Tag: brewing

7/15/2012 Brew

Random Brew Recipe: 95g coffee / 1 kg water, 1 minute brew time.

Brew Method: Chemex
Actual Recipe: 71g coffee, 750g water at 199F
Coffee: Guatemala Finca Valparaiso from New Harvest Coffee Roasters

Notes notes notes: This is another one of the random brews that was challenging to execute. Putting 750g of water through a bigger-than-usual bed of coffee in 60 seconds eliminates many of the subtleties of hand brewing. Letting the bloom bloom? Out the window. Multiple pours? Nope. Pretty much just a dumping, trying to keep things as evenly turbulent as possible.

Like many of the updosed brews, this coffee smelled awesome; sticky and sweet, like low-grade maple syrup (which is the best maple syrup). In the cup it presents itself quickly, with drying, tart fruit around the outside of the tongue. The finish is long but quiet, present but not aggressive or unpleasant. The body is thin and fails to really provide any balance to the cup.

I’d give it a 6/10. The aroma was misleadingly excellent; I don’t think mega-high-dose + short brew time is my cup of tea.

6/27/2012 Brew

Random Brew Recipe:   67g coffee / 1 kg water, 3 minute brew time.

Brew Method: Clever
Actual Recipe: 20g coffee, 300g water at 198F
Coffee: Costa Rica Los Mangos from New Harvest Coffee Roasters

Notes notes notes: This is the first time the RBG has come up with my actual, standard brew parameters. Putting Los Mangos through the Clever yielded a nice cup; round, with some stonefruit sweetness as it cooled. I’ve had great success with this coffee as a double-brew over ice through the Chemex – it is probably the nicest iced coffee I’ve had so far this summer. As a Clever brew it probably could have been ground a bit coarser (or perhaps the grinder burrs need replacement), as the draw down was almost two minutes.

I’d give it an 7/10. I would be pleased to have been served it in a shop.

Nick Cho Kalita Brewing Video

If you’re reading this you’ve probably seen this already. I’ve watched it twice, I think a third viewing is called for. 

Initial thoughts: 

– 207F seems hot! I’m curious about slurry temp. 

– I’m surprised to see NC filling the brewer so high; my approach (admittedly using V60, Chemex, not Kalita) has been to keep the coffee bed about the same size as the final bloom, pour slowly and carefully, and allow internal water currents to wet the full bed. This is to reduce the pour agitation. It looks like NC has taken the opposite approach; rather than reduce agitation to combat its effect, he tries to create it in an intentional way. 

– A coarser grind does not alone usually yield a much deeper bed; is NC suggesting that a coarser grind and a higher dose is generally preferable to a finer grind and a smaller dose, at least with the Kalita? Could the increased agitation of the pour shown work better with a coarser grind? 

– At what point does the quality of the grinder come into play when thinking about quantity of fines? I’m especially curious about conical vs. flat burr grinders, especially given the double-bump of some grinders. 

5/17/2012 Brew

Random Brew Recipe:   72g coffee / 1 kg water, 1 minute brew time.

Brew Method: Clever w/ Kone
Actual Recipe: 22g coffee, 300g water at 198F
Coffee: Honduras Las Flores from New Harvest Coffee Roasters

Notes notes notes: Oi. These short brew times in non-Aeropress brew methods are punishing. The resulting cup is definitely coffee, but is not great, or pleasant. Thin, a little chocolate up front, but not much else going on. A long, quiet, dry finish. Not my favorite.

4/10