Ever wonder how to get the most out of your brewed coffee? Or maybe it’s just not tasting right? No worries, it happens! Below is a quick run-down of how we brew our coffee using a few different methods.
How To Brew
Before we get started, there’s a few things worth considering.
Measuring Coffee - coffee beans come in all many sizes and varying densities, which makes measuring by volume (measuring scoop) less consistent. Measuring by weight is a great way to maintain consistent brew ratios and can be done with a simple kitchen scale capable of measuring in grams.
Water - The water you use can impact the flavor of your brewed beverage. You dont need a state of the art filtration system, but starting with something as simple as a Britta type filter will help. This can be a rabbit hole, so be warned if you search the web for coffee water chemistry!
Brew Ratio - This is the ratio of ground coffee to water by weight and is typically expressed as “1:17” where 1 is the weight of coffee in grams and 17 would be the weight of water in grams. Note that 1ml of water is equal to 1 gram.
Experimentation - If you’re looking to get the most out of your coffee experience, be prepared to experiment. If the coffee is a bit to sour, you may need to adjust your grind a bit finer to get a higher extraction. If it’s too strong, you might need to reduce the amount of coffee per batch. This is especially true if you are trying out new beans so just remember there is no one way to brew the perfect cup.
Above all else, starting with fresh roasted, quality coffee beans, is the best way to kick off your journey!
Most 12-cup drip coffee machines brew about 60 oz or 1.8L of coffee. Using a brew ratio of 1:17, this would equate to about 104 grams of medium ground coffee. If you’re using a table spoon, this would equate to roughly 20 Tbsp (although it will vary based on bean density).
Since each machine is a bit different, we recommend following the manufacturer specific operating instructions.
Drip Coffee
If you’re using a french press, you’ll start off with a courser ground coffee, approximately 55g or 8 tablespoons for a standard 32-oz french press. Before dumping the grounds in, give the french press a quick rinse with hot water to warm it up. Toss the grounds in, then fill half way with hot water. After about 1 minute, give the grounds a stir then top off with hot water and the lid, but don’t press down quite yet. After 4 minutes have elapsed, press down on the plunger and enjoy.
French Press
You’ve probably heard of someone talking about a pourover, a Chemex or a V60. These are all very similar brewing methods and consist of a paper cone filter filled with a medium-fine ground coffee and then slowly pouring hot water over the grinds within a 5-6 minute window. Often times, it’s recommended to use a goose-neck kettle to get slow and even pours. While it’s not necessary, it does make controlling the pour a bit easier.
To create a smooth and well balanced cup of coffee using the pour over method, we recommend starting with a brew ratio of 1:17. The exact weight or volume of coffee will vary based on the size of your carafe but we will be using a 1 liter Chemex for this example.
Start by grinding roughly 45g of coffee to a medium-fine setting then set it aside.
Place a filter in the Chemex and give it a quick rinse with hot water to prep the filter and pre-heat the carafe; be sure to dump out the excess water from the carafe. Place the wetted filter and carafe on the scale, then fill with the ground coffee followed by a quick tare to zero it out.
Slowly pour 3x the weight of coffee in hot water over the grounds then wait for about 60 seconds (if you’re using 45g of coffee, this would be about 135g of hot water). After 60 seconds, begin to slowly pour hot water, using a circular motion, over the coffee bed until the weight reaches approximately 500 grams or water reaches the top of the filter. After the water has receded a bit, but before it reaches the bed of ground coffee, pour the remaining water using the same pouring motion until your scale reaches 750g.
Let the water drain all the way through before discarding the grounds and enjoying a balanced cup of brewed coffee.
Pourover
This is by far the easiest method of brewing coffee, but requires a bit more time before you can enjoy…so plan ahead!
We have found that making a cold brew “concentrate” lasts a bit longer throughout the week, and since it takes up to 24 hours to brew, we will make larger batches.
Start by using 340g of a medium-coarse ground coffee in a tightly wrapped filter (check out the Coffee Sock in our online shop). This is then submerged in 1 gallon of water, then placed in the fridge for roughly 24 hours.
The great thing about this method, is that you can taste it along the way and pull the filter out when it’s to your liking. Depending on the bean, and your flavor preference you can dilute this with water, ice, or a bit of milk.
Finally, pat yourself on the back for making some stellar cold brew without breaking a sweat!
Cold Brew
If you’ve ever followed the AeroPress community, you know there are as many recipes as there are stars in the sky…well maybe not that many.
One recipe that we found to work pretty well is an inverted method with a quick bloom and stir before placing the cap on and pressing into your cup. Before continuing, be warned that filling the upper chamber of the inverted AeroPress with hot water can make the device less stable and spilling hot coffee/water on bare skin will burn…so proceed with caution.
Start by inserting the plunger part way into the base and sit it upside down. Place a paper filter in the cap and give it a quick rinse with warm water, then set it aside. Place approximately 18g of medium-fine ground coffee into the inverted AeroPress before filling with approximately 200g of hot water. After roughly 1 minute, give it a few stirs before securing the cap, flipping it right-side up, and pressing the contents into a cup.
Again, be careful to make sure the lid is fully secured before flipping it over; hot coffee will burn!
AeroPress
Izf you’ve made it this far, you and I are going to be great friends! Not only does brewing espresso let you make cafe style drinks from the comfort of your own home, but you will have also gained a much better understanding of pressure, temperature and time.
These days, there are many different methods of pulling a shot of espresso. Some are more trendy than others, but try playing around with grind settings and dose weights until you find what flavor suites your taste.
The standard or common method is to aim for a 1:2 ratio of ground coffee to brewed espresso in roughly 36 seconds. This will often lead to a rich and bold shot that pairs well with milk.
If you’re looking for a sweeter and smoother shot, aim for a higher yield within a shorter window of time. This would be something like a 1:3 ratio in about 30 seconds.
Without getting into the nitty-gritty of equipment, I just want to say that investing in a good grinder will make your espresso journey that much more enjoyable.