16 Different Types of Hot Black Coffees

How to Make Classic Americano Espresso Drinks

During World War II, American soldiers in Europe found the local espresso too strong. They diluted the shots with hot water creating the Americano – a brew similar in strength to filter coffee, with some of the favours of an espresso.

Equipment
- medium cup
- espresso machine

Ingredients
16–20g (1⁄2 – 3⁄4 oz) fine-ground coffee

Instructions

1. Warm the cup on top of your machine or by heating it with hot water. Using the technique on, brew two shots/50ml (1 1⁄2 oz) of espresso into the cup.

2. Carefully pour in boiling water, as desired, over the double espresso. There is no correct ratio, but try one part espresso to four parts water to start with, and add more if you prefer.

3. If you prefer, you could remove the crema with a spoon – some like this because it results in a cleaner, less bitter-favoured coffee. You can remove the crema before or after adding the water – both are valid methods.

AMERICANOS RETAIN THE TEXTURE FROM THE OILS AND SOLUBLES OF THE ESPRESSO BUT SOFTEN THE BREW INTENSITY

TIPS
- An alternative method is to fill the cup with hot water first, leaving room for two shots/50ml (1 1⁄2 oz) of espresso. This helps to keep the crema floating on the surface which some prefer for presentation.

- If you’re not sure how strong to make it, serve the water in a jug on the side and fill the cup half to three-quarters full, tasting and adding more if desired. This is a great way to make a long cup of coffee using your espresso machine.

It is easy to put a spin on the favour of espresso without adding lots of ingredients. A simple lemon twist lends a fresh, citrussy undertone to the espresso-making this a potent classic.

Instructions

1. Using the technique on, brew two shots/50ml (1 1⁄2 oz) of espresso into the cup.

2. Using 1 lemon, make a twist of peel using a channel knife or zester.

3. Rub the peel gently around the rim of the cup, and let it hang over the edge.

4. SERVE IT UP - Sweeten to taste with demerara sugar, and serve immediately.

If you can’t quite get started in the mornings or need a caffeine-fuelled kick to keep you going through the day, try the Red Eye, also lovingly nicknamed the Alarm Clock in gratitude for its invigorating caffeine content.

Instructions

1. Brew 12g (1⁄4 oz) medium-ground coffee using a French press, AeroPress, or brewer of your choice. Pour 200ml (7n oz) brewed coffee into the mug.

2. Using the technique on, brew two shots/50ml (1 1⁄2 oz) of espresso into a small jug.

3. SERVE IT UP - Pour the espresso into the brewed coffee, and serve immediately.

Also called Cuban shot or Cafecito, this short and sweet coffee is a popular drink in Cuba. When brewed through the espresso machine, the sugar creates a smooth, sweet espresso shot. Use it as a base for numerous coffee cocktails.

Instructions

1. Mix 14–18g (1⁄2 – 3⁄4 oz) ground espresso coffee with 2 teaspoons demerara sugar, and place the mix in the portafilter of your espresso machine, steps 1–3).

2. Brew the coffee and sugar through the machine, until your cup is about half full.

3. SERVE IT UP - Serve immediately. If desired, use it as a base for alcoholic espresso-based cocktails.

Sassafras is a flowering, fruit-bearing tree native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. The extract from its bark is typically used to favour root beers. Choose a safrole-free version of sassafras for any recipe you work with.

Instructions

1. Spoon 1 teaspoon of molasses into your demitasse cup.

2. Using the technique on, brew two shots/50ml (1 1⁄2 oz) of espresso over the molasses.

3. SERVE IT UP Add 5 drops of sassafras root extract, and serve immediately with a stirring spoon.

CAFFÈ Touba is a spicy drink from Senegal, named after the holy city of Touba. Green coffee beans are roasted with peppers and spices, crushed in a mortar and pestle, and brewed through a cloth filter. It can be sweetened to taste.

Instructions

1. Roast 60g (2oz) green coffee beans with 1 teaspoon Selim pepper grains and 1 teaspoon cloves in a wok over medium heat. Stir continuously.

2. Once you have reached the desired roast, remove the beans from the wok and allow them to cool. Stir.

3. Crush the coffee beans and spices finely in a mortar and pestle. Place the coffee in a cloth filter and mount it on a serving jug. Pour over 500ml (16n oz) boiling
water.

4. SERVE IT UP - Sweeten with sugar, divide between the mugs, and serve.

The practice of adding an egg to the brewing process might seem unusual, but the proteins in the egg bind the sour and bitter components of coffee together. This results in a mild drink with all the body of a non-paper fitered brew.

Instructions

1. Mix 60g (2 oz) coarse-ground coffee, 1 egg, and 60ml (2 n oz) cold water together to make a paste.

2. Pour 1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the paste, stirring gently.

3. Allow boiling for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 100ml (3 1⁄2 oz) cold water, and let the grounds settle.

4. SERVE IT UP - Divide the coffee between the mugs, pouring it through a fine mesh or cheesecloth to filter, and serve.

Ethiopians drink buna during ceremonies with family and friends. Frankincense burns on the coals while coffee is roasted and served from a traditional “jebena”. The grounds are brewed three times, resulting in three very different cups of coffee.

Instructions

1. Roast 100g (3 1⁄2 oz) green coffee beans in a pan over medium heat. Stir until they are dark and oily. In a mortar and pestle, crush them finely.

2. Pour 1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) water into a jebena or saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Add the ground coffee and stir. Steep for 5 minutes.

3. SERVE IT UP - Pour out 10 bowls of the first brew, avoiding the grounds. Serve. Add another 1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) water to the pan, allow to boil, then divide among the
bowls for the second brew. Finally, add another 1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) of water, repeat the process, and serve the weakest brew.

Huckleberries, the state fruits of Idaho, look and taste like blueberries. A lot of apples grow in Idaho, and apple flavours often feature in the high-quality coffee served there. This tribute to the region incorporates apples in the steeping time.

Instructions

1. Brew 250ml (9n oz) coffee and a few apple slices in a filter pour-over or other brewer. If you use a pour-over, place the apple on the coffee grounds and pour water over the top. With a French press, add the apple and coffee into the pot then pour over the water.

2. Pour the coffee into your mug, and add 25ml (1n oz) huckleberry favouring and 1 tablespoon apple favouring.

3. SERVE IT UP Garnish with a lime twist and some apple slices. Sweeten with simple syrup and serve.

An olla – the traditional clay pot used to brew this Mexican drink – lends an earthy dimension to the brew. If you don’t have an olla, a regular saucepan still allows the
texture and oil from the beans to give the brew extra body.

Instructions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 500ml (16n oz) water, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 50g (1 3⁄4 oz) piloncillo or dark brown sugar to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Add 30g (1 oz) medium-ground coffee and steep for another 5 minutes. Strain the mixture
through a fine-wire mesh or cheesecloth into the mug.

3. SERVE IT UP - Serve with a cinnamon stick – it looks good and imparts a more pronounced flavour.

You prepare Turkish coffee in an ibrik, cezve, or ibrik, which are small coffee pots with one long handle. Served in small demitasse cups, the finished brew has a layer of foam on top and heavy sediment at the bottom.

Instructions

1. Add 120ml (4n oz) water and 2 tablespoons sugar into a Turkish coffee pot or saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. Remove from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of superlne-grind coffee. Add cardamom, cinnamon, or nutmeg, if desired, stirring to dissolve.

3. Brew the coffee as shown on Ibrik. Spoon some of the foam into 4 cups and carefully pour the coffee in so the foam does not dissipate.

4. SERVE IT UP - Allow to settle for a couple of minutes, and serve. Take care to stop sipping when you reach the ground at the bottom of the cup.

You prepare Turkish coffee in an ibrik, cezve, or ibrik, which are small coffee pots with one long handle. Served in small demitasse cups, the finished brew has a layer of foam on top and heavy sediment at the bottom.

Instructions

1. Using the technique on Stove-Top Pot, brew 32g (1oz) coarse-ground coffee in a 300ml (10n oz) stove-top pot.

2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of lavender honey into each glass, 1cm (1⁄2in) piece of chopped fresh root ginger and peel from 1⁄2 lemon between the glasses.

3. Boil 250ml (9n oz) water. Pour over the mixture, filling half of each glass. Allow steeping for a minute.

4. SERVE IT UP - Pour over 75ml (2 1⁄2 oz) of freshly brewed coffee into each glass. Stir to help dissolve the honey, and serve with a spoon.

In Indonesia, the boiling of fresh ginger and sugar with ground coffee makes Kopi Jahe, an aromatic brew. The name means “coffee ginger” in Bahasa. Add spices such as cinnamon or cloves to the process for added flavour.

Instructions

1. Bring 6 tablespoons medium-ground coffee, 1.5 litres (2 3⁄4 pints) water, 7.5cm (3in) piece crushed fresh root ginger, 100g (3 1⁄2oz) palm sugar, and, if desired, 2
cinnamon sticks and/or 3 cloves to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Reduce to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

3. Remove from the heat when you have extracted the ginger to taste, about 5 minutes.

4. SERVE IT UP Divide between the six cups, straining through a cheesecloth, and serve immediately.

When exploring favours that complement coffee, very little beats the pure simplicity of vanilla. There are many forms of vanilla to play with, such as whole pods (used here), powdered, syrup, essence, and even alcoholic spirits.

Instructions

1. Split open 2 vanilla pods. Add the pods to a saucepan filled with 500ml (16 oz) water over medium heat. Allow to boil, then remove from the heat, set the pods
aside, and add 30g (1 oz) coarse-ground coffee to the pan. Cover with a lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, using a pastry brush, brush the insides of two mugs with 1 tablespoon of vanilla flavouring.

3. SERVE IT UP - Strain the coffee through a cheesecloth into the mugs, add the pods, and serve.

Syphon brewers are perfect for infusing coffee grounds with spices, whether whole or ground. If you do add flavourings, it’s best to use a paper or metal syphon filter, keeping the cloth filters purely for coffee preparation.

Instructions

1. Place 2 whole cloves and 3 whole allspice in the lower bulb of a regular 3-cup, or 360ml (12n oz), syphon. Fill with 300ml (10n oz) water.

2. Mix 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg with 15g (1⁄2 oz) medium-ground coffee and add to the water once it has travelled to the upper glass. Allow the coffee and nutmeg to infuse for a minute before removing the name. Watch as the coffee drains back down.

3. SERVE IT UP Pour into three cups, and serve.

In many parts of the world, coffee is substituted with ground chicory, the roasted and ground root of the herbaceous plant. Give this beverage an exotic spin by adding some ground mace and a few saffron threads.

Instructions

1. Pour 1 litre (1 3⁄4 pints) of water into a saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of ground mace and a few saffron threads, and bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. Remove from the heat and add 40g (1 1⁄2 oz) medium-ground coffee and 20g (3⁄4 oz) medium-ground chicory. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

3. SERVE IT UP - Strain through a paper filter into a jug. Divide between the mugs, and serve.