Random Brew Recipe:  52g coffee / 1 kg water, 2 minute brew time.

Brew Method: French Press
Actual Recipe: 26g coffee, 500g water at 198F
Coffee: New Harvest Coffee Roasters’ El Salvador Santa Rita Chalatenango

Notes notes notes: This random recipe is only a bit smaller in dosage than I’d usually use (about 10% less) and the brew time is half what I would usually go with (though yesterday’s brew has me considering a longer brew time as default). To move the brew toward what I’d expect to be a more pleasant extraction, I tightened the grind slightly, to the 12 o’clock position on the ol’ Bunn bulk grinder. The nature of a French Press doesn’t always reward grinding finer, so I hedged my bets for sure.

As with many of these lighter-dosed recipes, the aroma was very subtle, more a sensation of heat and steam than any actual notable aromas. The coffee liquor was very light-bodied, even thin, surprisingly so for a press pot. The flavors were mostly lacking; the sensations were mostly tactile, heat, thicker than water but still quite thin, with a slight round sweetness toward the end, reminiscent of an herbal tea. This became more pronounced as it cooled, though with the thin body and uninteresting flavor, it wasn’t enough to make what I’d think of as a good cup. It also wasn’t a bad cup, just thin and kind of boring. It did not demonstrate any of what I think of as poor extraction off-flavors.

I’d give it a 5/10. It’s coffee-flavored coffee.

• Coffee