to the importance of relationships in the coffee world, profiling some of the many amazing and inspiring coffee producers that the author has had the privilege of working with during his time at Hasbean. Speciality coffee isn't just about coffee and its flavours, but about the love and care that goes into it too.
Make your day more exciting with a cup of your favourite coffee and one of these top books about coffee.
Blends, as the name suggests, are a mixture of various coffee beans sourced from different locations and processed together. The beans can be sourced from different regions within the same environmental area, or are sourced from totally separate countries around the world. The next time you sip a coffee in your local café, try and spot their house blends.
However, mixing the wrong single origin beans together can result in a bland or unpleasant taste. Getting it right requires skill and wide-ranging knowledge. Mixing of coffee beans flattens out the more intense characteristics and also covers up its origin. Essentially, you are losing all the unique qualities of these individual coffees.
It mostly comes down to taste. However, that does not mean single origin coffee necessarily tastes better than blended coffees, but that each single origin coffee tastes different to others. Many factors influence the flavour, including coffee diversification, inputs, climate and processing. Each one of these factors is unique to its origin, and coffee flavour varies from country to country and region to region.
A very important characteristic of single origin coffee is how it is grown and cared for seasonally. Coffee tastes best when it is recently harvested. Single origin coffee will usually be very unique since it comes from one region. Many roasteries prefer to roast single origin coffee beans to a lighter roast so that the subtle notes of the coffee bean are more palpable and can be appreciated in coffee.
Again, this is down to personal taste. Countries that have historically imported coffee, like Belize and Cambodia for example, are both within the coffee sphere but are not coffee leaders by any means. Those which produce Arabica beans are often more favourable. The Arabica coffee bean grows at higher altitudes than Robusta coffee beans, and only under certain conditions. Countries such as Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Mexico have more mountain ranges and export a large amount of Arabica beans. Single origin coffee is unique and will make any coffee special. Discovering the right one for you will be sure to give you a coffee experience like no other.
Now that you know what single origin coffee is, learn more about different coffee types next.
While wet and dry are where most people stop with their cappuccinos, some prefer to go further! Bone-dry cappuccino quite simply has no milk and all foam. A bone-dry cappuccino is slightly similar to a macchiato, but with a little more foam. A super-wet cappuccino typically consists of no foam, and all steamed milk. This extra-liquid beverage starts to resemble a flat white more than a cappuccino. The ‘super-wet’ comes from the extra steamed milk that is added onto the already ‘wet’ cappuccino. This can dilute the taste of the espresso, essentially leaving the mug full of creamy smooth milk.
The wet and dry cappuccino terminology depends wholly on the proportion of steamed milk. The more steamed milk, the ‘wetter’ the cappuccino, and the reverse for a dry cappuccino. Also, every type of milk will have a different result when steamed or frothed before adding it to the espresso shot, but that’s not to say it won’t still be a delicious cappuccino!
Now you know the difference between wet and dry cappuccino, learn more about instant coffee next.
We work closely with all our coffee suppliers through our network of six specialist coffee quality-control centres around the world. We also help coffee suppliers adhere to the latest food safety measures. Finally, our NESCAFÉ professional tasters will thoroughly test the quality of our coffee before it is even shipped.
In our factories
The beans undergo one last quality test when they finally arrive at our factories, before the coffee is used to make your favourite NESCAFÉ. We also have professional tasting teams in every NESCAFÉ plant worldwide. Satisfying their expert taste-buds is just the last of many quality tests that help guarantee the delicious taste of every cup of NESCAFÉ.
This is how we’re able to have a lasting impact, working with our partners big and small to keep making your coffee better and tastier.
Expert coffee tasters need to understand the subtle differences between coffees. How has the way the coffee was grown, milled and roasted affected the final flavour? Did the type of soil the tree was planted in make a difference? Or maybe the way it was watered and fed? Even the type of bags the beans have been stored in could change that final flavour.
In fact, many experts in the coffee-tasting profession use a book called the Sensory Lexicon. It’s a bit like an insider’s guide to the strength of the different flavours in coffee. It lists more than 100 different flavours, and they’re organised into groups such as:
There can be many flavours in each group. For example, the ‘sweet’ group of flavours includes molasses, maple syrup, brown sugar, caramelised, honey and vanilla.
Awakening the senses to quality
It takes many years of experience to become a respected coffee taster. To qualify as a professional taster, you’ll need to be an expert in ‘cupping’ – the technique for identifying the complex tastes and aromas in coffee. You’ll learn about:
Blind-tasting coffee so you can match the judgment of experienced tasters
Becoming a coffee taster
If you research coffee-tasting courses, you’ll probably find a local organisation that can help guide you towards a professional qualification. You’ll need lots of dedication to study for and pass the exams and practical tests that will develop your tasting skills and coffee know-how.
Coffee knowledge
Coffee tasters also need to understand the entire coffee journey. This knowledge helps them spot ways to improve a coffee’s quality before it arrives in your cup. You’ll need to know about:
For keen travellers, you can’t go wrong with a good travel mug or flask to keep their coffee hot when out on their adventures. You can choose from a selection of sizes and purposes and there are even options which double up as a French press for those who enjoy a coffee shop style beverage, wherever they are. Looking for more coffee gift ideas for travellers? Check out our article on coffee travel accessories for an adventurous friend!
If you’ve got a friend that went to Italy and fell in love with the unique and flavourful method that they use to make the beverage, then a Moka Pot may be the ideal coffee gift. These kettle-like pots come in both stove top and electric versions, so you can choose the best option for your someone special to enjoy their coffee in the most authentic Italian way. Why not create your very own coffee gift set and add in NESCAFÉ GOLD BLEND ROASTERY Collection Light Roast too?