Common Coffee Brewing Methods to Bring out the Best Coffee Flavors

Brewing great coffee takes practice and patience. The coffee, grind, water, and method can all alter the taste in the cup.

Coffee
Always start with fresh roasted coffee and grind just before brewing. Once coffee is roasted and exposed to oxygen, it speeds up the molecular activity that ages coffee.

Grind
We recommend burr (There are two main types of burr grinders: Conical burr grinders and flat burr grinders) grinders over blade grinders. A burr grinder, also called a burr mill, is made up of two revolving burrs in between which the coffee is ground. The beans are crushed between a moving grinder wheel and a non-moving surface. Burr grinders offer a more even grind while blade grinders can unevenly chop the beans resulting in an uneven extraction.  The correct grind is specific to your brewing method. We can always grind your coffee for you. Just specify when ordering how you would like it ground.

Use the table below to find your grind:

• Espresso – Fine
• Drip – Medium (All-Purpose)
• Chemex – Medium/Coarse
• Cold Brew – Coarse
• French Press – Coarse

Water

Coffee and espresso are made up primarily of water, so using high-quality water makes better-tasting coffee and espresso. Water is an important ingredient in coffee because it makes up about 98% of the cup. The taste of the water will affect the taste of your coffee. After evaluating the quality of your water, you may want to consider a water filter. Hard water can cause lime build up in brewers so make sure to follow all steps in maintaining your brewer.

Use our brewing guides as a starting point. Since everybody likes their coffee a little different, make adjustments to find the perfect method for you and your customers. 

BREWING METHODS

There are many different methods of brewing coffee, but most of them fit into two categories: drip and immersion.

The basic difference is in the name: drip brewers allow water to drip through the coffee bed/filter freely as dictated by the grind size, dose, and gravity. Immersion brewers retain a given quantity of water in full contact with the coffee bed for a desired period of time before filtering. Additionally, drip brewing methods re-introduce fresh water to the grinds with every pulse or pour, while immersion methods use the same water throughout the brew.

DRIP

AUTOMATIC DRIP

The drip method is widely considered to be the most popular way to brew coffee. Water heated to 195 – 205°F is slowly poured on the grounds and drips through a filter, resulting in a clean, smooth cup of coffee. While drip machines are easy to use, remember that the longer the coffee sits in the pot on the warmer, the less exceptional the cup of coffee.

MANUAL POUR OVER

With the pour over method, you have a lot of control over the different elements of the brewing process. Some popular brands include Melitta, Kalita, and Hario. All you’ll need is a filter, filter holder, hot water, and 18 g fresh grounds (a medium-sized grind works best). Start by heating the water until it is 200°F, then place the filter over the top of the cup. Pour 40 ml(g) water onto the grounds to fully wet them. Let it soak for 15 – 20 seconds, and then continue to pour 120 ml(g) water to drain into the cup. Finally pour 40-80 ml(g) water again to drain. Repeat this process until you have a 200 – 240 ml(g) full cup of coffee to enjoy.

CHEMEX

The Chemex is an easy and reliable method for brewing coffee. Bring to a boil twice as much water as you’ll need for the actual brewing (about 42 ounces for a 6-cup Chemex). Pour your ground coffee into the filter (for best results, the coffee grind should be about as coarse as that of a French press). Starting at the center of the bed of grounds, pour twice the amount of water that you have coffee into the grounds. Work your way outward slowly, avoiding pouring down the sides of the filter. Allow the coffee to expand, or “bloom” for between 30 – 45 seconds. Then continue pouring into the center of the grounds. The brewing process should take about four minutes.

ESPRESSO

The Espresso brewing method is a way of brewing coffee that involves hot water, very fine grounds, and strong pressure. An espresso machine takes water that is just under the boiling temperature and uses pressure to force it through the fine grounds of coffee. The espresso method extracts the flavorful and aromatic oils while leaving behind the bitter elements of the bean. The result is a strong, concentrated cup of coffee that is full in flavor without the bitterness.

IMMERSION METHODS

AEROPRESS

In this method, the ground coffee is totally immersed in the hot water, which results in quick, extensive, and uniform extraction of the flavor compounds. The device consists of two nesting cylinders. One cylinder has a flexible airtight seal and fits inside the larger cylinder, similar to a syringe. Coffee is steeped for 20 – 40 seconds (depending on grind and preferred strength) and then forced through a filter (paper or thin metal) by pressing the plunger through the tube. The AeroPress’ shorter brew time is known to reduce acidity and bitterness.

COLD BREW

Cold brew, or cold-water extract, refers to the process of steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water for an extended period. Cold brew coffee is not the same as iced coffee, which is coffee that is brewed hot and then chilled by adding ice – although iced coffee can refer to cold brew coffee served on ice!

SIPHON

Also known as the “vacuum coffee” brewing method, a siphon works by heating water in the lower vessel of the device until expansion forces the contents through a narrow tube into an upper vessel containing the coffee grounds. When the water exceeds the boiling point, the (water vapor) pressure in the lower vessel exceeds the (atmospheric) pressure in the top vessel and water is pushed up the siphon tube into the upper vessel. When the water cools, the pressure in the lower vessel drops as steam condenses into dense water, taking up less volume and hence dropping the pressure. This creates a partial vacuum, causing the atmospheric pressure outside the container (along with gravity) to force the liquid back into the lower vessel. The liquid can then be decanted from the lower chamber, and voilà—coffee!

FRENCH PRESS

The use of a French Press is a sure way to brew an excellent cup of coffee—as long as you pay attention to the correct size of the grinds and temperature of the water. The grinds should be a medium to coarse grind (any smaller and they will clog the filter and seep into the brewed coffee). Because of the larger grind, this brewing process tends to take a little longer than other brewing methods. When you’re ready to add the water, it should be between 195 – 200°F. As the coffee brews, the grinds stay in contact with the water, which allows for a fuller, more defined flavor that would otherwise be lost to the filter of a drip machine.

CLEVER DRIPPER

The Clever coffee dripper is a Japanese-manufactured cone brewer similar to a Melitta (but made of medical grade plastic), or the ceramic drippers. Unlike most dripper cones, though, the Clever marries the principles of immersion brewing – or steeping like a French Press – with the principles of extraction via pouring water over the grounds into a conical brewer which suspends the immersion until you release the coffee (via a weight-controlled valve) over a cup. To brew a cup, place a filter in the brewer, add ground coffee, pour water over the coffee, steep for 2 – 4 minutes, and then place the dripper on top of your cup. The cup’s rim engages the release valve and the coffee begins to drain through the bottom of the dripper into your cup.

Sources : Holly Van Hare