Brewing Coffee ~ Chorreador de Café

When I first lived in Costa Rica almost 40 years ago every home and restaurant used a "Chorreador de Café" to make the best tasting cup of coffee I have ever had. Today, most folks are using electric coffee makers to brew coffee. But I still make coffee with the Chorreador because it just tastes better.

Chorreadors are usually made with a wooden base and either a wood or wire frame is used to hold a cloth bag for the filter about 12 inches above the base. We prefer strong coffee so we grind a dark roast very fine and place about 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds for every 2 cups of coffee. I bring the water to boil in a tea kettle and slowly pour it over the coffee grounds where it filters into the coffee pot sitting on the base below.

You can buy the flannel coffee filters in most grocery stores in Costa Rica, or you can make your own out of cotton flannel cloth. For best results, you should always start with dry filter and rinse it after use with just clean water. Never wash your filter with with soap or detergent because it will leave an aftertaste in the coffee. The filter will stain a coffee color, but this won't affect the taste in the least. After time, the oils from the coffee beans will build up on your filter. You can dissolve the oil by scrubbing the filter with salt. I prefer to use a course ground kosher or sea salt. Rinse the filter well to remove all of the salt before you use it again to make coffee.

John and I have three Chorreadors, one stays in our kitchen, one is used at John's office, and the third stays with our camping gear. Nothing beats the taste of fresh "Café Chorreado" with a tent side breakfast "en el Campo".


For instructions on how to make your own Chorredor de Café go to this link Duck Runner Resources

Originally posted 3/10/08