How do you brew?

I was recently asked to write about different coffee brewing methods for The Conversation.

While espresso gives the most concentrated output of the common methods, all methods were similar in their extraction efficiency - which takes into account how much water and beans you put in. Cold brew came out on top when typical consumption volumes were factored in - but this is all hypothetical because coffees come in lots of different shapes and sizes.

Coffee flavour is very complicated, so don’t confuse bitterness with more caffeine - the caffeine only accounts for a small part of the bitterness and all the flavour and taste molecules interact with each other and with our own unique receptors on our tongues and in our noses.

Not every cup of coffee hits you in the same way - it doesn’t “give” us energy, it more borrows from pathways that need to be returned later. The milk, sugar, what we last ate etc all impact how that caffeine impacts us.

What’s the healthiest? Maybe filter because not as much of some of the more negative compounds make it into the cup, but the data is sparse - what you add to your coffee is probably more important (ie. if you go heavy on the sugar, milk, cream or flavours you likely make it less healthful.)

Ultimately the best coffee for you boils down to your personal taste preferences (which include culture, training and genetics), the equipment, time and effort you want to invest, and how much you want/need that caffeine.

Selfie of me in coffee bean earrings and a vintage coffee adverts dress