Brew Guide

BREW GUIDE

Brew Guide to Better Coffee

Use water with minerals designed for coffee (best), filtered water (good), or tap water (acceptable) heated to 200 – 205 degrees F (except for cold brew).

On a scale of 1 – 10, 1 being the finest and 10 the coarsest, we recommend using a burr grinder and the following grind settings as starting points for each brew method.

V60 Pour Over

Equipment:

V60 Dripper
Filter
Gram Scale
Timer
Goose-neck Kettle

Grind

Medium-fine

Ratio

15.5 parts water : 1 part coffee (recommended: 420g water and 27g coffee)

Brew Time

2-4 minutes

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Heat approximately 600g of water; set dripper on sturdy mug/decanter.
Step 2: Put filter in dripper & pre-wet filter liberally with heated water, dump filter-wetting water out of decanter, leaving filter in brewer.
Step 3: Put dripper and decanter on scale & add 27g ground coffee in filter. Tare scale. START TIMER. Pour approx. 60g water over grounds to bloom. Stir back and forth 5 times.
Step 4: At 30 sec., begin pour again, spiraling out from center to edge of coffee bed but careful not to touch the wall of the brewer. (Make sure to "break" entire crust) Return to center and pour remaining 420g water by 1:30 min. mark (total elapsed time).
Step 5: Wait a few seconds and then very carefully grab the lip of the V60 with both hands and gently swirl the coffee 2-3 times. Return to decanter.
Step 6: Wait until dripping ceases, remove filter with grounds and discard.

Drip Coffee

Equipment:

Brewer
Filter
Gram Scale
Spoon

Grind

Medium-coarse

Ratio

16 parts water : 1 part coffee (Recommended: 630g water & 40g coffee)

Brew Time

3-8 minutes

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Put filter into brew basket, and measuring vessel on scale.
Step 2: Tare scale and add desired weight of coffee.
Step 3: Grind coffee and put into filter.
Step 4: Weigh out water and pour into reservoir.
Step 5: Start brew sequence.
Step 6: After a minute has elapsed, open the lid of the brewer and very carefully rotate the brewing arm back over the water reservoir. Gentle stir with a spoon 3-5 times before very carefully returning the brewing arm over the filter basked.
Step 7: Wait until brewer stops and enjoy your coffee!

Chemex

Equipment:

Brewer
Filter
Gram Scale
Timer
Goose-neck Kettle

Grind

Medium (Kosher salt consistency)

Ratio

15 parts water : 1 part coffee (Recommended: To brew two cups of coffee, use 600g water & 40g coffee)

Brew Time

4-6 minutes

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Begin heating water. Place filter in brewer.
Step 2: Pre-wet filter liberally with heated water.
Step 3: Dump water out, leaving filter in brewer.
Step 4: Put brewer on scale, add 40g ground coffee to filter.
Step 5: Tare scale. START TIMER. Pour 100g water over grounds to bloom.
Step 6: Immediately stir back and forth 10 times. At 30 sec. begin pour, spiraling out from the center to edge of coffee bed, be careful not to touch the wall of the brewer, but also saturate the entire crust. Return pour to center. Continue pouring until your scale reads 300 g. Wait 30 seconds.
Step 7: Begin pouring again staying at the center. Continue until the scale reads 600g and then stop.
Step 8: Grab the neck of the brewer and very carefully swirl the coffee several times. Return to the scale or counter.
Step 9: Wait until dripping ceases, remove filter with grounds and discard.

Cold Brew

Equipment:

Toddy Home Cold Brew System
Gram Scale
Filter
Plug

Grind

Very coarse

Ratio

6 parts water : 1 part coffee, or 4.5 lbs water (8.5 cups) : 12oz ground coffee (for concentrate)

Brew Time

16 hrs

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Put circular filter and plug in bottom of brew device.
Step 2: Measure ground coffee and put into brew device.
Step 3: Pour half of measured water onto coffee.
Step 4: Stir until fully saturated, pour in remaining water.
Step 5: Let sit for 16 hrs at room temp.
Step 6: Remove plug and let cold brew drain into decanter.
Step 7: Keep concentrate refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

To Enjoy

Step 1: Dilute with 1 part milk or water : 1 part cold brew concentrate
Step 2: Pour over ice and enjoy OR heat on stove top/steam wand

Aeropress

Equipment:

Brewer
Filter
Gram Scale
Timer
Kettle

Grind

Medium-fine

Ratio

12 parts water : 1 part coffee (Use 200g water and 17g coffee)

Brew Time

2 minutes

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Insert plunger into chamber (through opposite end of cap) up to #4.
Step 2: Stand brewer on countertop, cap end up, pour in ground coffee.
Step 3: START TIMER. Add 200g water (almost to brim). Stir 10 times.
Step 4: Set paper filter in cap and pre-wet, twist cap onto chamber.
Step 5: At 1:45 min. flip and stand chamber (cap end down) onto sturdy mug or decanter. Immediately and gently plunge entire contents into cup or decanter.

French Press

Equipment:

Brewer
Gram Scale
Timer

Grind

Coarse

Ratio

14 parts water : 1 part coffee (Recommended: brew two 12oz cups of coffee, use 700g of water and 50g of coffee)

Brew Time

5 minutes

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Pour heated water into brewer to preheat for a few minutes, then dump water.
Step 2: Add 50g ground coffee to brewer.
Step 3: START TIMER. Add 700g water.
Step 4: Stir back and forth 5 times to fully saturate grounds.
Step 5: Place lid on top, but do not push screen down.
Step 6: At 5 min. plunge and immediately decant all coffee into cups or pitcher.

Espresso

Equipment:

Espresso Machine
Grinder
Scale
Tamp
Spoon
Towel

Grind

Very fine

Ratio

2 parts water : 1 part coffee (Recommended: 20g coffee to 40g water)

Brew Time

25-35 seconds

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Remove portafilter from machine and wipe with a towel.
Step 2: Place portafilter on scale and tare scale.
Step 3: Grind 20g of coffee into the portafilter, ensuring the amount is exactly 20g. Add or remove coffee with a small spoon as required.
Step 4: Remove portafilter from scale and place the front edge on the counter or rubber mat.
Step 5: Use your finger or distribution tool (optional) to distribute the coffee into a flat, even surface within the portafilter.
Step 6: Apply pressure to the coffee bed with a tamp. Gently grip the tamp as if it were a doorknob and position it over the bed of coffee. Ensure the tamp is directly flat and parallel to the table. With your arm at a 90 degree angle, use the tamp to apply slow, even pressure to the coffee. Stop whenever you feel firm resistance and remove the tamp from the coffee slowly.
Step 7: Wipe off excess and insert portafilter into the machine.
Step 8: Position a cup underneath the spouts. Start the machine. After the machine has dispensed 40g of liquid (as measured by a scale or volumetric component of the machine), stop the machine. Enjoy.

Steaming Milk

Equipment:

Espresso Machine
Milk Pitcher
Milk (of your choice)
Towel

Time

1 minute

Play-by-Play

Step 1: Grab a room temperature or cold metal steaming pitcher.
Step 2: Pour milk into the pitcher until just below the first mark where the spout of the pitcher juts outwards as seen in the video. Do not overfill.
Step 3: Put your milk away and grab a damp towel.
Step 4: Purge the steam wand by briefly turning the steam on. Stop after a second or two.
Step 5: Bring the milk pitcher up to the machine. Hold the pitcher by the handle with one hand and use the other hand to position the steam wand towards the front of the pitcher around a centimeter below the surface, angled slightly.
Step 6: Turn on the machine. Keep holding the pitcher with one hand on the handle, but bring your other hand to the side of the pitcher for support. Ensure the tip of the steam wand remains below the surface. At this point the milk should be starting to rotate.
Step 7: Very slightly move the pitcher downwards until you hear a “chirp” or “hiss” sound. Bring the pitcher back up after a second. Repeat 2 to 3 times.
Step 8: Move the pitcher so the pitcher is slightly angled and the tip of the steam wand rests about an inch below the surface. A vortex should start to form and the milk will expand. Using your supporting hand (the one not holding the handle) begin touching the side of the pitcher. Your milk is to temp when you cannot touch the pitcher for more than second or two.
Step 9: Holding the pitcher by the handle, turn off the steam. Wait until the steam is completely off before removing the steam wand from the pitcher. Wipe the wand with a damp towel and purge the steam wand. Serve while hot.