American Coffee Maker Grind Size Guide_ American Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations_ American Coffee Brewing Methods

American Coffee Culture

When people talk about American coffee, they immediately picture the light, lightly roasted brew of the western United States. That is in fact the main way coffee is consumed there. We are all familiar with chains such as Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee. Americans drink coffee as if playing a game without rules — casual, unrestrained, without taboos. Coffee has penetrated their lives so deeply that a life without it hardly seems like life. At home, in the office, in public places or at a roadside vending machine, Americans are almost inseparable from coffee twenty-four hours a day. They consume one-third of the world's coffee production, making them the largest coffee-consuming nation on earth.

Generally speaking, American life is busy and tense. Often a large pot of electric filter coffee (a drip coffee maker) is used from morning to night. Because the water-to-coffee ratio is high (10 grams of coffee to 200 cc of water), the taste is particularly light, which is why many criticise American coffee as truly unpalatable. Yet throughout the United States, coffee lovers can still find the flavours they prefer with a little extra effort. If we simply divide American coffee into strong and light, the East Coast drinks stronger coffee than the West Coast, and the South drinks stronger than the North. Ethnically, Southern European and Latino immigrants prefer stronger coffee than British, German and Northern European immigrants.

Also, although the United States is the largest exporter of instant coffee, not many Americans actually drink instant coffee themselves. In recent years, as healthy eating has gained importance, the market for decaffeinated coffee has gradually grown, and drinking coffee without sugar has become increasingly common. Let's discuss this American daily essential: coffee.

American Coffee Machine Brewing Method

The American coffee machine is the most common coffee maker in ordinary households. Its brewing method is quite convenient, and I believe many people have used one. Some might wonder whether such a convenient machine can brew a good cup. As long as you master a few small details and make the most of its functionality — the quality of the coffee beans, the fineness of the grind and the water temperature — even an American coffee machine can brew a perfect, fragrant cup.

Brewing Key Points:

◆ For those who prefer a light coffee flavour, use about 10 grams per serving. For a richer flavour, use about 15 grams per serving, or choose darker-roasted beans.

◆ When brewing for the first time, remember to pour in cold water first, then turn on the power and let the cold water boil through once. This warms the machine and keeps the brewed coffee from tasting too acidic.

◆ American coffee makers usually come with a filter screen to catch the grounds, but if you want a purer cup you can add a filter paper directly on top of the screen.

◆ American coffee makers typically have a water tank with level markings to help you judge how much water to use. If the tank has no markings, first use the markings on the glass pot below to measure the right amount of water for several cups, then add it to the tank.

Required Equipment:

1. One American coffee maker (including the main unit, filter screen and glass pot)

2. Filter paper and a coffee spoon

3. Coffee powder, about 10–15 grams per cup (Pegasus grind setting 2.5)

Brewing Method:

For a purer cup, add a filter paper by folding the connected part back and forth along the seam line, then place it in the filter screen.

Place the filter screen in the coffee maker, adjust its position neatly, then pour the appropriate amount of ground coffee into the screen (adjust the amount as needed) and tap gently to level it. Bear in mind the size of the filter screen, though, since too much powder easily overflows.

Add the appropriate amount of water to the tank. American coffee makers must use cold water to extract coffee. Avoid hot water, which easily causes over-extraction and damages the flavour.

Once everything is properly prepared, turn on the power switch to start extraction, keeping an eye on how much coffee drips out.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

An American coffee maker rewards a medium roast, where acid and bitterness meet in balance. FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate is a perfect fit: a rare Yellow Bourbon from Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, grown at higher elevation and roasted medium so it shows creamy peanut, chocolate, toasted bread and sugarcane sweetness. It works equally well in a drip machine, a moka pot or an espresso machine.

If you prefer a sweeter, fruitier medium roast, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy is a standout. It combines two well-known Central and South American origins — a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee and a washed Panamanian Geisha — and is roasted medium to bring out both honeyed orange and rounded sweetness. It is great for cold brew, pour-over and espresso alike.

For a clean, balanced and very affordable everyday cup, FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica uses a medium roast to deliver soft notes of nuts, brown sugar, black tea and dried apricot, and works with pour-over, cold brew and American drip machines.