me

Coffee Best Practices

08 Sep 2019

I’ve been in the tryhard coffee game for almost a decade now, so I’m laying down my best practices for friends and coworkers.

Brewing

I brew with a pour over cone, but I know a little bit about other popular methods. Here’s what you really need to know to begin making a decent cup of coffee on your own:

  • Water temperature should be in the range of 195-205F (90-96C)
  • The ratio of coffee to water should be between 1:15 (strong) and 1:17 (normal)
  • Grounds should be saturated with hot water for 30-45 seconds before more water is added (the “bloom”—a good rule of thumb is to use double the weight of the ground coffee)

Brew times vary depending on the method. For example, pour over should take between 3-4 minutes (with the bloom). French press takes around 4 minutes, and AeroPress is in the 1.5-2 minute range. These are my yardsticks for my typical cup, which is usually 18.5g coffee and 300ml water. These aren’t hard rules, so your preferences may lead you to brew longer or make a weaker cup. I’d argue that this is a good starting place, though.

FAQ

Q: Is there an optimal freshness for beans?

A: Freshly roasted beans are considered to be at their peak from about 3 days after the roast, until around 2 weeks. This doesn’t mean that beans are ‘bad’ after that period; they just produce a cup that’s a little less nuanced.

Q: Should I grind at home, or at the point of purchase?

A: Grind at home immediately before brewing if you have a good burr grinder. The entry level price for these machines is around $120 USD, which is a price many people aren’t willing to pay for something that grinds coffee. If you buy from a specialty roaster, their $1200 Mazzer will grind to a consistency that I think is preferable to grinding at home with a low quality machine.

Q: What does ‘process’ refer to?

A: When beans are harvested, they’re either stripped away from the coffee fruit and washed before drying in the sun (appropriately called washed process), or the fruit is left on, and ferments in the hot sun while its sugars seep into the green coffee bean. This is the ‘natural’ process. There are other variations you might see, like ‘honey,’ where the fruit is removed, but the beans remain unwashed during the drying process. These methods produce very different results; natural process beans are known for their very fruity, acidic flavor. Try one if you’ve never had one!

Q: What differences are there between origins?

A: This is always difficult to answer, but it’s like wine. Some countries are better suited for coffee production because of climate and soil conditions, or they have a very developed infrastructure for producing it. Usually single origin coffees are sold with a name indicating their country of origin, and some subsidiary, like a growing region or farm. Your mileage may vary.

Q: Is dark roast good? What about cold brew?

A: Invariably, these tend to taste the same. So, naturally, dark roasts are ideally suited for making cold brew. Maybe I’ll provide a recipe in a future post?

Q: What’s a geisha?

A: A waste of money.

2019, Ian Wright. ⚖ MIT

Coffee Best Practices

08 Sep 2019

I’ve been in the tryhard coffee game for almost a decade now, so I’m laying down my best practices for friends and coworkers.

Brewing

I brew with a pour over cone, but I know a little bit about other popular methods. Here’s what you really need to know to begin making a decent cup of coffee on your own:

  • Water temperature should be in the range of 195-205F (90-96C)
  • The ratio of coffee to water should be between 1:15 (strong) and 1:17 (normal)
  • Grounds should be saturated with hot water for 30-45 seconds before more water is added (the “bloom”—a good rule of thumb is to use double the weight of the ground coffee)

Brew times vary depending on the method. For example, pour over should take between 3-4 minutes (with the bloom). French press takes around 4 minutes, and AeroPress is in the 1.5-2 minute range. These are my yardsticks for my typical cup, which is usually 18.5g coffee and 300ml water. These aren’t hard rules, so your preferences may lead you to brew longer or make a weaker cup. I’d argue that this is a good starting place, though.

FAQ

Q: Is there an optimal freshness for beans?

A: Freshly roasted beans are considered to be at their peak from about 3 days after the roast, until around 2 weeks. This doesn’t mean that beans are ‘bad’ after that period; they just produce a cup that’s a little less nuanced.

Q: Should I grind at home, or at the point of purchase?

A: Grind at home immediately before brewing if you have a good burr grinder. The entry level price for these machines is around $120 USD, which is a price many people aren’t willing to pay for something that grinds coffee. If you buy from a specialty roaster, their $1200 Mazzer will grind to a consistency that I think is preferable to grinding at home with a low quality machine.

Q: What does ‘process’ refer to?

A: When beans are harvested, they’re either stripped away from the coffee fruit and washed before drying in the sun (appropriately called washed process), or the fruit is left on, and ferments in the hot sun while its sugars seep into the green coffee bean. This is the ‘natural’ process. There are other variations you might see, like ‘honey,’ where the fruit is removed, but the beans remain unwashed during the drying process. These methods produce very different results; natural process beans are known for their very fruity, acidic flavor. Try one if you’ve never had one!

Q: What differences are there between origins?

A: This is always difficult to answer, but it’s like wine. Some countries are better suited for coffee production because of climate and soil conditions, or they have a very developed infrastructure for producing it. Usually single origin coffees are sold with a name indicating their country of origin, and some subsidiary, like a growing region or farm. Your mileage may vary.

Q: Is dark roast good? What about cold brew?

A: Invariably, these tend to taste the same. So, naturally, dark roasts are ideally suited for making cold brew. Maybe I’ll provide a recipe in a future post?

Q: What’s a geisha?

A: A waste of money.