There are many people with Strong Opinions on the best ways to prepare coffee, including how it should be done, which tools are necessary or not, and what exactly makes a decent cup. We’re here to urge everyone to take a deep breath. Although we might debate for hours whether pour-over or French press makes superior coffee, the majority of baristas concur that both methods result in good coffee methods and any available gear.
What is the key to making great coffee?
Your coffee must be brewed with water that is between 195 and 205 degrees F to extract the best flavors from it. The temperature influences what gets extracted as well as the speed of the extraction (colder water brews coffee more slowly than hotter water).
There is no wrong method—each has advantages and disadvantages—whether you enjoy the ritual of making your cup by hand or you cherish your automatic coffee maker. Regardless of how you prefer to brew your coffee, we talked to Barrera de Grodski and other coffee experts to learn about their preferred methods and how to enhance your morning brew.
Difference between coffee brewing methods:
To prepare coffee, you only need water, a filter, and ground coffee. The texture or mouthfeel of the final product (or “why we like it”), the filter material, the brewing process, and recommendations for grind size (or “how it works”), as well as the ideal mindset and prior experience of the home brewer (or “who’s it for”), will all be considered to comprehend the differences among coffee brewing methods from beginning to end.
Pour over method:
Why did we like this method?
First, we will explain the pour-over method. Coffee made using the pour-over technique has a delicate, silky texture that falls between juicy and tea-like. A pour-over coffee’s flavor is frequently at its most expressive, in part because of the filtration, which gives the cup polish and clarity, and in part because of the proportion of water used to ground coffee.
How to apply this method?
Pour-over coffee can be made with little more than a paper filter that fits into a dripper of some form. Due to the paper filter’s ability to retain oils and undissolved coffee grounds from the final cup, the mouthfeel is clarified.
Although there are many different types of drippers available, we like ours, the Blue Bottle dripper. Its conical shape, which is comparable to other ceramic drippers in profile and was engineered to eliminate the element of guesswork in pour-over coffee brewing, promotes more even extraction and brings out the greatest flavors of the coffee.
The traditional Chemex carafe can make up to 8 cups of coffee at once if the pour-over brew method appeals to you but you want to brew more than one cup at a time.
Tip to grind:
A medium grind size that is about equivalent to sea salt’s coarseness is ideal for single-cup drippers. For the most well-balanced flavors, the extraction time—the amount of time between the first pour and the last—should be around 3 minutes. The grind size for a Chemex depends on how much coffee you use; if you plan to make more than a few serves, you should use a slightly coarser grind than you would for a single-cup dripper. Otherwise, the water will over-extract the coffee, which will make it bitter.
Who’s it for:
Pour overs are for those who value a quick yet focused morning ritual and don’t mind trying new things. Although drippers are regarded as “entry-level” manual brew tools, utilizing one does necessitate concentration and caution. The pouring technique, a series of four pours in which the stream of water leaving the kettle slowly saturates the coffee grounds, is the toughest hurdle for the pour-over method. We have the pour-over process down to a science because we use it so frequently in our cafés. Our brew guide contains further information on it. You’ll be well on your way to making the perfect cup of coffee if you add a scale, a grinder, and a swan neck kettle.
Coffee maker method:
Next, we are going to explain the Coffee maker method. The convenience of making good drip coffee at the touch of a switch is a good coffeemaker’s perennial appeal.
How to apply this method:
Depending on the machine, it has pour-over dripper-like anatomy. A pot is placed atop a conical filter. If there is no built-in reusable filter, insert a paper filter, add ground coffee, and click “start.” The paper filter produces a mouthfeel that is more clear, similar to a pour-over.
We prefer equipment with complex features that imitate the analog pour-over method, such as the Bonavita Connoisseur.
Tips on the grind:
The ideal grind size is about as coarse as sea salt. The grind size should be a little bit coarser when preparing more than a few servings.
Who’s it for?
Some people do not have morning rituals. An excellent drip coffeemaker is for you if convenience is your top priority. We do advise using a scale to weigh your fresh coffee and a good grinder to achieve the proper grind size to obtain the best results from your coffee beans.
French press method:
Why did we like this method?
We like the flavorful coffee made with the French press method. The texture is heavier and denser in comparison to a pour-over. Because of this, French press coffee particularly shines when mixed with milk or cream, despite being delicious on its own.
How to apply this method?
In the French press, an immersion brew method, coffee grinds are filtered through a metal screen. Oils and undissolved coffee grounds could enter the cup through metal filters.
Tips on the grind:
Like very coarse black pepper, a medium grind size that is slightly coarser than for a pour-over is ideal.
Who’s it for?
Anyone can use a French press, and it’s especially useful for those who enjoy their morning cup of joe because it doubles as a serving carafe and is available in a range of sizes.
Although we have a fun variant that takes around 15 minutes, the technique is simple.
Aeropress method:
Why did we like this method?
The Swiss Army Knife of brewing techniques is the AeroPress. We adore it due to its adaptability—this is a recipe that allows improvisation—and its delicate, smooth mouthfeel. AeroPress coffee can be quite intense and concentrated, similar to espresso, or you can finish it with boiling water to mimic a pour-over.
How to apply this method?
The French press-style immersion and filtration methods are combined in the AeroPress (like pour-over because it uses paper filters). Alan Adler, an engineer, and physicist created the plastic appliance because he needed a quicker brew time than the standard drip method. It is made by wetting a paper filter, inserting it into the machine, putting the two plastic parts together, adding coffee and water, and then pressing the plunger. Coffee concentration is released and is easily diluted with hot water. Learn one approach (among many) here.
Tips on the grind:
To approach the espresso fineness the grind size should be finer.
Who’s it for?
For the minimalist, the traveler, or just the coffee fan, there is the AeroPress. Because of its built-in features, such as the numbers on the gadget, you can use it without a scale or specialized kettle. The AeroPress method requires an upfront investment, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy and takes just a minute to brew.
Siphon method:
The siphon brew method creates a delicate, tea-like cup of coffee and is elegant, complicated, and theatrical, seeming like a crazy scientist’s invention. The approach might be pretty finicky, but in our opinion, it’s one of the coolest brew techniques out there.
How to apply?
Utilizing immersion, vacuum pressure, and fire, the siphon brew process. The glass-only device functions as follows: water is poured into the glass bulb at the bottom of the siphon machine. Water is heated to boiling using a flame until it percolates up to the hopper, the device’s upper section. Coffee grinds are added to the hot water once it has reached the proper temperature. Remove the siphon from the heat source after the first stir. The coffee will be drawn down through the filter and into the bulb by the gravitational force and pressure change. Our brew guide has more information.
Tips on the grind:
Like table salt, the grind size should be medium. Aspects of the method, such as the consistency of the water temperature and the agitation of the grounds, are even more crucial than grind size.
Who’s it for?
As arcane as brewing techniques go, siphon-making is probably best suited to seasoned enthusiasts, craft hobbyists, or people who want to brag to their friends.
Cold brew method:
Crisp and energizing is cold brew coffee. A silky and mild mouthfeel is present. Depending on the sort of coffee you use, profiles may be deliciously fruity, acidic, or rich and chocolaty.
How to apply?
When making cold brew, ground coffee is soaked for 8 to 12 hours in room temperature water and then extracted using a filter. Although there are several types of equipment available, we like the Hario Cold Brew Bottle since it makes the process as easy as possible and doubles as the brewing tool and the serving carafe.
Tips on the grind:
The grind size should resemble granulated sugar and be medium-fine.
Who’s it for?
Long a mainstay in our cafes, cold brew coffee has more recently gained popularity as a preferred brew method in our visitors’ homes. It’s for anyone who likes a cold beverage in the summer or at any other time of the year. The process is simple, and the outcomes are brilliant.
FAQs:
Exactly how can I begin making coffee at home?
pulverize coffee. The coffee must be ground coarsely and use a good burr grinder rather than a blade grinder.
Put some coffee in the pot.
Add some water.
Set the clock for four minutes.
You should stir the coffee grounds in the pot after one minute.
Put a press or top on the pot.
When the timer says “4”, press the pot.
dispense the coffee.
What are the three 3 correct preparation methods for making coffee?
How to Pick the Best Brewing Technique for You
Pour Over Technique Why We Prefer the Coffeemaker Method: Pour Over Coffee. The convenience of a good coffeemaker is what keeps people coming back to it: French Press Method, delicious drip coffee at the touch of a switch. Why We Like the French Press, AeroPress, Siphon, Cold Brew, and AeroPress Methods.
What is the most popular way to make coffee at home?
The 1929 French Press technique is generally recommended as the best and easiest way to reliably brew great coffee. Compared to other methods, it arguably extracts tastes of a greater level.
What method does Starbucks use to make coffee?
Starbucks recommends using filtered water that has been heated to 195 to 205 °F and brewing your coffee in a press, a conventional drip coffee maker, or by pouring hot water over extremely fine coffee grinds through a cone-shaped filter.
Conclusions: Learn to make coffee at home
I’m a major supporter of the pour-over approach, as you might have guessed. I believe this product offers the ideal balance of flavor, cost, and ease of brewing.
However, I am aware that if you’re preparing coffee for a large number of people at once, this is not the ideal approach.
I’d advise you to keep a backup drip coffee machine or French press on hand for those situations. You won’t be destroyed by this, and you can brew with your backup brewer using the same equipment.
I think that coffee can be both inexpensive and tasty. If you have the option, buying coffee beans rather than brewing supplies is frequently a superior investment.
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