It’s all about the Brew

For many, brewing coffee is something they outsource to whatever coffee machine they have. Set it… forget it… Two scoops of this to 3 cups of that and so forth. This is totally fine if at the end of the day your happy with your coffee. But, if you find yourself unsatisfied, frustrated or dumping the whole thing out and just going to your local coffee shop here are some tools that will help you.

First

Do you have a grinder? Blade grinders are better than nothing but not the most ideal. The downside of blade grinders is that there is no real consistency, you only have a blade wizzing around at 2000 rpm breaking the beans up in random sizes. This leads to a less-than-even brewing—the big bits of coffee won’t brew and extract at the same rate as the small bits. The other type of grinder is the burr grinder. Burr grinders are more widely recommended and break the beans down in a more even and consistent pattern resulting in all the grinds being relatively the same size.

At the end of the day, having a grinder and grinding your fresh coffee right before brewing it will result in better flavor. Grinding right before brewing reduces the oxidation of your coffee which leads to the stale less than exciting flavors. So, if you don’t have a grinder, think about buying one. There are plenty of options out there that won't break the bank. Eventually, I will be selling brewing equipment so stay tuned.

Second

Do you have a scale? Scales are great because they improve your consistency in the amount of coffee and water you use while brewing. While you may be pretty good at approximating weights and volumes, good scales never lie!!! When I was first getting into coffee and started using a scale, I didn’t really think that something as small as 10ml of water in a 336ml cup of coffee would make a difference. Then, I did blind side-by-side tasting and was surprised to find it does indeed make a difference. Having a scale also makes it easier to try someone else’s coffee brew ratios, making your cup of coffee taste as close to the intended flavor as possible.

Third

Do you have a hot water kettle? All hot water kettles do the same thing: they heat water. However some are specifically designed for coffee brewing. One type of kettle is the Gooseneck, named for its characteristic curved spout that begins at the base of the kettle and curves up in an s-formation to an angled end spout. This is not just an esthetic design quality of the kettle but is intended for the slow, controlled delivery of water in a precise location at a controllable rate. Normal kettles that you heat on the stove usually have a large, round opening that water quickly flow out of into your tea cup, which requires little finesse. When brewing with a V60, Chemex or other pour over methods, having the slow, controllable and precise capabilities that a gooseneck provides is crucial to brewing your coffee properly.

And that is pretty much it. These are the basic necessities of coffee brewing, minus the freshly roasted coffee, which I can provide. Over time, I will continue to post brew guides, videos and tips for brewing, so make sure to check back in or sign up for the email notifications to stay in touch.