During a recent survey that I sent to our customers, I learned that the brewing process is still relatively daunting to many people and getting the most of out each coffee can prove relatively challenging. It doesn’t have to be, honestly.
One of the most important virtues things that any budding home coffee brewer needs is patience. Oh and a bit of Fingerspitzengefühl. Coffee is not like wine in the sense that you just pop open the cork, pour and happy days. You need to put in the work yourself but boy, is it rewarding when you get it right.
That is why, every month, I publish this custom brew guide with some basic tips and recipes from our three brilliant roasters who have already gone through the trial and error process to ensure that you get the best recipes for your Coffeevine coffees.
In due course, I will also launch my own live brewing sessions on Instagram and post some videos on our dormant Youtube channel to help you get more out of every brew method, including the siphon, the Moka pot and more!
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 (Kalita Wave, V60, Aeropress etc)
- A clean vessel for brewing and decanting
- Filtered water
- A pouring kettle but a regular kettle will also do, however, it requires more precision
- And a little gas stove if you’re brewing outdoors
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.
If you are working with an espresso machine, you will want to be sure your machine is cleaned on a regular basis and that you check the temperature and pressure to have an optimal extraction.
My recipe for filter:
Chemex: 35g of coffee ground medium coarse. I then put the grounds through my Kruve sifter with μm 1600 to really get the most consistency. This leaves me with roughly 30g of coffee.
Bloom with 120g of water at 92ºC for 45 seconds and then add the 370g more in slow circular motions. I always scrape down the side of the filter with an Aeropress ladle to ensure all the grounds are extracted. After 3:30 minutes, your extraction should be finished and you should be left with an even bed.
Leave the coffee to cool for 5 – 6 minutes before swivelling the Chemex around prior to pouring.
Right Side’s recipe for filter:
V60: 12g coffee ground medium-fine. Start with 50g of water at 93°C, after 30 seconds, add another 50g, and at 1 minute the remaining 100g. Total brew time: 2 minutes.
Right Side’s recipe for espresso:
20g of coffee ground fine. Extraction time: 30 seconds at 94°C. Yield: 41g.
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Jonas Reindl’s recipe for filter:
V60: Take 17g of coffee ground medium-fine. Add 250g of water at 92°C in 4-5 pours. Total brew time: 2:30 minutes.
Jonas Reindl’s recipe for espresso:
18g of coffee ground fine. Water at 90°C. Extraction time: 26-28 seconds. Yield: 40g
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Birchbach’s recipe for filter:
V60: Take 15g of coffee ground medium-coarse. Add 230g of water at 93°C in 4-5 pours. Total brew time: 2:30 minutes.
Birchbach’s recipe for espresso:
18g of coffee ground fine in a (preferably) VST18g basket. Water at 93.5°C. Extraction time: 25-27 seconds. Yield: 40-42g.
Don’t want to miss out on our upcoming March ’20 coffee box?
Featuring freshly roasted coffees from Detour Coffee, Kalei & Horsham Coffee
