Chapter 5 of the COVID-19 Coffee Survival Guide
Pour Over Coffee
I have a personal problem with pour over people because they tend to hold the opinion that pour overs like Hario v60, Chemex, Kalita, are great, but that batch brew Drip Coffee Makers suck. The reality is all of these methods are the same. They are all brews that rely on gravity to force water through a bed of coffee grounds. Neither method really holds a huge advantage over the others, if we control all the variables. But therein lies the rub. Some of the methods of gravity brewed coffees do a much better job of controlling the variables.
So what are the things we need to control?
- Amount of coffee: By using our scales or at worst, our scoops we can eliminate this as a variable.
- Grind size: Again, our best choice is a Burr Grinder, to give us a reasonable consistency in particle size that we can repeat. Our second choice is our timed, shaking method with a Blade Grinder. Our third choice is coffee freshly ground by our independent coffee shop, but only grind enough for a few days or a week.
- Time: This is where the Burr Grinder is critical. Because gravity brews rely on the time that the coffee grounds are in contact with hot water, any inconsistency of the grind size will affect how long it takes for all the water to drip through. This means the Burr Grinder is essential, and greatly out performs a Blade Grinder. Due to the relatively small amount of ground coffee used in Pour overs, a Blade Grinder's shortcomings in creating consistent particle sizes is more exposed with a small amount of grounds ( usually between 12-16 grams for a single serve) used in Pour overs. You may get away with it in the larger doses of ground coffee used in drip coffee makers (i.e., usually you make a pot of coffee using 60g or more per batch)
- Temperature: This is critical for extracting flavour from coffee grounds. Hotter water in simple terms "melts or dissolves" water soluble flavours from the coffee grounds faster. If your water temperature changes, ie cools off, it changes the extraction. My problem with Pour overs is that they are probably the worst method for temperature loss, especially when compared to the batch drip brewer you have on your kitchen counter. Yet everyone likes to trash the batch drip brewer. Very few trained Pour over "experts" can keep up with a home drip coffee maker for consistency, batch to batch. But what you hear from so-called coffee snobs is that their v60's are so much better, because they are fresher etc. which is technically true, but do you know how to combat that with a drip batch brewer? Here’s a tip, don't make such big pots! Make more pots more often, which will give you much more consistency than some guy struggling to show off his gooseneck kettle pouring skills, like some teenager trying to write his name in the snow.
I'm sorry but batch drip coffee brewers are great, and if you can buy one that has decent brewing temperatures, it can be your biggest ally. Don't even get me started on cold brews. That's a rant for another chapter.
----------------------------
MORE ON THE COVID SURVIVAL COFFEE GUIDE
CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1: If you’re ready to make a change and freshen up your coffee game, consider making your coffee at home. To produce quality coffee at home, like the ones you normally find in the coffee shops, follow these 3 simple rules... Read More >
Chapter 2: Now that you understand freshness as it pertains to coffee beans (3-14 days from its BIRTH DATE or Roast date, and only buy enough to last a week) . This will give us a good starting point because we finally have some quality ingredients...Learn More >
Chapter 3: Ok.. you managed to escape the matrix and now that you have acquired the supplies needed to take on the coffee universe on your own, we are here to offer you some help!
4 Tools Needed to Brew Coffee At Home... Read More >
Chapter 4: If you have Italian friends, and they offer you a "caffe" , chances are they pull out a stove top device that unscrews in four parts, (base, top pouring chamber or pitcher, basket and basket cover) called a Moka Pot...Learn More >
Chapter 5: I have a personal problem with pour over people because they tend to hold the opinion that pour overs like Hario v60, Chemex, Kalita, are great, but that batch brew Drip Coffee Makers suck. The reality is...Read More >
Chapter 6: Let's explore further why the proponents of Cold Brew coffee are so maniacal in their support of this process. 4 reasons: ... Learn More >
Chapter 7: Frankly this viral hype surprises most of us in the industry but, in my opinion, it is a good thing that people are seeking innovation when it comes to coffee beverages. I just wish it didn’t involve instant coffee! ... Learn More >
Chapter 8: Prior to the cold brew fad, the go-to method of making a cold coffee was to utilize the alien👽 technology known as ice.
Apparently, when you add ice to things, they get colder...Learn More >
Chapter 9: If you survive this chapter, you will have my respect, and moreover, you will have learned about the basic principles of extraction...Learn More >
Chapter 10:We are revisiting a brewing device that was long ago dismissed as an alternative for espresso. Of course I'm talking about the Aeropress. Full admission. I was an anti Aeropress-er (not anymore). For those of you not familiar with the Aeropress way of making coffee it's a strange looking plastic device that looks like a giant syringe...Learn More >
Chapter 11: I'm going to tread into dangerous waters here and talk about one of the most controversial taboo subjects in the realm of 3rd and 4th wave coffee (aka pretentious coffee). What am I talking about? Blended drinks.. , AKA frappuccinos...Learn More >
Chapter 12:There is a false belief marketed that you need to spend a lot of money on specialized equipment in order to make good coffee and latte art. This insidious belief implies you need to...Learn More >
Chapter 13:The easiest way to avoid cream and sugar in your coffee is to buy higher quality coffee, you will taste that it is naturally sweet as opposed to the dark burnt, bitter stuff from chain stores, so try out a local independent coffee shop...Learn More >
Post Pandemic:Luckily, in the past the coffee industry has proven itself relatively recession-proof. Big question is, if it is pandemic proof ?...Learn More >
