Grounds for experimentation
Sometimes my local grocery store hands out bags of free stuff to its curbside pickup customers, and the most recent time this happened, the bag included a sample pouch of coffee grounds. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, since I didn’t have a coffee maker; I rely on coffee bags, which work essentially like tea bags. So I searched online for methods for making coffee without a maker. The only method I had the necessary equipment for was brewing the coffee in a measuring cup and pouring it through a fine mesh strainer, which does an imperfect job straining out the grounds. It was also suggested to dribble cold water on the coffee to make the grounds settle, so I did that and then strained it, which mostly worked.
Turns out the coffee isn’t bad; it’s a medium roast, described on the package as “smooth with a balanced flavor,” and I found it mild enough that I could almost take it black, though I did stir in a little creamer. It did taste a bit thin, but it seemed to have a pretty decent caffeine kick, which could be useful now that I’m weeks from deadline on my current writing project.
Afterward, I realized I also needed to search for how to dispose of coffee grounds. I’m glad I did that before I tried pouring them down the sink drain, which is apparently a bad thing. But it wasn’t easy to scoop them out of the measuring cup with a paper towel and throw them in the trash. It’s easier when the grounds are contained in a coffee bag.
It turned out not to be a great idea to try that coffee after having already had my regular cup that morning, since the second cup was pretty strong, and once the cumulative caffeine kick wore off, I was pretty zonked out and useless. So the next day, I started the day with a cup made from the loose grounds. This time, I tried pouring it more directly into the strainer in hopes of getting a less thin-tasting result, but I ended up with way too many grounds in the cup, and oddly a less full cup than I expected.
I considered just going ahead and buying a small single-cup coffee maker for about 20 bucks, something I’ve thought about doing in the past. I wasn’t quite sure where I’d keep it in my small kitchen, but I figured out that it would just fit in the cabinet where I keep my coffee and tea bags, so it could work.
Still, I decided to try something else first. It occurred to me that the next time I used a coffee bag, I could cut it open, rinse it out, let it dry, and insert it in my mesh strainer to catch the grounds. When I did that the next morning, I was planning to cut it on three sides so it would be flat, but after cutting two sides, I realized it could form a rough cone shape, which was better. Once dried out, it fit surprisingly well into the strainer:
When I used it the next morning, it worked, but it was very slow. The grounds quickly built up in the bottom and blocked the liquid, so I could only strain a little at a time. I eventually found it went a bit faster if I used a spoon to push the grounds aside.
In any case, all this prompted me to investigate ground coffee and how much it would cost per cup. The Folger’s coffee bags I use run to about 28 cents per cup, but it looks like a can of the equivalent ground coffee would make enough cups that it would come out to under 5 cents a cup. So if I spent 20 bucks on a coffee maker, it would pay for itself in about 3 months, assuming one cup of coffee per day.
That realization of how comparatively expensive my coffee bag usage has been, combined with my lack of success at finding a reliable method for preparing loose grounds, convinced me to go ahead and get the coffee maker. I ordered it just after I signed my contract for “Aleyara’s Descent” on Thursday (since I like to know for certain I have money coming before I buy things).
It was delivered sooner than I expected, just a little while ago today (Saturday). This time the delivery guy brought it to the right building and handed it to me on the balcony, which was convenient for me, but seemed a bit too trusting of the guy not to confirm I was who I said I was.
I figured it was still early enough in the afternoon that I could go ahead and make a cup of coffee rather than waiting until morning. Of course, I followed the instructions to wash the reusable filter and do a dry (well, wet) run with just boiling water first, but then I made my first cup with the free coffee grounds, and I’m finishing it up as I write this, using the black ceramic mug that came with the machine, a nice bonus (I manage just fine with just my usual mug, but it’s nice to gain another one). I don’t exactly love the taste, but it’s okay, not too sour or bitter, though enough that I did add some creamer.
I think the coffee I made in the measuring cup tasted a little better. I wondered if that was because I “bloomed” the grounds first, letting them sit in a small amount of water for a minute before adding the rest. But a drip coffee maker adds the water gradually enough that it’s the same as blooming anyway, or so it seems to me. So maybe it’s just that the grounds were fresher last week. Or maybe the concentration of the coffee is different.
Anyway, now I finally have my own coffee maker for the first time in my life, and it’s compact and easy to use — although I haven’t gotten the hang of pouring water from the mug into the crescent-shaped reservoir without spilling some. I guess I should use a measuring cup with a spout for that. Also, it’s so lightweight that I have to hold it in place to push the power button, or it slides. And the power doesn’t automatically turn off after the cup is brewed, unlike the single-serve coffee maker in my hotel room at Shore Leave. That’s a bit inconvenient.
Still, it’s a good thing to have. I do like my coffee bags, but they’re a more expensive indulgence than I realized. And there’s no guarantee the store will always carry them. A coffee maker gives me more options.
Well, I think the caffeine buzz is kicking in, so I should get back to work.
