Previously, we published a summary brew guide for each coffee box edition that we shipped using the recipes provided by the roasters. From now on, in addition to the recipes provided by the roasters, we will take our monthly selection of coffees to three different baristas every month and ask them to brew the coffees for us. The result will be a fresh take on each one of our delicious coffees from a different group of people with a great love of and understanding of coffee.

Today, we are introducing our guest Niels Göllnetz who is a core member of Cologne’s Ernst Kaffeeröster’s team. During a recent visit to the western German city, I paid Ernst a little visit and invite Niels to have a go at preparing the outstanding washed Chelelektu coffee from Ethiopia that was roasted specially for us by Café Capitale.

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 timer)
• A good quality burr grinder such as the Comandante Grinder
• Your favourite brew method (Kalita Wave, V60, Aeropress etc)
• A clean vessel for brewing and decanting
• A timer (can be on your phone)
• Filtered water
• A pouring kettle but a regular kettle will also do, however, it requires more precision

When working with whole beans, it’s crucial to make sure to always freshly grind your coffee just before preparation because it quickly loses its aroma and old coffee ends up tasting stale and hollow.

Now, ready? Let’s brew!

It was an unusually hot day in April when I visited my dad in Cologne and decided to take him to one of my most favourite coffee places in the city that I grew up with until I was 11. He had never heard of Ernst Kaffeeröster and I saw that as an excellent opportunity to introduce him to delicious, locally roasted specialty coffee while also taking the opportunity to ask Ernst’s head barista Niels Göllnetz to create a recipe for one of the coffees from our most recently shipped coffee box.

As my dad and I took a seat outside, preparing to enjoy a nitro cold brew and cappuccino, respectively, Niels took the box of Cafe Capitale’s Ethiopian coffee to the bar and experimented with it for a little while before beckoning me inside to share his thoughts.

“This is a really nice, washed Ethiopian coffee. There is no doubt about it,” Niels said as he grabbed an Aeropress and put it in place to begin brewing. “My first impression is that it’s super clean, very floral and extremely well roasted.”

He ground 18g of coffee medium-fine and loaded the Aeropress before fetching his kettle, starting the timer and using 42g of freshly boiled water at 92°C for a 30-second pre-infusion. He then gave it a good stir before adding the remaining water to reach 210g and gently swivelling the Aeropress to encourage a more accelerated extraction.

Then, he flipped the Aeropress to begin the push-down into a decanter before transferring it into a small bottle for easy serving and pretty presentation.

“Gosh, I am getting a ton of bergamot and very sweet black tea,” Niels said after taking a good swig. “It’s incredibly refreshing, don’t you think?” I could not agree more.

Tip: Try this recipe over ice by replacing half the water with ice cubes in the decanter.

Niels’ recipe for filter:

Aeropress (inverted): 18g of freshly coffee ground medium-fine. Add 42g of freshly boiled water at 92°C for a 30 second pre-infusion. Then add remaining water to reach 210g and brew for 1 minute total. Invert Aeropress and push down until you hear the hissing noise. Serve into a nice vessel and enjoy!

Cafe Capitale’s recipe for filter:

V60: 17,5g of freshly ground coffee ground medium coarse. Use a total of 265g of freshly boiled water at 93°C with a 30-second bloom. Then fast-brew for 2:15 minutes.

Cafe Capitale’s recipe for espresso:

19g of coffee ground fine. Extraction time: 29 seconds. Yield: 40g

Did you also receive this coffee from our box? Add your recipe below and let others know how you like to prepare this stunning coffee from Cafe Capitale.