July 10, 2006

Coffee Talk

AeroPress Coffeemaker

Goldilocks awoke in Baby Bear’s bed in a foul mood, her head pounding.

Great, she thought, realizing Baby Bear’s bourbon flask was still clasped in her hand. Hangover. Hope these guys aren’t Sanka freaks.

Fortunately, they had a nice Sumatran blend. But which of the Three Bears’ machines to use? (You’d think she’d have figured this out by now. But whatever.)

First she tried Papa Bear’s drip machine: too watery. Then she tried Mama Bear’s French press: too strong. Finally, she tried Baby Bear’s AeroPress and found the small, nonelectric contraption delightfully easy to use.

She simply inserted one of the filters, dropped the grounds in, and added hot water. After stirring for ten seconds, she slowly plunged the press and extracted a perfect cup of espresso. (She could’ve made it into an Americano with some hot water, but she liked her caffeine in concentrated form.)

The AeroPress, unlike a conventional maker, doesn’t steep the grounds too long and provides uniform extraction, resulting in a brew that’s not bitter, not at all watery, and blessedly low in acid.

Or, as Goldilocks might say, juuuuust right.

Available online at zabars.com.