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Brewology

Science Says Brew Temperature Doesn’t Matter — Sort Of

October 8, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Time to re-write that Brewers Cup competition routine. According to a new study, coffees brewed at different water temperatures are indistinguishable at the same extraction percentage and concentration. The paper, a collaboration between the Coffee Science Foundation and the UC Davis Coffee Center, was published in the academic journal Scientific Reports under the rather catchy title “Brew temperature, at fixed brew strength and extraction, has little impact on the sensory profile of drip brew coffee.”

Researchers at UC Davis used a Curtis C4 batch brewer to brew a washed Honduras at 87°, 90°, and 93° celsius. Other brewing parameters such as grind size and total contact time were adjusted to achieve the same extraction and strength with each brew. A trained panel of professional tasters were unable to significantly distinguish between the different brews….

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Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: science

This One Weird Trick Increases Coffee Extraction

January 4, 2019 By Michael Leave a Comment

This week I was perusing Instagram and came upon a surprising coffee recommendation from author and consultant Scott Rao. According to Rao, when making coffee with manual-fill batch brewers, such as our favorite, the Bonavita 1901, filling the tank with cold water can help slow the brew cycles, increasing extraction (i.e. more delicious coffee flavor).

This tip is surprising because water temperature is one of the key variables that affects coffee extraction. Overwhelmingly, most manual-fill batch brewers struggle to get the water hot enough. (And don’t get us started with baristas brewing your $5 pour-over with too cool water.) In fact, we’ve long heard coffee experts recommend the opposite: preheat your brew water to help the machine get it to temperature. 

…

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Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: coffee extraction, Scott Rao

Five Amazing Must-Try Aeropress Recipes

March 2, 2015 By Michael 2 Comments

Home coffee enthusiast Chris Heiniger lifted the Gold Aeropress at the 2015 Eastern Aeropress Championship, but the competition featured too many creative Aeropress recipes not to share a few of our favorites. Warning: you probably won’t be able to get through this post without grabbing your brewing kit and giving a few of these killer Aeropress recipes a try.

Erika Moore, Bonlife Coffee

aeropress recipes

  • 15 g. Ringer Blend from Bonlife Coffee: 50% Ethiopia natural process Tswana, 50% Granja La Esperanza Geisha Peaberry
  • 240 ml. of water poured over 25 seconds
  • Steep for 20 seconds
  • Stir back and forth
  • 1:20 plunge
  • Aerate and pour awesomeness

…

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Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: Aeropress

Coil: A Misc. Goods Co. Coffee Brew Method

November 25, 2014 By Darren 1 Comment

Coil Cold Brew Coffee

Any entrepreneur will agree that steady growth in innovating new products is hard to maintain. Tyler Deeb could have easily walked away from one of the most successful playing cards Kickstarters of all time to return to a safe desk job. But he decided he was all in, and has returned to Kickstarter with an innovative coffee brew method. SAY WHAT?!? That’s right. Misc Goods Co. has partnered with Quills Coffee consultant, home roaster extraordinaire, and Coffee Compass guest blogger Chris Heiniger to bring you Coil, a cold brew coffee maker.

Misc. Goods Co. Coil Cold Brew

Coil is the first brew method of its kind, and can cool freshly brewed coffee from essentially boiling temperatures to near 48° in under 4 minutes without ever touching ice. Deeb explains…

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Filed Under: Brewology, News Tagged With: Chris Heiniger, Coil, Misc. Goods Co., Quills Coffee, Tyler Deeb

You Won’t Believe What This Guy Did With a Moka Pot

July 21, 2014 By Michael 6 Comments

Moka PotIf you asked us a couple months ago, we would have told you that it’s impossible to make a good cup of coffee with a moka pot. Although this stovetop espresso maker is seemingly ubiquitous across the European continent, our only experience with moka pots have been bitter, acrid, and unenjoyable. But then we stumbled upon this video from Kávékalmár on James Hoffmann’s blog. To summarize, we haven’t questioned our coffee presuppositions so much since we watched Matt Perger’s 2013 WBC routine. After watching this video we feel like we need to add a moka pot to our brew arsenal, not to mention some thermocouples!


Photo from Creative Commons.

Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: James Hoffman, Kávékalmár, moka pot

Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave: Who Wins in a Brew to the Death?

May 21, 2013 By Michael 16 Comments

Hario-V60-editJapanese Invasion

Over the last six years, the Hario V60 has become the industry standard pour-over dripper. In some circles, “V60” is practically a synonym for pour-over coffee. The Japanese-made cone dripper, complete with custom paper filters, is a highly functional and yet …

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Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: coffee, Hario V60, Kalita Wave, Pour Over

Learn How to Brew a Chemex with Cartel Coffee

November 13, 2012 By Michael 4 Comments

A CHEMEX BREW GUIDE from Cartel Coffee Lab on Vimeo.

The Chemex

German-born chemist Peter Schlumbohm had a simple goal: invent the best coffee maker ever. After several years of testing and prototypes, the Chemex was patented in 1939. Over the ensuing decades the Chemex became an icon of design and pop culture. The Chemex is James Bond’s brew method of choice in From Russia With Love and is also featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, who says it “epitomizes the kitchen–as–laboratory concept—a hallmark of the interwar New Kitchen.” (They stole the words right out of our mouth.)  In more recent years it has experienced a revival amongst the craft coffee movement, valued for its ergonomic elegance and the clean, balanced cup it produces.

Cartel Coffee

Out of a plethora of instructional videos on the interwebs, Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, Arizona has one of our favorites. This shop is always one of my first destinations whenever I fly back to the Grand Canyon State to visit my family (full review here) and this is the only coffee video I have seen with a No Country For Old Men allusion. So strap on your boots, grab a kettle, and start brewing!

Filed Under: Brewology, How to's Tagged With: Arizona, brew methods, Brewology, Cartel Coffee Lab, Chemex, coffee, Peter Schlumbohm, Pour Over, Tempe

Matt Perger of St. Ali Geeks out in “Man vs. Volumetric”

October 9, 2012 By Darren 2 Comments


Man vs Volumetric – by Matt Perger for St Ali from St Ali on Vimeo.

Matt Perger, 2012 World Brewer’s Cup (WBC) champion, St. Ali barista in Melbourne, Australia, and internet video sensation brings us this video on what an elementary analysis in coffee extraction can yield (pun intended). The video commentary on his vimeo page is worth the read, mentioning control variables and experimental bias.

His conclusion: “I think it’s safe to say: if you’re not using volumetrics or weighing every single shot’s dose and yield, your espresso bar will be grossly inconsistent. There’s really no excuse, it’s 2012.”

The video shakes them haters off, geeks out on ‘spro stats, and features delightful music. Enjoy.

[HT: Sprudge]

Filed Under: Brewology Tagged With: Australia, Brewology, Matt Perger, Melbourne, St. Ali, WBC

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