Random Brew Recipe:  84g coffee / 1 kg water, 2 minute brew time.

Brew Method: Chemex
Actual Recipe: 42g coffee, 500g water at 201F
Coffee: Honduras Las Flores from New Harvest Coffee Roasters

Notes notes notes: Trying to get 500g of water through 42g of coffee takes the kind of rapidity that does not usually show itself with the slow-brew enthusiast. I will admit; the water level in my Chemex was, at times, uncomfortably high.

I really do like this coffee an awful lot. These higher-than-usual doses tend to go either one way or the other, and in an effort to (selfishly) create a more enjoyable cup, I coarsened the grind quite a bit – as well as upping the temperature just a touch, in search of a little more brightness, a bit more of the sweet aroma that was so alluring in the last session. The grinder smelled just as sweet this time – and the brew itself was overly fragrant, reminiscent of ripe blackberries.

The body is pleasant, hearty but not oily, which I would have expected with this dosage. It’s jammy and juicy, but not anywhere near the winey-fermenty notes you sometimes get with these really fruity-heavy coffees. The finish is quick and soft, belying the (flagrant!) underextraction. But, it’s a really pleasant cup.

In a brew method with a less aggressive filtration, I imagine this brew would not have been as nice. Using a Kone or French Press would have probably yielded an intensely oily body, which is a huge turn-off for me. I have my suspicions about the idea that certain coffees being better with certain brew methods – but I definitely think that different brew recipes lend themselves better or worse to certain brew methods.

I’d give it an 8/10. Not as good as a straight 60g/L for 4:00, but much more aromatic and still a nice cup.

• Coffee