If you are not much aware about the concept of coffee steeping then let me tell you what it is first.
The simple dictionary meaning of steeping is to soak the food, tea or coffee beans in the water or any other liquid in order to extract its maximum flavour.
If you read the Wikipedia meaning for coffee steeping then you will realize that there are basically 4 methods to brew coffee grounds in the water.
Those four methods are decoction through boiling, infusion through steeping, pressurized percolation through espresso and gravitational feed through percolation.
Now the real question is can you really steep coffee like tea.
So, my answer to this question is definitely “Yes”.
Yes, you can quickly steep your coffee just like a tea using either coffee steeping bags or a tea infuser.
The main benefit of making steeped coffee is that it is richer in terms of its flavour and aroma in comparison to your regular drip coffee.
With that said, I will provide few important tips and steps needed to prepare the steeped coffee like a steeped tea in the right way.
If you are able to steep your coffee properly then you will be able to extract maximum flavour and aroma from your freshly ground coffee beans. So, without any delay; let’s get to it.
Table of Contents
- FAQ Related to Steeping Coffee Like Tea
- Can You Steep Coffee?
- How Long Should You Steep Coffee?
- Can You Steep Coffee Too Long?
- Does Steeping Coffee Longer Make it Stronger?
- What is the Difference Between Coffee Brewing and Coffee Steeping?
- What are the Best Methods for Coffee Steeping Like Tea?
- What are the Best Coffee Steeping Bags?
- Final Thoughts
FAQ Related to Steeping Coffee Like Tea
Can You Steep Coffee?
Yes, as already mentioned in the beginning of this article, you can definitely steep coffee beans to make a good flavoured coffee for daily consumption.
With the help of coffee steeping bag or a tea infuser, you can make this possible at your home.
You can even make your own DIY coffee bag at home and steep coarsely ground coffee in few minutes with the help of just a hot water and a coffee mug.
However, there are two important factors that either make or break the taste of your steeped coffee.
Those two factors are the temperature of the hot water and total steeping time used to prepare this kind of coffee.
If you take care of these two important factors properly, then you can definitely make a delicious tasting and flavorful steeped coffee at home.
How Long Should You Steep Coffee?
According to the information published at Ncausa.org, you will need to maintain 2-4 minutes brewing time if you are making a French Press coffee.
A steeped coffee is usually just another variation of French Press because this coffee also makes use of coarsely ground coffee beans.
Therefore, ideal time for coffee brewing or steeping should not go beyond 4-5 minutes in reality.
If you drip coffee for just 2 minutes, then it will not drip the full flavor of your coffee beans.
If you go beyond 4-5 minutes, then also there are high chances that your coffee could become a bit bitter and will contain too much flavors and acidity.
So, the ideal brewing or steeping time for your steep coffee should be 4-5 minutes at max.
Can You Steep Coffee Too Long?
No, my recommendation is you should not steep your coffee for more than 4-5 minutes to get the best results.
The brewing time period for a steeped coffee should be dependent on the type of coffee you are preparing at home.
If it is French Press coffee, then you don’t need to go beyond 4-5 minutes for steeping time.
If it is espresso coffee, then just 30 seconds are enough to steep your coffee.
But yes, if it is cold brew coffee you want to make, then you can steep this coffee for about 12-14 hours.
Cold brew coffee takes longer time period for maximum flavour extraction.
Usually in 12-14 hours, the caffeine is also dissolved which is usually extracted from the coffee grounds.
Therefore, if it is cold brew coffee then only you can steep your coffee for more than 12 hours.
Otherwise, you should not steep your coffee for more than 5 minutes for French Press coffee.
And for espresso coffee, you should go above 30 seconds max.
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Does Steeping Coffee Longer Make it Stronger?
The answer is “No”.
If you steep your coffee for longer than 4-5 minutes, then it does not make it stronger; rather it makes it more bitter and acidic in nature.
If you want to steep your coffee, then you should find the sweet spot as far as coffee steeping time is concerned.
Usually for a French press coffee, this sweet spot is 4-5 minutes because you use either coarse or medium ground coffee beans.
If you extract your coffee for less than 4-5 minutes, then the flavors do not get transferred properly in the steep coffee and your coffee does not taste good.
If you steep your coffee for more than standard 4-5 minutes range, then there are higher chances of your coffee becoming too much acidic and bitter in the taste.
Too much flavor extraction is not at all recommended when you make a steeped coffee.
The 200 degree Fahrenheit temperature of the hot water is able to extract right amount of coffee flavors within 4-5 minutes if you use coarse or medium coffee beans.
If you go beyond this time period, then the higher amount of coffee oils and flavors are extracted in the end coffee which does not make it stronger but definitely it makes it bitter in the taste.
What is the Difference Between Coffee Brewing and Coffee Steeping?
If you read this article from Homegrounds.co, then you will know that there are several methods of coffee brewing.
Some of the most popular methods of coffee brewing are Aeropress, French Press, Espresso, using siphon or vacuum coffee pot, percolation, pour over coffee, drip coffee and steep coffee using coffee bag.
Among them coffee steeping is just another unique method of coffee brewing.
So, as far as the differences between the two are concerned, there are quite a few to be studied.
Coffee brewing can be done in multiple ways such as percolation, boiling, Aeropress, pour over or drip coffee, etc.
But coffee steeping can be done using just a single method and that is by using a coffee bag immersed completely in the hot water for just 4-5 minutes.
That’s it.
And the time for coffee brewing is different in both the methods.
Coffee brewing time can vary depending upon the type of coffee you want to make.
For cold brew coffee, it could take anywhere from 12-14 hours while espresso coffee takes only 30 seconds at max for coffee brewing.
This time again varies depending upon the coffee bean variety, various types of coffee roasts, different levels of water temperature and the method used for brewing.
But in case of coffee steeping, you only need to spend 4-5 minutes at max to steep your coffee properly.
Not less or not more time is required than the stipulated 4-5 minutes.
So, the method of preparation and time for coffee making are the two main differences between the coffee brewing and coffee steeping.
What are the Best Methods for Coffee Steeping Like Tea?
There are 2 easy methods that I am going to cover in this section.
With these 2 methods, you will be able to steep your coffee just like you steep your tea.
Method 1: Using Coffee Steeping Bags
In this method, you can make your own DIY coffee bags at home.
All you need is to get a French Press Brewing Bags, a coarse or medium ground coffee and hot water.
With these items, you can quickly prepare a delicious tasting steeping coffee within just 5 minutes.
Things You will Need:
1. French Press Coffee Brewing Bags
2. Coarse or Medium Ground Coffee
3. Hot Water (Temperature should be around 200 degree Fahrenheit)
4. Coffee Mug
Coffee Making Procedure:
a. First thing you will need to do is to heat up the water in a kettle or microwave it to boil it.
The temperature of the water should be close to 200 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Now pour the hot water in the pan and let it cool for about 30 seconds.
3. Then grind your freshly bought coffee with a coarse or medium settings in your coffee grinder.
4. After this, get the French Press coffee brewing bag and fill it up with 2-3 tablespoons of ground coffee.
Close the bag properly and now place it inside your coffee mug completely.
5. Once you do that, start pouring the hot water inside your coffee mug.
Make sure you submerge the steeping coffee bag entirely under the hot water.
6. Once the bag is completely submerged in the water, start your timer and let the coffee steep for about 4 minutes.
If you want stronger tasting coffee, then you may increase this time by maximum 1 minute.
7. Once the time is over, take out the steeping coffee bag and discard it with inside coffee in the dustbin.
And finally, your delicious flavored steeping coffee is ready to drink.
Method 2: Making Coffee with Tea infuser or Tea Strainer
In this method, you can steep your coffee with the help of a tea infuser or a tea strainer.
I have explained the whole coffee making procedure with the help of tea infuser in this article.
For this method, all you need is a reliable tea infuser or a tea strainer along with hot water, glass jar and coarse or medium ground coffee.
That’s it. I recommend you to check out my article about using tea infuser to prepare your coffee at home.
What are the Best Coffee Steeping Bags?
If you are looking for reliable coffee bags for steeping coffee at your home, then I can recommend a few good ones to you.
After some research, I found the following coffee bags that are of good quality and the ones which you can use for coffee steeping purpose without any issues.
1. French Press Disposable Mesh Coffee Bags
2. Homyhee Disposable Cold Brew Coffee Bags
3. Alto Cold Brew Disposable Coffee Bags
You can use any one of these 3 coffee bags to steep your coarse or medium ground French Press coffee.
Final Thoughts
After reading this article, you now know that steeping coffee just like tea is completely possible.
The time period of coffee steeping and the temperature of the hot water used are the two major factors that you should pay complete attention to while preparing your steeped coffee.
Steeping your coffee more than 4-5 minutes is not at all recommended if you want your coffee with the right flavor and less acidity.
And finally, we learned that we can use mesh coffee bags and tea infuser method to steep our coffee at home without any hassles.
So, now I recommend you to try any one of these 2 methods at your home and see the results for yourself.
References:
http://www.coffeeteawarehouse.com/coffee-brew.html
https://www.homegrounds.co/how-to-make-coffee-without-a-coffee-maker/
https://www.quora.com/Does-coffee-get-stronger-in-a-French-press-if-you-steep-it