African Woodsmoke

As most people are aware, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is being held in South Africa and kick-off is imminent. In an effort to help Woodsmoke readers find the best cup wherever they might be in the Beloved Country, Glenn will be profiling coffee shops in as many of the host cities as he can.

A GUIDE

As a Durbanite, I’m not supposed to like Cape Town or, for that matter, her people. I’m supposed to find the place and its denizens pretentious, conceited and “earthier-than-thou”. I’m supposed to resent the way they refer to their home as the Mother City and the fact that their opposition-controlled province seems semi-detached from the general South African reality.  But, as a honeymooning coffee-lover with an affection for natural beauty and a taste for the good life, I can’t help but grudgingly admit that the place has a lot to offer, particularly to the discerning coffee drinker.

(more…)

This is the home-style Italian way of making espresso. The inverted commas are there because stovetop espresso is not technically espresso-it relies on steam power to push the water through the ground coffee, unlike espresso machines, which use powerful electric pumps. Nevertheless, a good cup of moka is a thing of beauty and it’s greatly satisfying making something so tasty using so simple a device. Moka pots are great for travelling and I rely on mine when I go on holiday down the coast and need to leave Eva at home.

What follows is a very basic guide to using one.

1. Grind your beans until the grounds are a bit coarser than those you would use for machine-pulled espresso (but a fair bit finer than those you would use for a French Press).
2. Fill the bottom chamber, up to the pressure-release valve, with cool water.
3. Fill the filter basket with grounds. It is important to fill the basket, levelling, but not pressing (tamping) the grounds. Not filling the basket will result in a weak cup.
4. Screw the top part securely onto the bottom part and place the pot on your stove on a medium-high heat.
5. Wait for all the water to pass through the grounds, or, if you prefer a “ristretto” (a shorter, more intense cup) version, take the pot off the heat before it has finished sputtering.

Stove Top "Espresso"

Cheers,

Glenn