Brew Methods | The Press Pot

This week’s brewing method is the Press Pot/French Press.
A french press/press pot looks like this:

I recommend the Bodum (mainly because that’s the one I use.)
For this particular brewing method you will need the following:

A press pot, hot water, grinder, timer, scale, and of course — coffee! This method can be a simple one and make great coffee, but you have to follow the steps in order to yield a great brew!

You need to be sure you dial in a good grind for this method. The grind for french press is just as important as the grind for espresso. You don’t want too fine or too course. The coffee needs to be fine enough to extract all the grounds, but not too fine that it is passing through the screen. You also don’t want too course of a grind because you will get an under-extracted result. I know…so geeky!

Steps to making a great press pot:

Step 1: PRE HEAT THAT THANG! Fill your press with hot water to be sure the coffee is not getting shocked when you begin.

Step 2: Weigh coffee to desired strength (59-68 grams) and grind. You want a course grind for this brewing method.

Step 3: Place the french press on a scale, add coffee, shake to level the coffee bed, zero the scale.

Step 4: Start your timer and pour about 400g of water onto the grounds. Stir your coffee for about 5 to 10 seconds.

Step 5: At around 0:30, pour to 800g of water and stir for another 5 seconds.

Step 6: Place the plunger on top of the french press. Press down so the screen is just below the surface of the water.

Step 7: At 5:00, slowly press the plunger to the bottom over the course of 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

If you’d like to put the coffee into a decanter you can. Doing so will ensure the coffee will not be any stronger. I tend to just leave mine in the pot because it’s not in there very long! Be sure if you are going to transfer your coffee to another container that you pour HOT WATER into the container to pre-heat it. The last thing you want to do is pour hot coffee into a cold container. This will shock the coffee and it will taste like junk — it will also cause your coffee to cool way too fast! You also want to pre-warm your coffee cup as well. It will also help to not shock the coffee and will keep your coffee warm a little longer.

(see video below)

Happy Brewing!

Brew Methods | The Pour Over

There are many different brew methods when it comes to extracting that amazing liquid we call coffee.
Here is one method that I am currently using:

Pour Over- A method of drip coffee developed in Japan in which the water is poured in a thin, steady, slow stream over a filter cone. One cup of coffee takes as long as three minutes to brew.

Items you will need:
A brewer, scale, grinder, kettle, filters, and of course coffee.

Here are the steps to making that great cup of coffee via the Pour Over method:

Step 1: Bring your water to a boil

Step 2: Weigh out your coffee (20 grams of whole beans)

Step 3: Once you have your hot water (just off boil) go ahead and pre-wet your filter. This is going to flush any paper taste out of the filter and also to warm your brewer and cup you are brewing into. *Don’t forget to dump your water before you start brewing…this will cause an under-extracted taste to your coffee.

Step 4: Grind your coffee and pour into the filter.

Step 5: Begin the brew process by pouring just enough water to cover the top of the grounds. You should see your grounds begin to raise up (this is called blooming). Allow this to happen for about 30 seconds before continuing the pour. This allows the gases to escape from the grounds into the air instead of into your coffee!

Step 6: Starting in the center and working your way out, begin to pour the hot water over the grounds in co-centric circles. This allows all of the coffee to get an even extracting instead of just one side or the other. Do this until you reach 300 grams of water.

(see video below)

What Makes Good Coffee?

It’s quite simple really, even though I tend to make it complicated. Good coffee is all about freshness. Think of your coffee as a fruit (it actually is the seed from a fruit). It really changes your perspective on freshness.

Let’s say you have just peeled a banana and took a bite. You lay the banana down for a few hours and come back to it. What does that banana look like now? Brown, mushy, and just plain gross… Or how about an apple. Once you bite into an apple and leave it exposed to air it goes brown and eventually will go bad much faster. Your coffee is the same once it has been roasted.

So, want to have a better tasting coffee tomorrow morning? Grind your beans right before you brew. I can guarantee you will notice a difference!

All About Coffee

If you know me, you know this is true: I am a coffee geek. You can use the term “snob” if you’d like, but I’m trying to pull away from that… It’s not that I think I am better than you because I drink a certain coffee. The reason I am a coffee geek is because I am passionate about GOOD coffee. Believe it or not, good coffee is hard to find.

This blog is going to be dedicated solely to coffee enthusiasts. From brewing methods to roasting, all coffee and only coffee. I have another blog for other stuff that rumbles through my think skull.

If you are a coffee fan like I am, this is the place for you. Join the conversation. Teach me something new because I am always up for learning new things about coffee.

to chasing that next bean, cheers!

—
Chase