Who doesn’t love a bit of an adventure? Right now I am sitting in the crumbling colonial town of Saint Louis in Senegal which is practially the last stop on our little trip through this West African nation. This weekend, the city hosts a famous jazz festival and we’re excited to attend and check out the vibes before embarking on our return journey to Amsterdam via Dakar and Casablanca. Yes, it sounds crazy but I timed it precisely so that I am back in our warehouse on May 19th to start packing the May 2024 Coffeevine box and get it out to you lovely people right on time.

While here, I also discovered a pretty interesting local coffee that I’ll be sharing some fun videos about soon. But now, let’s dive into the brew guide for the May 2024 edition that includes coffees from MAMAM, Good Life, Paper Mill, Nylon and Dark Horse. Enjoy!

Basic Setup

As in any good kitchen or bar, you want to be sure to have a few key items at your disposal that will aid you in preparing a delicious cup of coffee.

These include:

• • Scales (with or without a timer – you can use your phone or your watch)
  • A good quality burr grinder such as the Comandante Grinder
  • Your favourite brew method (Origami, Kalita Wave, V60, AeroPress etc)
  • A clean vessel for brewing and decanting
  • A ladle or stirrer for agitating the grounds
  • Water for brewing. I mix my own using the Lotus mineral drops. I’ll share a recipe soon!
  • A pouring kettle but a regular kettle will also do, however, it requires more precision

It’s very important to always freshly grind your coffee just before preparation because coffee is very volatile and quickly loses its full aroma in a matter of minutes.

You can also vacuum pack your coffee in portions, name and number each batch and then keep it in a dry cool place or put it in the freezer.

For espresso, I use my home espresso machine, a Profitec Pro600 espresso machine and a Profitec ProT64 grinder.

MAMAM’s recipe for filter:

Brewer: V60 Dosage: 16g of coffee Grind: Medium-fine Water: 250g Temperature: 96°C

Add your filter to the V60 and rinse with hot water. Add your coffee and then begin with a short bloom using 45g of water. After 0:30 seconds, add up to 100g of water. Pour the water slow, gently and in clockwise circles. At 0:55 seconds pour hot water up to 150g. At 01:20 minutes pour hot water up to 200g. At 01:40 minutes pour hot water to 250g. Let the water drip through completely and serve.

MAMAM’s recipe for espresso:

Dosage: 20g Grind size: 150 microns Basket type: 20g VST ridgeless Yield: 52g Extraction time: 0:27 seconds.

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Good Life’s recipe for filter:

Brewer: Moccamaster Dosage: 60g of coffee Grind: Medium Water: 1L Temperature: 92°C

Rinse your filter prior to use and then add the coffee to the brewing basket. Start the Moccamaster and wait until around 15% of the water has been dispensed before stirring gently. Let the Moccamaster finish its cycle and then stir the slurry again. Serve up and share!

Good Life’s recipe for espresso:

Dosage: 18g (in 20g VST basket) Yield: 40 – 42g Extraction time: 0:23 – 0:26 seconds.

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Paper Mill’s recipe for filter:

Brewer: Origami Dosage: 16g of coffee Grind: Medium-fine Water: 250g (BWT filter, 110ppm) Temperature: 95°C

Rinse your paper filter and then add the coffee. Work with 5 pours, i.e. 50g of water per pour. Pour calmly, avoid pouring down the brewer walls. Add 50g of water for blooming and wait 0:20 seconds, give it a gentle swirl 5 times. Then continue with intervals of 0:20 per pour.

Paper Mill’s recipe for espresso:

Dosage: 18.5g (VST 18g basket, Motta leveling tool) Yield: 33g Extraction time: 0:28 – 0:30 seconds.

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Nylon’s recipe for filter:

Brewer: Kalita Wave 155 Dosage: 12g of coffee Grind: Medium Water: 205g Temperature: 94°C

Rinse your filter and add your coffee. After a short pre-infusion, we do 3 pours. Recommended brew time for 1 cup approximately 3:00 – 3:15 minutes.

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What did you think of these recipes and and the coffees themselves? Feel free to leave a comment down below to share your own recipes and favourite brew methods.