My first memorable experience with coffee was smelling the drink while I was in the kitchen with my mother. She’d put on a pot for herself or friends, and soon our house would be a cafe. The aroma still returns me to those soothing days of youth.
Later on, when I was a teenager, a friend inspired me to discover the magic of coffee more intimately. I tried chewing the beans, and their flavour was new to me—bitter but simply delectable.
As an adult, I began to drink instant coffee and espresso regularly. Though I did appreciate both, nothing could match my love for filter coffee.
Quality filter coffee offers an unparalleled variety of flavours. If you focus closely on your coffee drink, you’ll appreciate tones of countless fruits, herbs, and tea flavours. Some components are bitter or spicy, others acidic or spicy. Properly brewed, filter coffee offers a perfect balance of flavours combined with an amazing aroma, texture, and mouthfeel.
Filter coffee may also be called coffee tea. Why? The method of filter coffee preparation is very similar to preparing tea—especially if you prepare coffee via a cotton filter or French press.
This may spark your imagination: filter coffee can also be compared to alcoholic drinks. Pour-over coffee is much like wine. Both drinks are derived from a fruit and bring about similar effects. They put us in a comfortable mood and help to reduce stress. Both display a wide range of flavours, intense aromas, and varying textures. Think about that when having a cup!
Sticking with this analogy, it might be noted that espresso drinks are more like brandy or cognac—caffeinated fruit-shots. Then, you have many variations of the cocktail: mixes with milk, flavoured syrups, sugars and even spices. What they create tastes little like coffee, which brings me to . . .
The Answer
So, why do I favour filter coffee? Why do I love it so much? Because I like to enjoy the true flavour (including the aftertaste) of coffee. Likewise, I want the aroma and body—the mouthfeel. I want it all.
Espresso has a short, wild life. I prefer to enjoy my coffee slowly . . . using all of my senses.
