Today I had probably the best coffee I ever had. Whether made by me or others, this is probably the best. It is very strange though, for this was a coffee I made myself and not something I tasted in a speciality high end coffee shop. It is even more strange, actually astonishing in that, this coffee was neither a piping hot one nor an ice cold coffee. It was just by the room temperature. How could anyone like that? And of all the people, me liking a coffee at room temperature? Doesn’t sound like an honest one. But as I think more, I think I can explain. Things added one over the other, several of them. And it makes a lot of sense why this is among the best coffee I had, and perhaps, the best. How?

Temperature

Let’s get head on with the temperature first. I have gotten used to drinking coffee at various different temperatures. Like many, or most people, I also used to like hot coffee and preferably piping hot one. I realized after drinking coffee at several places at several different temperatures, and in support of what most coffee connoisseurs often say, coffee is at its best not at boiling point but a bit lower than that. But ever since I have gotten into raw food diet, I tried to minimize having anything heated of what I consume. Coffee was one item which was mostly hot in what I was taking.

Although the coffee beans themselves are roasted anyways, I thought I should try cold brew coffee. After drinking cold brew coffee for a long time, I developed an acceptance and actually a liking for cold brew coffee. Especially the brew tasted much better than the hot coffee because it lacked acidity and the coffee aroma was more pure and subtle. I used to have the cold brew coffee over ice cubes and vegan milk.

AeroPress Factor

And more recently ever since I had gotten into using the AeroPress coffee brewer, the coffee I would make was using room temperature water (ice cold water doesn’t brew well). And I would have refrigerated cold milk and have this coffee over ice cubes. But later on I tried having hot water over the coffee beans, I liked that as well for its high extraction. But often due to brew process in the AeroPress, the coffee that extracted into the cup loses temperature. And with my unheated vegan milk, the coffee doesn’t get very hot.

Thus I got accustomed to drinking coffee which is not really very hot. And now when I make a coffee at room temperature which is neither cold coffee nor hot coffee, the two extremes, I seem to have more openness to accept this temperature as well for coffee. Coffee in my cup retains its exact temperature from the first sip to the last unlike a hot or cold coffee, allowing me enjoy every bit of it.

Overnight Cold Brew

Brewing coffee in AeroPress using room temperature water by leaving it brew overnight, seem to give a better brew than with hot water brew extraction in few seconds. The coffee that is extracted and sipped immediately is lot more fresh and more exciting than having a hot coffee that loses its heat during the coffee extraction from AeroPress and adding cold almond milk from refrigerator that I make in bulk for five days at a time.

Frothing Milk

These days I am making my vegan milk using about 15 almonds soaked overnight and make milk fresh in the morning every day. But today’s milk included one extra step of frothing it using a hand blender and the frothing attachment.

Fresh Blend Makes All-The-Difference

I think extracting the coffee, making the almond milk, making the froth, and mixing and sipping all of them fresh at same time has made all the difference to how the coffee tested today. Certainly the Peet’s coffee beans that Sisir brought from US when he came to India and gave to me, supplemented the overall test being good. I like it; the coffee beans, and this new coffee making process.

There You Go

So that’s how I can explain why the coffee tasted so good today. I like this method. I will probably follow this process going forward, every day! (That is until I find something else even better or simpler, some day, as I never seem to stop at one process for good, ever!!)