“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
T.S. Eliot, Poet, essayist, and writer
This morning I drank my first cup of coffee in three weeks. These last three weeks coffee has been almost a constant argument floating around in my head. The reason it has been just an argument with my internal monologue and not a part of my typical morning ritual is that I have serious and painful teeth grinding and clenching problems.
Over the years I have also correlated stress, caffeine, and sugar intake later in the day to increased grinding and clenching. I am used to waking up with headaches, neck and jaw pain from the last night’s sweet ice tea with dinner or a scoop of ice cream.
The reason I have eliminated coffee, ice tea, and sweets is that three weeks ago I tripped and fell. I damaged my two front teeth during this fall and since the moment I was aware that the teeth were compromised, I have been on edge about how this might impact my other teeth.
I have to admit that I have truly missed the taste of coffee and iced tea and it has me thinking about the many pots, percolators, presses, and pour-overs out there.
Invented in 1941 by chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm the CHEMEX is a pour-over style coffee maker that’s stylish design and cult following has kept it a favorite amongst brewing purists. The design was inspired by the Bauhaus school of design and uses double-bonded paper fillers for the perfect extraction of flavor and caffeine from the coffee beans.
In 1954 German inventor Gottlob Widmann developed and patented the first automatic coffee maker, The Wigomat. It is marketed to have the best brewing temperature to highlight the flavor of the coffee. Zabar’s a specialty market on the Upper West Side of New York used The Wigomat to roast coffee for customers in the seventies. Today with the OXO 9-cup coffee maker you can make coffee for a crowd in no time. I really love the insulated carafe, it means that I can prepare a big breakfast spread and put the coffee pot on the table and the coffee stays hot and ready to serve.
In a household of two, I am the only coffee drinker and that means on a rare at-home coffee morning I typically use a three cup French Press. Bodum the Swedish company by way of Denmark makes my favorite press in over eighteen colors with glass carafes, chrome frame and feet, and plastic handles and lids for safer handling. It makes just enough for two LARGE cups of coffee.
My mother loves her coffee cold, like many Floridians. She turns to the Dash Cold Brew Coffee Maker with its easy pour spout and the ability to brew iced coffee in five to fifteen minutes depending on your desired strength. Traditional cold brew coffee makers typically take twelve plus hours to brew iced coffee. With over 400 five-star reviews on Amazon and a retail price of just under $90, you can’t go wrong. It’s fast and easy to use and the cold brew will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
If the pandemic has taught us anything it is that our love of handcrafted espresso drinks and an authentic Starbucks experience is strong. The Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine is the answer to that craving. At $700 it is definitely an investment, but it delivers on the promises of controlled bean grinding, optimal water pressure, precise expresso extraction, and a powerful steam wand that allows the user to customize the foam texture and flavor.
If you like a strong cup of joe to get you going may I recommend a stovetop brewer, the Bialetti Venus Induction 4 Cup Espresso Coffee Maker. Stove-top coffee brewers do have a few built-in benefits. They don’t need paper filters, the coffee brews quickly, and the taste is reminiscent of espresso. But pay attention to your brewer closely as coffee can scorch if left unattended. Most models have an adapter so that the brewer can be used on gas, electric, and induction-style cooking elements.
I’ve seen this style of coffee brewing machinery in my future father-in-law’s kitchen. It’s called a percolator and he uses it every day to make his coffee. Percolators are kettle-shaped with a separate space for the water and the ground coffee beans. Once the percolator is plugged in or heated on a stove or over a fire the hot water comes up from the bottom through a tube in the center of the kettle and saturates the coffee grounds above. After the grounds are saturated the filter captures the grounds and only coffee drips to the bottom of the kettle. This action creates a strong and very hot cup of coffee. I like the design and color of the Moss & Stone Electric Coffee Percolator, brewing takes six to seven minutes and its interior is made of stainless steel so it’s easy to clean.
If you want to take your morning coffee game up a notch, we recommend a built-in style coffee maker. Miele the German appliance brand founded almost 120 years ago and still family-owned manufactures high-end kitchen appliances, washers, dryers, and vacuum cleaners. The true workhorse of their coffee maker line is the Miele CVA 6805. Engineering and technology have come together in this truly beautiful and precise coffee maker. The CVA 6805 can make a pot of coffee for the whole group or two specialty coffee drinks at the same time and with WIFI connectivity it will even update its internal software automatically. The front of the unit swings opens fully, so cleaning and maintenance are a snap and many components are dishwasher safe. It even has a built-in water filter so your coffee is free from impurities and tastes delicious. Users can set temperature and volume settings so personalization is endless. Miele dubs this machine a beans-to-cup coffee machine, because of its built-in grinder and smart functions will choose the correct grind for your beverage and can even detect your cup to make sure no accidents happen. This machine is truly a modern marvel and a must for any coffee aficionado.
As for me, I’ll take my coffee half a cup at a time and evaluate my jaw’s response.