Monday, April 26, 2010

Kopi Tubruk

Last week our coffee pot gave up the ghost and died. This is a tragedy of major proportions in this household. Tea just doesn't cut it as a morning drink, at least not for me. Don't even suggest instant coffee. YUCK! We could go out and buy another pot at the commissary, or if we want a 220 model we could, of course, go to any of dozens of stores here in Frankfurt. The thing is, none of these places carry the brand we are looking for. We ordered one from the states and are now waiting on it to arrive. I know you are wondering what is so special about a stupid coffee pot. We use a Bunn, it has a built in hot water tank so it takes less than 2 minutes to brew a full pot of coffee. Still about a minute and half too long, but about the best you area going to get. Of course the volcano has slowed down shipments, but we are hopeful it will arrive soon.

In the meantime I am dying for a decent cup of morning coffee. I finally remembered a drink I used to indulge in when we lived in Jakarta, kopi tubruk. I am now enjoying a brutally strong cup of coffee. All is right with the world.

Oh you want to know what's kopi tubruk? Basically you put a spoon full of coffee grinds into your cup, add boiling water, it is important that it is boiling, then give it a quick stir and wait until the grounds sink. Enjoy. It isn't exactly good to the last drop, in fact of you aren't careful that last drop can be quite gritty, but it makes a tasty, strong cup of coffee without any fancy equipment. Yummmm.

12 comments:

Connie said...

Funny how particular we get about appliances. We had a heck of a time finding a new pot. I wanted a plain drip brewer. No filter (we have clean water), no grinder built in to get damp from steam and be hard to clean. A drip pot WITH a clock/timer. Is that really too much to ask for? Apparently so. Took us months. Finally got an ad from Gevalia coffees and it had the machine I wanted, for free, with a subscription. So. How much longer shall I buy the coffee before canceling without guilt? ;) Their coffee is very good, but I usually buy from another company.

Shannon said...

We went through several pots before we found the Bunn years ago and when it gave out we know right away that we wanted another so we just ordered an updated version of the same pot.

I should think at the price of Gevalia coffee that if you have order a few times you are good and can go back to your usual company without guilt.

David L. said...

Oh the horror. Making a pot of coffee is a staple to my morning routine. And without routines, what are we?

Are coffee shops out of the question to hold you over until you can get your new pot?

Shannon said...

That would require actually getting dressed and going out to get coffee. I can't function that well until I have had my coffee.

Anonymous said...

Ours died last week too! Fortunately we have a french press, an espresso machine, and 2 stove-top espresso makers, all functioning just fine :) And why yes, we take it pretty seriously round here too!

Shannon said...

Sorry to hear of your loss. LOL! We have a stove top espresso maker that I dearly love but first thing in the morning it is much too complicated for me. I am NOT a morning person and can barely function enough to find the kitchen and push a button on a pot I set up the night before, probably why my husband usually makes the coffee.

Connie said...

Not being functional in the morning... THAT is precisely why I wanted a simple (but solid) coffee maker.. no fancy thingys or geegaws. With a timer to shut itself off after a reasonable amount of time. I could find cheapo pots with no clock, or extravagant makers with too much junk added, but not the pot I wanted. Thank you Gevalia! Yes, their coffee is a bit too expensive, I prefer (love) coffees from "The Flying Bean", great coffee, fair price. In the morning, I can manage "water + filter + coffee + on button" (usually... I have been known to skip steps, but nobody's perfect all the time!)

Junaidi said...

good blog...thanks for the information...

Shannon said...

Connie thanks for the link to the The Flying Bean. I was going to ask. I have no idea if there is decent coffee available in Malawi, but my friends in Zambia say they have to mail order to get decent coffee and it is adjacent to Malawi so I am thinking better to have a back up plan.

Connie said...

Shannon - I have been ordering from the Flying Bean for years now. Their website is great, each coffee is reviewed, and broadly categorized as light, medium, dark roast, and light, medium or full body. One of my favorites is the Flying Bean Satin, which is full body and dark roast... usually I hate dark roast, but this one is so smooth! No charcoal taste :p Further, each coffee is described fully, and graded on acidity, body and aroma. I started with a sampler pack, then later picked more, using this grading as a guide. I love it and need to order more. It's a family run business, and they're always wonderful to deal with. :)

Anonymous said...

Have nothing to add to the coffee discussion, as we don't drink it at all (but we have a Starbuck's around the corner! So it's all good!), but I found a post at another blog that reminded me of you. :)

http://andersonsinbenin.blogspot.com/2010/04/green-thumbs.html


Just in case you hadn't seen it yet. :)

Shannon said...

I hadn't but I am looking forward to gardening. Thanks for the link.