Kelefa Sanneh’s Perfect Cup of Coffee
In this week’s Food Issue, Kelefa Sanneh writes about Aida Batlle, “a fifth-generation coffee farmer and a first-generation coffee celebrity.” Sanneh maintains that “brewing a proper cup of coffee is a lot harder than uncorking a bottle of wine and a lot easier than cooking dinner.” Which leads to a natural question: how does he brew his own cup?
Michael Agger: Give me your coffee method when travelling.
Kelefa Sanneh: When I travel, I pack my hand grinder and some beans and the AeroPress. I have that in my bag right now. You can use a hotel coffee maker as your boiler, even though it doesn’t heat the water quite hot enough. With those tools, you can make a reasonable facsimile of a decent cup of coffee. If you are staying in a B.&B., you can barge into their kitchen and insist on making coffee with your own gear. In my experience, they don’t forbid that, though they don’t necessarily appreciate it.
– Click through to read the full interview, which includes Sanneh’s tips on storing beans, and brewing at work: http://nyr.kr/rW4Hco