The pleasure of drinking coffee is twofold. One is perceiving its scent, the other is perceiving its taste. Most perfumes are a blend of scents. One of these scents is perceived by the brain before the others. This one scent is called 'the top note'.
Coffee has a top note, as well. It is delicate and lasts for only a few minutes. Most of it is destroyed during the boiling stage of brewing. I prepare my coffee in such a way as to preserve that top note. I want it 'right now' fresh with that top note intact, so I make it one cup at a time.
I put a cup of water into a glass electric kettle and turn it on. I have a sieve with a stainless steel wire basket. It is just the right size to fit over my coffee cup. I set the sieve on my coffee cup. I put a filter in the sieve and coffee grounds in the filter. In that short time, the water is boiling. I pour half over the coffee grounds. A few seconds later, when that settles, I pour the other half.
The coffee is quickly and gently brewed, not cooked. You can taste and smell its top note. It is delicious. If you are a coffee fanatic and try this method, you may never again want coffee that is cooked for a few minutes and then sits for even ten minutes.
I know. My method is not practical for a family gathering. But for those times you want to treat yourself to something special, go for it!
That old stained sieve looks as if I have used it for this purpose for many years. I have.
Source: My search for that perfect cup of coffee
I have several from Melitta and have given them as gifts. They are great to take along on vacation if you really enjoy "good" coffee, rather than hotel room coffee (just use their maker to boil the water). No filter? In a pinch you can use a paper towel.
This page contains the following solutions.
Due to extended electrical outages caused by the last two hurricanes, we have discovered a few tips for coping with no electricity. The first couple days we made do with instant coffee. We have a gas range, so could heat water in a kettle.
Just in case you forget to bring a coffee stirrer along with your instant coffee, use the sachet packaging. After emptying a sachet, fold it three times and use it as your coffee stirrer.
