Making a good cup of coffee needn't be complicated

By Kaui Philpotts

Orange pound cake is one treat that goes nicely with a good cup of coffee. For best flavor, use fresh coffee — regardless of whether you grind your own — and drink it within 20 minutes of brewing. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

I don't know why this should have surprised me. But in this day of caffe lattes, frappachinos and mochas, it did. Imagine, loving a cup of coffee that probably came already ground in a restaurant-sized tin can. No tricks. Just freshness dictated by the sheer volume of business at the counter.

It got me to thinking about coffee. About how the smell of it roasting or brewing is almost better than tasting. Well, almost. There is a sense of well-being that comes over you when you awaken to it in the morning, especially a cold morning. The way my mother and her friends from the plantation gathered for coffee after dinner and talked for hours.

I don't think I ever actually made a cup for myself until I was out of school and living in the North Beach district of San Francisco. There were more Italians living there then, and the smell of roasting coffee, dark and pungent, was a staple of life. Long before Starbucks and Peet's, there was Caffe Trieste and Stella Pastry. These guys knew about coffee, and they knew how to enjoy it together and in public places.

As one coffee lover once said, these places were ideal for "people who wanted to be alone, but needed company for it."

We still meet people for coffee (a way to connect without actually making a long-term commitment), we take coffee breaks in the office to swap gossip and clear the head, we stare over the first cup of the day and make our plans.

Here are some suggestions to help you make a better cup of coffee, regardless of your method or pot.

• The proportion of coffee to water needs to be correct. Use 2 tablespoons of coffee to every 6 ounces of water. Most scoops that come with coffeemakers are just 1 tablespoon, making the coffee too weak, and not as rich and flavorful as possible.
• Use fresh coffee, whether you grind your own beans or not. Most coffee should be used within two weeks of opening or buying. If you can't do that, freeze the beans. It will slightly change the flavor, but it's better than letting it go stale.
• The enemies of good coffee are air and moisture. Store your coffee in a dark, airtight container in a cool place.
• Freshly ground beans make the best coffee. Consider buying a grinder or a pot that grinds and drips.
• If your tap water tastes like chlorine, or you use a water softener, you will not have the best coffee. Use bottled or filtered water instead.
• Get the grind right. Coffee should be ground to a fineness appropriate to the brewing method. Read labels, or let your coffee dealer know what kind of pot you own.
• It is best to drink coffee within 20 minutes of brewing. If it sits, it has a tendency to turn muddy-tasting. If you must keep it, it's better in a vacuum flask than sitting on a burner.

Here are a few delicious accompaniments to make for your coffee breaks. Invite the neighbors, or take treats to the office. They'll love you for it.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• Grated rind of 1 orange

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup bourbon, or other whiskey
• 2/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture alternately with the orange juice. End with the orange juice. Add the grated orange rind.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until the center is firm. Remove the cake and place on a cooling rack.

Make the glaze: Place the butter, bourbon and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Do not allow to boil. Dissolve the sugar in the glaze. Prick the top of the cake with a fork, and pour the glaze evenly over the warm cake. Leave the cake in the pan until thoroughly cooled. This cake is wonderful made ahead.

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Makes 1 loaf.

Rum Pudding Cake

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 (18-ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white rum
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter the bottom of a Bundt cake pan and sprinkle with slivered almonds. In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cake and pudding mixes, water, rum, oil and eggs. Mix for 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely and remove from the pan.

Make the glaze: Mix the sugar, butter, dark rum and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake.

This cake actually tastes better the next day when the glaze has had a chance to seep in and make it even more moist. Serves 8 to 10.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 5 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces white chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Whipped cream for garnish

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornstarch. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix to a paste. In a saucepan over medium high heat, scald the remaining milk.

Remove from the heat and stir into the flour mixture. Pour the milk and flour mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it begins to boil and thicken. Make sure not to burn the bottom.

Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or so. Remove pan from the heat and add the semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolates and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate melts and it's smooth. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then gently fold in the white chocolate just enough to incorporate.

Spoon into individual glasses. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.