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Category: Coffee Hacks (Page 3 of 4)

Eggs in Coffee – How to Make Norwegian Egg Coffee

Looking for a new variable to add to your coffee brewing? Putting eggs in coffee might seem a little bit strange but it is a hearty tradition rooted in American Midwest church basements.

When I did research for my post on cowboy coffee, something that I came across quite a few times was the concept of putting eggshells in coffee while it brews. There is apparently something in the chemical makeup of an eggshell that binds with the ground coffee and makes it sink to the bottom.

If you are interested in clarifying your cowboy coffee a bit, I recommend giving the eggshell method a try. Start with my cowboy coffee recipe and simply add one or two crushed eggshell.

Recipes for Norwegian egg coffee take this concept in a different direction and include a whole egg minus the shell.

As I was reading about Norwegian egg coffee, I came across claims of the proteins in an egg binding with some of the astringent and bitter compounds contained in coffee and essentially removing them.

I was curious.

Even though I know that a great coffee, brewed properly should not be astringent or bitter (or at least the bitterness should be balanced with the sweet and acidic flavors), the thought of throwing an entire egg into the mix was too interesting to pass up.

Conventional wisdom says that adding an egg to your coffee would not be an improvement but as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The only thing to do was to get a few eggs and try it out.

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The Benefits of Drinking Coffee Black (And Tips for Making the Switch)

I drink my coffee black.

I don’t have a problem with people adding things to their coffee (my wife enjoys her coffee with cream and minimal disapproving head shakes from me) but I do think black coffee has its merits. It is my opinion that the vast majority of coffee additives are remnants from the first wave coffee notion that coffee is vile, caffeine is good and adding things to coffee makes it tolerable.

Unlike fifty years ago, the abundance and variety of amazing coffee available today is astounding. If you are still adding cream and sugar to your coffee, maybe you just haven’t found a coffee that really resonates with you and need to explore it some more.

It is, of course, entirely possible that you have found your coffee sweet spot and do actually enjoy coffee best exactly how you prepare it. I am fine with that. However, if you are someone who adds things to your coffee out of habit (instead of purpose), this post is for you. I’d like to make a case for exploring drinking coffee black.

The Benefits of Drinking Coffee Black

Coffee is good. I’m not talking about gingerbread lattes, caramel macchiatos or mocha frappuccinos. I’m talking about coffee, that little roasted seed from the fruit of a plant that is grown in an exotic location. When it is artfully grown, roasted and prepared, it’s good (really good).

I drink my coffee black because I want to taste it. I want to experience the sweetness, balance and subtle nuances of a great cup of coffee. There are many different reasons to make the move to drinking coffee black but here are a few of my favorite reasons to make the switch:

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Travel Coffee- How to Make Great Coffee While Traveling Light

How to brew a great cup of coffee while traveling light is a subject that has vexed many manual brewing enthusiasts over the years. Is it possible to make a great cup of coffee in a hotel room (bedroom, hostel, train station) without bringing your entire manual brewing arsenal in your suitcase?

Would you believe I can fit everything I need to brew a great cup of coffee into the nylon storage bag that came with my Aeropress (with the exception of my Hario Slim Mill and a bottle of water)?

Below are a few travel coffee musings as well as my on-the-road coffee packing list. My travel coffee kit is self-contained and will hold up in nearly every scenario (save the loss of electricity). It is compact, fairly inexpensive and durable. From the curious traveler who has just sworn to never drink another hotel K-cup to the seasoned road brewer, there is a little something for everyone.

Travel Coffee Musings- Everything Boils Down to Hot Water

I’ve been thinking a lot about making coffee away from home (whether coffee outside or traveling) lately and I’ve concluded that the most limiting factor for making a good cup of coffee on the road is hot water. Without a source of clean water and a way to heat it, your options are cold brew, café or settling (or some combination of the three).

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