Uncovering brew methods

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There are so many ways that you can brew and enjoy coffee. The two most important factors in achieving the best cup, is of course good coffee, but you need good water too. If either one of those two ingredients are bad, then you can’t make a good cup of coffee.

I think the first thing we should mention is grinding your beans. The grind you produce and its consistency will have a big impact on the end results. Try to stay away from blade grinders, they do more damage than good. You can get a burr grinder now for around 30-40 dollars. While it will be inexpensive, it will be better than any blade grinder.  

Drip Coffee Brewing

Drip will create Medium to Full-bodied, with distinct flavor notes.

This is probably the most popular way to brew coffee. There is typically not much control over your machine settings, like temperature and water flow. You can control your grind and water to coffee ratio. The ratios are usually dependent on what type of roast you are brewing. You are looking for a medium grind setting and we recommend weighing your water and coffee. For lighter roasts, you will want about 17 to 1 water to coffee ratio. Medium roasts usually 16 to 1 and darker roasts 15 to 1. 

If you are weighing your coffee and water and using the recommended ratios, but your cup is still too weak or strong. Try adjusting your grind setting in small increments. If it’s too bitter, make it a little more course. If it’s weak, try it a little finer. If you can’t weigh your coffee and water, start by adding coffee if it’s weak and taking some away if it’s strong. A good starting point would be somewhere around 1-2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water. 

Pour over method V60

V60 will create a high clarity, thin-medium body, with distinct flavor notes.

Our go to method for enjoying our craft coffees is a Hario V60. Using a 15 to 1 brewing ratio with a “beach sand” size grind. Start with 20 grams of coffee and 300 grams of water heated to around 200 degrees. We always rinse our filter first with the brew tempertarure water, this helps remove any flavor the filter might have, and heats the brewing vessel. 

The first stage is the “bloom”. Starting with the scales tared to zero, add 60 grams of water in a swirling motion, and then gently stir. The bloom usually takes 30-45 seconds, this is where the coffee is releasing the remainng CO2. After the coffee settles after blooming, you can add 90 grams of water in a swirling motion. We usually allow the coffee to brew to around 1 minute and 15 seconds, before adding another 70-90 grams of water. Allowing to brew to around the 1:45-2:00 minutre mark, then you can add the remaining water. You can either gently stir, to create a swirling motion, or spin the V60 a few times gently. The total brew time should take 3 to 3 ½ minutes. 

If the grounds start to collect around the edges, you can gently stir again. The idea is a flat bed of grounds when the brewing is finised. If you brew time runs fast, use a finer grind, if it runs slow, us a more course grind. 

Chemex 

Chemex will create a clean and bright cup of coffee

Sometimes we have to make coffee for a friend too! This method seems to get a lot of negative reviews and hate. We have been enjoing Chemex brews for years though. It just happens to be one of our favorite ways to make more than one cup at a time! We use a 14 to 1 ratio, with a grind setting similar to a French Press. So more course than fine.  The pouring process is very similar to a V60.

You bloom with 50 grams of coffee to 150 grams of water. After the 30-45 second bloom, you can add water to aproximately 300-400 grams, allow to brew for around 30 seconds. Add another 150-200 grams of water, allow to brew, repeat process until you reach 700 grams of water. Total brew time should take 4-4 ½ minutes. You could expierence longer brew times and that’s ok, it may vary per bean. 

If the filter colapses in the pour channel, it will cause long brew times and over extraction. So it’s important to be mindful of that and to keep and eye on it. It sometimes helps with extraction to gently stir or swirl the chemex after each pour session. It helps with the extraction process. 

French Press

French Press will create a Full-bodied cup.

This method requires a French Press, they are usually made from glass or stainless steel. They have a lid, with Plunger and filter. You will want a course grind for this brewing method, and you can start with a 12 to 1 ratio. You can adjust your ratio based on your own taste.  

It’s pretty simple, but we recommend to pre-heat the vessel with brew temp water before brewing. After dumping the hot water, add your coffee grinds and then hot water. Let steep for 4 minutes and then push the plunger to separate the grounds from the water. Pour, sip, and enjoy!!