WARNING: this is for people who want to totally nerd out about their coffee.
The post is based on notes made from a Skillshare class “From Plant to Cup: Brewing an Amazing Cup of Coffee” presented by Michael Phillips from Blue Bottle. Their beans are goooood!
Again, this is very nerdy. If you’re looking for a simpler way, check out my post “The Simplest Way To Brew Great Coffee“.
Theory
Extraction:
Your goal is to have about 18%-22% extraction (of solvents) from the coffee bean (you can extract about 30% max, rest is insoluble material such as fibre, etc.) With over extraction (above 22%) coffee tastes bitter. If coffee is under extracted (below 18%), it will have a sour taste.
Best way to control percentage % of extraction is by controlling the size of your grounds. Thus having a good burr grinder is important. Burr grinders will provide you with the ability to control and maintain consistent size of grounds. Larger ground size, the lower percentage of solvents can be extracted.
Beans:
Blends of few bean varieties are usually used by roasters to obtain a certain flavour profile. They roasters source different beans and combine them in a way which always matches the flavour they want. With this, the roaster is able to maintain a consistent coffee taste even if they run out of a certain bean. They will just go and look for another one that replaces it to produce the overall same flavour once blended with other bean varieties of their choosing.
In single origin coffees the beans can be traced to a specific place (for example a certain producer). With this you can for example find out that there is a specific coffee producer that consistently has great beans. Single origin beans you can also know specifically the variety of coffee beans you’re drinking,
Roasting:
Beans needs to sit a little bit after it is roasted since right after roasting they still emit some gasses. Ideally, coffee should be consumed within 10-12 days of being roasted. That said good flavours will be maintained for about 2 months after being roasted.
Water:
Water is very important in determining the final taste of your cup. Water should have some minerals in it but at the same time should not be too heavy. Do not use reverse osmosis water, where all minerals are removed. Tap water is OK as long as it’s tasty and not too heavy. Home filtered water is good too. If you’re really into it, spring water is even better 🙂
Equipment
Equipment suggested is as follows:
- Baratza Forte BG Flat Steel Burr Grinder (or another quality burr grinder)
- Pouring Kettle (kettle with a gooseneck spout)
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Favorite brewing equipment (French Press like a Bodum, or pourover like Chemix on Bonmac)
- Refractometer (optional)
- app like Brewmaster (optional)
Baratza Forte BG (Brew Grinder) – Flat Steel Burr Coffee Grinder
Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettlebonmac dripper white [2-4 cups][2-4] bonmac cups unbleached bamboo blended filter CF
Recipe
All measurements in the recipe are done by weight (even for water). Weight is more accurate of measurement than volume. Especially for coffee beans. Coffee bean density can really vary thus amount of scoops of beans is not consistent in weight for all beans.
For a 10oz cup of coffee you are looking to use about 350g of water.
Coffee to water ratio is usually between 1/11 (stronger and good for adding sugar and cream) or 1/16 (lighter, good for getting more nuances of flavours from your coffee).
For 350g of water with 1/14 ratio of coffee to water, you need about 25g of coffee beans.
Brewing
This is for a pour-over technique.
- Heat water
- Weigh and grind the beans based on your recipe (Get the grind settings on your grinder set up and remember them so you can adjust depending on the taste of your coffee – see theory section).
- Preheat the pouring kettle by adding hot water
- Use that water to pre-wet your filter (remember to dump out the water from the syphon)
- Place the pourover with the grounds in it on the scale and zero out the scale
- Pour water over your grounds in the pourover in the following steps:
- Wet your grounds with some water (50g) and let it stand for 30-45 seconds to let it bloom (let the gas escape)
- continue to pour water over the grounds in 3 more phases to 150g, 250g and finally 350g. (You don’t have to wait as much time between the 2nd to 4th pour)
Tasting (how the pros do it)
When tasting coffee try to separate it into five separate sections:
1- sweetness
2- body
3- finish
4- acidity
5- flavours
Assess each of these in terms of quality and intensity
Before tasting the coffee let it sit for a few minutes after being brewed. It’s initially too hot for you to be able to taste all the different characteristics.
Enjoy!