Brewing the perfect cup of coffee might seem daunting, especially when you’re relatively new to specialty coffee, but it doesn’t have to be. Every coffee is as unique as the people who produced and roasted it, and as a result, asks for its very own preparation method to get the most out of each delicious little bean.
Below you can find the brew guide to our recently shipped September ’17 coffee box, featuring three absolultely stunning coffees from Neues Schwarz, Caffènation and JB Kaffee. If you are one of the recipients of this month’s box, we’d love to hear your thoughts on these recipes and please feel free to add your own.
Happy brewing!
Step 1: A great set up is half the rent
When brewing filter coffee, you want to make sure that you are properly equipped. No matter which method you prefer, be it the Aeropress, V60, French Press or even the good old Moka Pot, it’s important to have a few basics in place.
We recommend:
- A good quality burr grinder with different finesse settings
- A set of electronic scales
- A pouring kettle, ideally an electronic one with built in temperature regulator
- Your brew method of choice
- A decanter vessel
- Your favourite mug or cup or glass
- Finally, nothing but the finest single origin coffees, ideally from our monthly coffee box (hint, hint).
Naturally, the same it true for espresso. Whether you’re using a professional café-style machine or a small home espresso machine, you want to be sure you follow some basic rules and recommendations that will help you get the most out of each bean.
We recommend:
- Always making sure that your machine is properly cleaned
- Setting the right water temperature and pressure
- Using a burr grinder to ensure consistency
- Using scales to weigh your coffee (whole bean) and in your portafilter
- Timing and weighing your extraction
Step 2: Follow the recipe of the roaster or make your own
Our roasters take the greatest care to source, roast and share their finest beans with our customers and they always supply us with custom recipes for each of their coffees. While you’re of course not required to follow their guidelines, it makes sense to give them a shot – no pun intended – and see for yourself if they got it right or whether your own recipe makes for a better cup. Coffee, like food, is all about personal preference and experimentation.
Recipes from our roasters:
Neues Schwarz: Ethiopia, Rocko Mountain (natural)
Recipe filter
Hario V60: 16g of coffee ground medium-fine. Add 250g of water at 93° – 96°. Brew time 2:00 – 2:30 min.
Recipe espresso
20g of coffee ground fine. Extraction time: 25 – 30 sec. Yield: 42g.
Caffènation: Weithaga AA (washed)
Recipe filter
Chemex 6-cup: 33g of coffee ground coarse. Add 70g of water at 93° and bloom for 40 sec. Stir with spoon and then add another 300g of water in one continuous pour without stopping the waterflow. Brew time: 3 min. Optionally add 120 – 150 bypass.
Recipe espresso
16,5g of coffee ground fine. Extraction time: 32 sec.
JB Kaffee: Ethiopia, Kochere (washed)
Recipe for filter
Hario V60: 18g of coffee ground medium fine. Add 300g of water at 94 – 96°. Brew time: 3:00 min.
Recipe espresso
16g of coffee ground fine. Extraction time 27 – 30 sec. Yield 28-34g.
