The word “brewing” covers the fascinating varied world of filter coffee, that is, coffee extraction methods using either percolation or infusion.
For example, filter coffee (one of the oldest coffee extraction methods but enjoying a new lease of life in recent years and for many young people a real lifestyle choice) is based on percolation, in other words, the passage of a liquid through a porous mass.
The first materials used for this were linen cloths. The filter coffee revolution started with a Dresden housewife called Melitta Bentz. Instead of using the usual linen cloth as a filter, the enterprising Melitta used a sheet of paper from her son’s notebook, with surprising results.
Today there are a number of different filter extraction methods. In general, ground coffee is put into a paper filter inside a perforated container which goes on top of a carafe. Water at about 94° is poured and allowed to percolate through the ground coffee. Special filter machines or equipment can be used for manual extraction and this practice, hand-brewing, is very common in Northern Europe and the United States.
The recommended quantity of ground coffee is 60g / L with a contact time of 2-5 minutes depending on the method used and personal taste. A light-bodied beverage reminiscent of a pleasant herbal tea is the result.
