Brew Guides

Filter Pot:

• Adjust dose or grind size to optimize flavor. All changes should be based on how you like your coffee.
• Dose: Coffee should always be weighed to account for various roast degrees and bean sizes. Base the amount of coffee used per batch on your ideal water:coffee weight ratio. I recommend starting at 17 and moving up or down by 1 based on taste. A digital kitchen scale is required.
• e.g. A 17:1 water to coffee ratio is desired. You fill the carafe to the 8 cup line on a tared kitchen scale and it weighs 1190g, so your coffee dose should be 70g. Weigh 70g of coffee and grind if needed.
• Grind size: A medium-coarse grind is desired for filter pot coffee. This may change if the filter is conical or flat bottomed. If the coffee tastes weaker than it should or lacking flavor, try a finer grind. If the coffee tastes too bitter and/or the filter is overflowing or having trouble draining, then grind coarser.
• Adjust grind size before changing the dose

Hario V60 Pour-Over- Based on James Hoffmann Method:

• Heat water to boiling in gooseneck kettle
• Place paper filter in Hario and rinse with hot water
  • Try and get the filter to stick to the sides of the pour-over device without major creases
• Rinse carafe or coffee cup that is under the Hario with hot water
• Place Hario on top of carafe or cup and place on a kitchen scale and tare the weight
• Weigh and grind desired dose of coffee (e.g., 20g) using a medium-fine grind
  • Grind size should be the main variable to adjust to dial-in this method
• Put the coffee grounds in the pour-over apparatus, note the coffee weight, and tare the scale
• Determine desired brew strength. This is often expressed as a ratio of water weight to coffee weight. A good starting point is a 15:1 ratio (e.g., for 20g of coffee, we will shoot for finished brew weight of 15x20g=300g of water added.)
• Take the water right off the boil and wait a couple of seconds to allow water to cool to ~210degF
• Bloom: Start a timer and add 30-40g of water to the coffee grounds and gently swirl to saturate all of the grounds. Wait 30-45secs before moving to next step.
  • This phase is critical to allow excessive CO2 present in the beans to separate and allow proper extraction once additional water is added. This will result in a sweeter, less acidic cup.
  • The fresher the coffee is, the longer the bloom time should be.
• First Pour: After 30-45sec of bloom, add water in circular motion until you reach 10x your starting dose (e.g., 200g) at about 1:15 total brew time
  • Begin pouring from the kettle starting in the center of the grounds in a circular motion and working your way to the outer edges. Once you reach the outer edges go back to the middle and repeat the process.
  • The flow rate should be steady to reach 10x starting dose at 1:15 total brew time
• Second Pour: After 1:15, continue pouring water in circular motion until you reach desired brew strength (e.g., 300g) at a total brew time of 1:45
  • This pour is really just a continuation of the first pour, but at a different flowrate
• Draw down: After reaching total water weight at 1:45, make one pass with a spoon scraping the sides of the pour-over device to loosen any grounds stuck to the side then gently swirl/vibrate the pour-over device and allow the remaining coffee to drip into your carafe/cup. The desired end time is 3:30 +/- about 10 secs
  • The purpose of the swirl is to try and flatten the bed of coffee so that it is not mound on top, but a flat surface to allow the water to evenly pass through the bed of coffee.
• Adjustments: The first adjustment should be grind size to meet the time targets. If the brew takes much longer than 3:30, then grind coarser next time. If the brew time is too short, then grind finer next time. The second adjustment should be brew strength. Adjust this target to suit your taste. Of course, all adjustments should be based on taste.

AeroPress- David Wingo Method, Local Barista:

• Install filter in AeroPress and rinse. Try and keep the filter flat.
• Add 16g of finely ground coffee to press with the filter installed.
  • Grind size should be fine. Somewhere in between a pour-over and espresso.
• Bloom: Add 30-40g of water at 203degF and swirl/stir the grounds. Allow to sit for 30-45sec.
• Pour: Add additional water until you reach total water weight of 220g
• Soak: Place plunger on top and allow coffee to sit for 1min
• Press: After 1 min, press into cup until you hear air being released