This recipe makes a very strong, sweet coffee. The preparation method below is with a French press, which is my favorite method of brewing coffee.
A French press consists of an outer shell, a carafe which fits into the shell, and a lid with a filter screen plunger attached. The ground coffee is infused into hot water in the carafe, and then a filter screen plunger is pressed down, pushing the coffee to the bottom.
The lid has another screen for filtering out any grounds that made it through. French press sizes vary, so you will need to adjust the amount of water accordingly.
The best coffee for this recipe is Sumatra, which has smoky, earthy flavors which will go well with the cardamom. The coffee should be ground to a powder, aka Turkish grind.
Cardamom Honey Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups cold water
- 3 – 6 tbsp. coffee
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tbsp. honey
Instructions
- Boil the water. Pour the half the water into the carafe of a French press and let it sit for minute to warm the carafe. Dump out the water.
- Put the ground coffee, cardamom and honey in the carafe. You will be using double the amount of coffee that would be normally used. The honey is also added at this time. Add a single teaspoon of cardamom. This will be enough for the whole pot.
- Fill the carafe with the rest of the boiling water and stir. Let it settle for a minute or two, longer if you want stronger coffee.
- Insert the press and push the grounds to the bottom of the carafe. You may have to push hard. Don’t overdo it and end up wearing the shattered carafe as a bracelet.
- Pour into a mug, add another spoon of honey for a sweeter beverage if desired, and stir. This is best served black in a demitasse, or small 3 oz. cup. Expect it to be a little muddy when you get to the bottom.
Accompaniment
Toasted baguette dipped in honey, cinnamon, and butter.
This is a deconstructed cinnamon roll, and is so decadent. Slice a baguette, and toast it. Place about half a stick of butter in a pot, cover with honey, or maple syrup, throw in a handful of raisins, and simmer until the butter is melted. Add a splash of vanilla extract, or brandy or rum. Transfer to a shallow bowl, and dip the baguette in it, capturing a few raisins.
What makes this coffee unique?
The addition of cardamom and preparing the coffee with honey instead of adding to the cup after brewing makes this coffee unique. Cardamom is a green or black seedpod about the size of a shelled peanut.
The pod can be used whole, or the small black seeds inside can be used whole or ground into powder. I prefer grinding the seeds, including the pod for maximum flavor. Cardamom has a minty, peppery, smoky taste that blends very well with coffee. Cardamom smooths out any bitter or acidic rough edges to coffee.
Honey is a form of two sugars, glucose and fructose. It contains some nutrients, at least more than white sugar, and has a unique taste, rather than just cloying sweetness like white sugar. Honey blends well with coffee.
Origins
This coffee recipe is loosely based on Turkish coffee, a strong, sweet boiled coffee flavored with cardamom. Turkish coffee starts with coffee ground to a powder, and sugar, boiled together in a small long handled pot called an ibrik.
The coffee is allowed to foam up twice, and then is poured into a demitasse. The grounds are allowed to settle to the bottom before drinking. It is very strong, sweet and gritty. The version I have provided here captures the strong, sweet black coffee flavor, but is cleaner, without so much sediment on the bottom.
Derrick is a psychology professor in New England who is a conservative, liberty-loving patriot. he’s written numerous academic papers on psychological topics. When he’s not teaching, writing, or reading classical literature, he’s probably cooking something in the kitchen.