How do you keep warm and fuzzy during this time of year when one moment the sun shines and the next, the sky darkens that there is torrential rain?

I, for one, spend a lot of time in my little house, reading books, doing yoga and drinking delicious coffee. Suppose I am not the only one?

This month’s Coffeevine box is still being prepped for delivery but in an effort to get things published a bit faster than before, I am putting the finishing touches on the brew guide for the November box that will help you to get the most out of the three delicious coffees from Mabó, Placid and COFFEE PLANT.

Since this weekend it’s my birthday and I was in my teenage years in the 90’s, this month’s playlist is all about Eurotrash.

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
  • A pouring kettle but a regular kettle will also do, however, it requires more precision

Feel free to take a look around our shop to see if there are things that you might like. We have a nice selection of items from Timemore and other brands to help you brew delicious coffees.

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. More information about freshness and how to rest your coffees can be found in this article.

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

My recipe for the Flower Dripper:

This cute little brewer is a great replacement for the V60 and looks prettier too. I always use the CAFEC ABACA filter papers when I make a pourover using this or the Origami dripper.

16g of coffee ground medium-fine. You always need to check that you have the ideal grind size for every coffee. I find that naturals and coffees with more experimental processing methods have to be ground somewhat coarser.

Boil your water and wet your filter. Add the coffee and begin with a 30-45 second bloom using 50g of water. Then, add your first pour to reach 130g. At minute 1:00, add the remaining 130g to reach 260g. I prefer to do this in slightly bigger pours to keep the temperature more consistent. After the coffee has dripped through, leave the brewer on your vessel for 10 more seconds, remove and let cool slightly. Enjoy!

We also sell the Flower Dripper in our shop in case you want to give it a whirl.

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Mabós’s recipe for filter:

V60: 20g of coffee with a coarse grind. 300g of 93°C water split into 5 equal pours of 60g each. Total time should be 3:40-4:00 min.

Mabó’s recipe for espresso:

18.5g in – > 38-40g out. 28-30 seconds and water 91°C.

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Placid’s recipe for filter:

Placid’s recipe for espresso:

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COFFEE PLANT’s recipe for filter:

COFFEE PLANT’s recipe for espresso:

Grind your coffee a little bit finer than for classic espresso grinding. We recommend ½ ratio, aproximately 92-95°C. We strongly recommend drinking your coffee no sooner than 3 weeks after roasting. After that, the coffee will have developed its full potential.

What did you think of these recipes and the coffees from the November 2022 Coffeevine box? Let me know in the comments down below and make sure you subscribe in time for the upcoming December coffee subscription box.