Americans love their coffee, and brewers want to help them make it right at home

Even in this bumpy economy, Americans are holding on tight to their coffee cups.

That's the word from the National Coffee Association, whose latest study finds American coffee consumption holding steady in this recession.

One change, though, is we're making and drinking more java at home — in fact, 5 percent more than we did a year prior.

This may spell bad news for cafe owners who could see lighter traffic, but some of America's top specialty-coffee purveyors see this as an opportunity to deepen the public's appreciation for good coffee as they teach them how to treat their home beans right.

In recent months, Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery of Annapolis, Md., has been offering workshops that range from proper coffee brewing to the importance of coffee origin to, most recently, pairing coffee with cheese.

A newly launched Web site, needcaffeine.com, allows folks to order home machines as well as beans from an array of specialty roasters across the nation.

And Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea's Web site (intelligentsia coffee.com) this month started selling home-brewing kits complete with a certificate for a brewing class.

For these purveyors of fine coffee, it's not just about education but also a point of professional pride. And it's about ensuring their lovingly procured and roasted beans find good homes.

finished product," said Vincent Iatesta, owner of Caffe Pronto. "And so even if we do an amazing job of choosing the farmer and ensuring it is harvested, milled, stored, transported and roasted right, we are still dependent on the consumer to prepare the coffee correctly at home. All of our hard work could go to waste if it is not brewed properly."

Iatesta and others shared their suggested steps for brewing a good cup of coffee:

· Use fresh coffee beans. Minimize the coffee beans' exposure to air by storing in an airtight container. Don't store beans in the freezer; it can cause damaging condensation during the thawing process.

· Use simple, nonelectric brewing methods, such as a French press or the manual makers like Melitta and Chemex, which allow you to stir the water and grounds while they are steeping for the most even extraction.

· Splurge for a good burr grinder ($40-$600). Experts say propeller grinders produce uneven grinds. Grind the beans just before you brew them.

· Use a good scoop to measure the recommended 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 to 8 ounces of water.

· Don't make coffee with water you wouldn't drink plain. Experts often use filtered or bottled water. For manual makers, heat the water to a full boil; wait 30 seconds before pouring. Warm your coffeepot with a swish of very hot water.

RECIPES

Coffee Ice Cream Soda

Author Daniel Young includes this recipe in "Coffee Love: 50 Ways to Drink Your Java" (Wiley, 2009). "Ice cream sodas taste better when milk is added to the syrup-flavored soda," he writes. "Using melted vanilla ice cream instead of milk multiplies that milky-creamy effect tenfold."

Makes 1 serving.

3 tablespoons coffee syrup (see recipe at right)

1/4 cup vanilla ice cream, melted

1/2 cup soda or seltzer water

1 large scoop coffee ice cream

Pour syrup into tall glass. Add vanilla ice cream. Stir. Pour in soda water, stirring, to within 2 inches of top of glass. Add large scoop of coffee ice cream.

Nutrition information: One serving provides 374 calories (41 percent of calories from fat), 17 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 54 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 105 milligrams sodium, 0 fiber.

Cold-Brewed Coffee Syrup

Use this syrup in ice cream sodas and sundaes or over coffee or vanilla yogurt. Recipe adapted from "Coffee Love."

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

1 1/4 cups cold water

1/3 cup coarsely ground coffee

1 cup sugar

To make coffee mixture: In large jar or glass con-tainer, combine water and coffee. Let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

To make syrup: Pour coffee mixture twice through paper coffee filter or sieve lined with cheesecloth. Combine coffee mixture and sugar in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking, to just below boiling point. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken and has reduced by about a quarter for thinner syrup or by a third for thick syrup. Let cool. Cover tightly. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

USER'S GUIDE TO COFFEE

Labels on bags of coffee often can be confusing. Here's a guide to some of the terms you'll find, with information from coffee experts and from coffeeterms.com.

· Bird-friendly certified: Coffee that has been verified by a representative of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and comes from a farm that meets "organic standards, canopy height, foliage cover and number of bird species, among other criteria," according to birdwatchers digest.com. Farmers volunteer for the inspection and pay nothing to the Smithsonian for the certification, but 25 cents per pound goes to support the center's research and conservation programs, according to the center.

· Coffee blend: Coffee that has been blended from more than one farm, ideally to complement and enhance the flavor of each.

· Coffee terroir: The characteristics of the land on which coffee is produced including soil composition, weather, sun exposure, altitude, proximity to other plants, terrain and drainage. Although a coffee's origin and terroir can play a part in its flavor, experts agree the beans from the very same plot of land can change year to year, harvest to harvest and season to season.

· Direct trade: A broad term for coffee purchased directly from the farmer by the roastery, without middlemen. This allows farmers to get more money for their coffee and for terms to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. (For details, check your roasters' Web sites.)

· Estate coffee: Coffee farmed on a single plantation, which can have better consistency and higher quality control compared with coffees collected from many small farms.

· Fair Trade coffee: A certification from Transfair USA that guarantees a certain price for the farmer, certain working and economic conditions for the laborers and sustainable agricultural practices, including a restricted use of agro-chemicals and no GMOs (genetically modified organisms), according to Transfair. Coffee quality is not a factor. Many in the coffee-supply chain must pay a fee to the Transfair USA organization to be allowed to use the label.

· Organic coffee: Coffee verified by a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative to be produced on a farm that has not used synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for at least three years and has a sustainable crop rotation plan, according to the Organic Trade Association.

· Rainforest Alliance Certified: According to its Web site (rainforest-alliance.org), this means coffee grown on farms where "forests are protected, rivers, soils and wildlife conserved; workers are treated with respect, paid decent wages, properly equipped and given access to education and medical care. The Rainforest Alliance seal ensures experienced inspectors have verified that the farms meet demanding social and environmental standards, and are on a path toward true sustainability."

· Shade grown: Coffee grown in shade or partial shade, which some say results in better flavor because it needs a longer ripening time. Shaded coffee trees also offer natural habitat for songbirds and reduce the need for fertilizers.

· Single origin: Unblended coffee from a single country, growing region or plantation. (Also called straight coffee.)

· Varietal: Coffee made from a single type of coffee, such as arabica or Bourbon. Sometimes, just from a single country or region as in Brazil Bourbon Santos coffee.

4 WAYS TO JAZZ UP YOUR JAVA

What is the best method of brewing coffee? This question seems to be more important than ever, as the latest studies show that even if Americans are clinging to their coffee during this recession, more and more are making that fine java at home.

In discussions with coffee experts, we found general agreement on the four best ways of brewing it. None of them includes America's most popular method — the automatic drip machine.

VACUUM BREWER OR SIPHON POT METHOD

Proponent: Vincent Iatesta, owner of Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery in Annapolis, Md.: "I personally love it, and it's what I use at home every day," he said. "It produces a rich, complex, sweet cup of coffee, and there are never any bitter or sour notes that you can get from a traditional brewing process. And it looks cool."

How it works: Invented in France in the 1840s, this method was favored in early 20th-century America but got muscled out by automatic drip. With the renewed interest in fine coffee brewing, the vacuum has made a comeback. The device consists of a glass coffeepot and an upper glass chamber connected by a siphon tube. Water is placed in the lower coffeepot while ground coffee goes in the top chamber, fitted with a cloth filter. When the water heats to a boil on a stove, it travels up through the tube into the top chamber to mix with the coffee grounds. When the device is removed from the heat source, coffee is pulled back down through the filter into the pot, finishing with a gurgly flourish. It creates not only a complex pot of java but also a fun show. Good for those who want to retain richness from coffee oils, have the patience to carefully monitor their coffeepot and enjoy a good spectacle.

Price: The Bodum Santos Vacuum Pot costs $70 at clivecoffee.com.

POUR-OVER CARAFES, SUCH AS CHEMEX OR MELITTA

Proponent: Tony Dreyfuss, co-owner of Metropolis Coffee Co., Chicago: "I like all four methods, but Chemex or even the Melitta-style cone cost very little, and they are just fine. It's very simple, but it requires attention to the coffee. It gives a nice, clean flavor. But the thing to remember is the coffee requires 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water, and the water should be 30 seconds off the rolling boil."

How it works: Place ground coffee in a paper-filter-lined cone on top of the carafe; pour some just-boiled water to moisten the grounds and let it bloom. Then, add the rest of the water and let it drip through to the pot. Good for people on a budget who like a clean coffee flavor.

Price: Chemex brewer costs $40 at intelligentsiacoffee. com. The Melitta brewing system costs $17 on kitchendance.com.

EVA SOLO CAFESOLO

Proponent: Doug Zell, CEO of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Chicago: "I like this because you get a little more viscosity, akin to a French press, but still a nice sweetness. You get a lot of the positive traits you get with a French press without any of the negatives, like sandiness."

How it works: Put grounds in the glass flask, pour hot water over them, stir them for 10 seconds. Then, place a filter funnel and a tip-up lid in the mouth of the flask, wait four minutes and pour. Good for those who go for a rich mouth feel but don't want any sediment. Also great for table pouring because it comes with a felt or neoprene zip-up jacket for the carafe.

Price: Eva Solo CafeSolo makers range from $98 to $111 on amazon.com. Also $118 at intelligentsiacoffee.com.

FRENCH PRESS OR PLUNGER POT

Proponent: Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks: "I use a coarsely ground Sumatra, and I make it in a French press with water right off the boil," Schultz said. The Starbucks chief likes the "rich mouth feel" of French press coffee but acknowledges that "it isn't for everyone."

How it works: The French press (plunger pot) has a cylindrical glass carafe that holds the grounds. Hot water is poured to fill the carafe; after about four minutes you push down a plunger with a stainless-steel mesh filter to the base of the pot, thus straining and pressing the coffee grounds to the bottom. Good for those who will drink their java very soon after plunging and who like a full, rich body to their coffee.

Price: Bodum French press pots range from $20 to $50 at target.com. and other stores.