I made a post around a week ago that really took off, and figured we are probably going to see a small spike in activity due to the reddit migration, so I thought we could give it another go!
There are always tons of posts about what beans you are brewing, but my question is HOW are you brewing those beans this week? Sticking to the tried and true v60? Pick up a new Orea and still figuring out the best recipe for it? Pulling some particularly sweet shots on your latest beans haul? Let us know below! What’s your brew method of the day/week?
I brew in a Chemex!
I like how I can brew for like 3 people at a time or just myself. Now that it’s summer, I’ve been brewing Mexican Chiapas over ice nearly every morning.
I’ve got a chemex and love iced coffee… Talk to me about this “brewing over ice” method?
Basically you just take some portion of the water in your recipe (I usually do 40%, personally) and replace it with ice. So, you’re effectively brewing a very short ratio, but diluting it to be the same as your normal concentration. Since your extraction will drop, you may need to grind a little finer or do a little more agitation to compensate.
Chemex is still one of my favorites. You first enjoy a meal or drink with your eyes, and the Chemex is easily my most beautiful piece of coffee hardware. I just love the classic look of it.
I brew coffee in AeroPress using James Hoffman’s recipe. It’s simple and produces tasty results.
Sometimes the simplest is the most delicious.
The AeroPress is my daily driver, simple and delicious.
Americano の bialetti I am drunk now though
The coffee shop I go to had these beans that were soaked in cherries before they were roasted or something? I need to read the label again but I’ve been liking them.
Edit: the label says “the seed is left in cherry, sealed in a bin, CO2 buildup creates pressure, this imparts fruity flavors to the seed. The seed is them removed and processed where it dries in cherry”
The coffee cherry is the fleshy fruit portion of coffee that surrounds the bean. Usually removed pretty soon after harvest from my understanding. Sounds like they are using something similar to carbonic maceration, which I usually associate with wine. Sounds yummy!
Sounds like anaerobic fermentation! I have had some seriously funky and delicious beans that went through that process. I even saw one that did the same, but introduced peaches into the fermentation to attempt to impart some of that flavor as well.
https://sprudge.com/what-does-anaerobic-fermentation-mean-for-coffee-192474.html
Black and White’s Elkin Guzman Strawberry Catiope was delicious, and made for really wild espresso milk drinks in particular. The process is wild:
After this initial bout of fermentation, a mother culture of microorganisms is added to the tanks. These microorganisms have been fed molasses and strawberries for four days prior to encountering the coffee cherries, which gives them energy for fermentation and contributes flavor to the lot. The coffee is then left to ferment with this strawberry-infused culture for an astonishing 270 hours before being dried on raised beds until it reaches 10.5-11% humidity.
I’ve been replying on my v60 daily now, never fails to make a good cup! Maybe I’ll make an aeropress once every so often each month for a change.
Recently started making Japanese style iced coffee and that’s been fantastic for the warm weather!
I have also been experimenting with a Flair Neo, but I’ve yet to make something I’m entirely satisfied with.
So as a foreigner who has lived in Japan for 15 years, what is Japanese iced coffee, specifically? Really weak instant coffee with coffee cubes mixed in? I’m not trying to be rude I honestly don’t know
I’m using James Hoffman’s recipe as found here. I can’t say that weak instant coffee with coffee cubes sounds particularly enjoyable!
it’s hot-brewed strong directly over ice
@nikmis But Japan so polite, so clean! Iced Coffee is water and americano type coffee, sometimes espress mixed with water. If you want the good stuff go for the latte one liter cartons with sugar and milk in em. That’s what Richard Sensei drinks (apparently).
As already mentioned, James Hoffmann is a treasure.
I own a french press, but I have been using it only for a tea. On weekdays I make my morning coffee with an AeroPress. For the weekends I have a Chemex after I got after I realised even my unrefined hand brew is better than any automatic coffee maker can do. Actually this is my second Chemex, because a huge chunk splitted somehow from the first after a year amfya half of use. If it happens again, I will get V60 or something else more durable. I also have a 2 cup Bialetti moka pot for making milk drinks.
There is a semi-automatic espresso machine at my work place but that has only convinced me it’s not worth the hassle and dialing in a good cup is really difficult.
I stopped using milk with filter coffee at home when I switched to bying whole beans and found out coffee can be actually good as is when you don’t buy the bulk pre-ground stuff. And in last few years there have been a lot of local roasteries popping up and I found out I really like the juicy and maybe slightly sour natural processed ones. But I’m too stingy to be always bying the best stuff, also you need to have a baseline to compare the good stuff :þ
My current grinder is a Fellow Ode. A bit more pricier than I thought I would get, but it was the only reasonable upgrade immediately available when my Wilfa Svart broke.
Espresso
Eureka Specialita Mignon
18.3G of whatever bean I want that day
Lelit Elizabeth
So damn good every morning
I love the precision down to that 0.3 lol
Absolutely wonderful setup you have there. What scale do you use when pulling your shot, and what is your final output?
Thank you! I use an Acaia Lunar.
My output usually falls around 36g (±1). I’ll usually drink it straight or make a long black.
Definitely a bit jealous.
I haven’t quite gotten into espresso, but when I do I think I will go entirely manual to start. I already have a JX Pro, which should be serviceable to grind espresso. Then I’m thinking of getting the Flair. I need a smaller scale to fit the flair, so I was considering the Lunar, but it sure is pricey.
To be honest, the Lunar is pricey and I don’t think worth it. I think you would be better served with a cheaper scale, I don’t think it was worth it for me lol
Yeah, I watched this video recently and it has me leaning towards the Varia Aku.
I’m really keen to buy a proper machine in the next year or two. Thinking something like the Quick Mill Pippa.
I was doing V60 for a while but Aeropress is my go-to now, even for an instant “coldbrew” in a pinch.
Bodybrew Bod for cold brew. Love it, so easy to use, so easy to clean.
Normally I use a Bialetti 1 cup, but lately I’ve been using a second-hand Irmel moka pot I found. Had to buy a new gasket for it.That’s a beautiful looking machine, I can see why you’d want to get that! I still don’t know which machine I’m going to get, thought I think I want to start with something like the flair 58 and maybe a nanofoamer.
Very much considering going manual for the cost, but also I love the look of the manual espresso machines.
I bought a Bellman that can steam because I didn’t like the foam I got with a nanofoamer. But to be honest it’s a lot of effort for steamed milk and the way it brews coffee is very hit or miss too. Bit of a learning curve.
I use a hario switch. Basically a v60 but with a switch like clever. Pretty versatile
Me too. I love thé hario switch. More forgiving than the V60 and you can try so many receipe…
I’ve been on a Turkish coffee kick last week after an ethno trip to central Bulgaria. 2 tbsp of extra fine ground coffee (Mehmet Efendi works great, also my local roastery made me a floral/chocolatey, blend if you’re into specialty) in a cezve (about 150ml).
Stir before putting on the stove on medium-high heat. Do NOT stir after this point. Just before the water starts boiling, it will foam a little, remove the foam with the cezve off the stove, with a teaspoon and move it to your cup. When it boils for good slowly pour half of it in the cup and put it back on the stove for another 15 seconds. Pour slowly again. Wait for 3-4 minutes to cool and settle and enjoy. Do mind the coffee grounds at the bottom. Drink as is or with lokum, or a biscuit to the side.
If you want to sweeten the coffee, do so as you add the coffee powder, NOT afterwards.
My dad gave me his old krups that he’s had for forever and just never used, but I’m still learning how to effectively use it. I can at least brew with it but I have not mastered the milk steaming yet, so I’ve been leaning into more basic ice coffees. 1 shot of espresso + eyeballed pour of caramel syrup + 7 ice cubes from my small tray + rest of the cup with milk. Once I start narrowing what beans I like/what I like about them, I’m hoping to refine my process a bit better, but I have some beans that my FIL roasted and I gotta say, all coffee tastes better having been roasted and brewed with care. :)
I’m using a small (12 oz) Bodum french press. 1:12 ratio with a 30 second bloom and 4 minute additional steep. The procedure seems to work fine to my tastes but I’m still getting a feel for it since I’ve only used it a half dozen times so far.
I would highly recommend taking a peak at James Hoffmann’s method. I feel it has been the most efficient method in removing that sludge at the bottom of the cup.
I bumped into that method while doing a quick look into tips for brewing with a French Press. I may give it a try one of these mornings I’m feeling like taking things at a more leisurely pace.
The sludge is the best part tho
So I gave James Hoffmann’s method a shot this morning. I think I prefer the his method (and recipe) from a flavor perspective independent of any silt reduction. From the reduction of silt perspective it was a significant improvement but not silt free. I think I need a larger press since my tiny press makes getting in there with a spoon a bit awkward and I’m probably disturbing the silt in my efforts to get a full mug’s worth. I suspect using a larger press at half capacity would help with both issues.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you are looking for a suggestion, I have the Fellow Clara. It’s a bit pricey, but it has been absolutely awesome.
I honestly just love Fellow products, I have yet to be disappointed by anything they’ve made. To be fair though, I know many have been dissatisfied with their Carter line of travel mugs, as many have gotten a roasted garlic smell in the mug that they can’t get rid of. But I’ve currently got 4 of them, and haven’t experienced it once.
That’s a nice looking press. Yet another thing to add to the backlog of coffee toys to potentially buy. :)
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Hario Switch, using Tetsu Kasuya’s recipe, which works out to be somewhat less fussy for me than James Hoffmann’s one cup V60 recipe.
For iced coffee, it’s Japanese iced coffee all the way, or cold brew with a French press using cheaper beans when I don’t have the energy to brew a pourover.
I very between the aeropress, one cup v60 and the wife’s beans to cup machine depending on mood and how early it is
I’m about a month into brewing with a V60 (ceramic). Wouldn’t say I’ve perfected anything yet (coming from French press). Currently brewing a local roaster’s medium roast at 15 to 1, Baratza Encore now set to 13. Making a couple cups at a time. Hopefully will have some time to research methodology a bit more and get more comfortable toying with formula and approach.
