Dripped Coffee

A four-line description of the drip pot, written when most American households still boiled their coffee in an open kettle. The instructions assume a two-chamber drip pot standing on the range, and they assume you have read the preceding entry for the proportion.

• The proportionThe recipe defers to the entry before it rather than stating a quantity. A modern working guideline is roughly two level tablespoons of ground coffee to each 6-ounce cup of water; older books often call for about one tablespoon per cup, which gives a thinner brew.
• "Finely ground" means drip grindGrinds were commonly distinguished as coarse for boiling, finer for drip, and pulverized for Turkish coffee. What is wanted here is roughly the texture of table salt. An espresso or Turkish grind will clog the strainer and stall the drip.
• Water just off the boilThe recipe says boiling water; pouring a little off the boil is gentler, since fully boiling water can draw out bitter compounds. Let the kettle stand off the heat briefly before pouring.
• Setting the pot on the stoveThe pot goes on the range only to keep the lower chamber warm while the water works through, not to cook the coffee. Use the lowest heat, or simply warm the pot with hot water first and keep it off the burner entirely.
• Pour in stagesWet the grounds with a little water, wait half a minute for them to swell, then add the rest in two or three additions. A single flood pours through channels in the bed and underextracts.
• The hinge: never boil the finished coffeeOnce it has dripped through, the coffee is done. Reheating it on the stove or returning it through the grounds for a second pass turns it flat and bitter, which is exactly the fault drip brewing was adopted to avoid.
• TimingThe pot should finish dripping steadily rather than stalling. A very fast run-through means the grind is too coarse; a very slow one means it is too fine or packed down.