Brewing Guide
Preparing and enjoying a great cup of coffee is one of life's simplest, most transporting pleasures, and few things as simple as brewing coffee provide such rich rewards. Preparing coffee is actually a lot like cooking with fresh produce; start with the best, freshest ingredients, take care to do it well, and you will produce something astonishingly delicious.Brewing Basics
- Use freshly roasted and just-ground coffee.
- Brew with water heated to between 195 and 205F. A safe bet is using water just off the boil.
- Use one ounce of freshly ground coffee per 16 fluid ounces of water, which equals about 30 grams of coffee per 16 fluid ounces of water. Adjust to taste.
- Store whole-bean coffee in an airtight container and keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat, cold, and moisture. Avoid storing your beans in the fridge or freezer, as these places can facilitate odor contamination and damaging condensation.
Brewing Methods
French Press PotManual Pour Over Drip
Pourover Brewer Basics video
Chemex
"Japanese" Iced Coffee
Iced Cascara
Five Steps to Greener Brewing
1. Go Organic.Choosing organic can reduce coffee’s carbon footprint by one-third.
2. Use a Mug.
Paper cup = paper taste, and 58 BILLION paper cups hit landfills annually.
3. Measure.
Heating excess water can double a cup’s carbon footprint.
4. Handcraft Every Cup.
Hand brewing via French press or drip cone improves taste and efficiency.
5. Waste (Not).
Compost – don’t trash – grounds and filters.
French Press Pot
Elegant, versatile, and simple, French Press offers on-demand, low-waste brewing and is a time-honored favorite for brewing at home.
Ingredients:
- Fresh-roasted coffee (1.6-2.0 grams per fluid oz)
- French press pot
- Hot water (195-205 F)
- Grinder (grind = coarsely cracked pepper)
- Measuring spoon or scale
- Stirring spoon or other stirring tool (e.g. butter knife)
- Timer
- Cups and/or a thermal carafe
Directions:
1. Measure and grind coffee
Using the guide above, weigh and properly grind the coffee, and place grounds directly into the press pot.
Using the guide above, weigh and properly grind the coffee, and place grounds directly into the press pot.
2. Add water
With a gentle pour, saturate the grounds, allowing the coffee to "bloom." Try to add only enough water to saturate the grounds, or until thepress pot is half full.
With a gentle pour, saturate the grounds, allowing the coffee to "bloom." Try to add only enough water to saturate the grounds, or until thepress pot is half full.
3. Gently Stir
Gently stir the coffee, trying to agitate and equally disperse the crust that appears after the coffee blooms.
Gently stir the coffee, trying to agitate and equally disperse the crust that appears after the coffee blooms.
3. Add remaining water
Carefully pour the remaining water.
Carefully pour the remaining water.
5. Put filter and lid on pot
Allow coffee to steep 3-4 minutes.
Allow coffee to steep 3-4 minutes.
6. Push down filter
Press plunger top gently yet firmly, and serve immediately.
Press plunger top gently yet firmly, and serve immediately.
7. Pour, serve and enjoy!
Pour the brewed coffee into serving cups or a thermal carafe.
Pour the brewed coffee into serving cups or a thermal carafe.
The key is pouring immediately after you press, as coffee left in the pot will quickly over extract and become unpleasant.
Manual Pourover Drip
Manual pourover drip is an easy-to-master and highly effective brewing method that any quality-minded minimalist would love. Check out our Pourover Brewer Basics video for an introduction to this easy, rewarding hand-crafted brewing method.
Ingredients:
- Fresh-roasted coffee (1.6 - 2.0 grams per fluid oz)
- Hot Water (195 - 205 F)
- Grinder (grind size = granulated table salt)
- Brew basket or cone
- Paper or metallic fiber filter
- Measuring spoon or scale
- Cup(s) and/or thermal carafe
Directions:
1. Place paper or metallic fiber filter into brew basket.Use a small amount of hot water to pre-wet paper filters (to avoid paper taste). Dispose of water used for pre-wetting.
2. Place brew basket above cup, carafe, or pitcher.
3. Measure and grind coffeeUse 1.6 - 2.0 grams of freshly ground coffee per fluid ounce of water. Grind coarsely to roughly the size of granulated table salt. Burr grinders generally offer better performance, but if using a blade grinder, grind in short bursts and give the grinder a few firm shakes between grinds.
4. Add ground coffee to filter.
5. Heat and add water.
With a gentle pour, saturate the grounds with water (195 - 205 F), allowing the coffee to “bloom.” Try to add only enough water to saturate the grounds; stop before coffee starts to flow from bottom of filter.
Carefully pour remaining water and control brewing time (3-4 minutes total) by slowing or stopping the pour as needed. Keeping the water level in the cone between ½ and ¾ full in the cone is recommended for optimum brewing.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Brewing is complete when the drip becomes irregular (instead of a steady flow) within recommended time parameters.
Click here for a Downloadable PDF of our Manual Drip Brew Program.
French Press Pot
Chemex
"Japanese" Iced Coffee
Iced Cascara
Chemex
The Chemex has several advantages over most auto-drip machines, beginning with more precise temperature control. In addition, the Chemex allows for more control over extraction time and is much easier to keep clean.
Ingredients:
- Fresh-roasted coffee (1.6 - 2.0 grams per fluid oz)
- Hot water (195 - 205 F)
- Chemex Brewer and filter
- Grinder (grind = coarse sea salt)
- Measuring spoon or scale
- Cup(s) and/or thermal carafe
Directions:
1. Open the Chemex filter into a coneOne side should have three layers; the other side one layer. Place the cone in the top with the thick portion toward the pouring spout. You may use non-Chemex filters that fit the dimensions of the brewer, but Chemex filters are specifically designed for this purpose.
2. Soak the filter
Use a small amount of hot water to pre-wet paper filters (to avoid paper taste). Dispose of water used for pre-wetting.
3. Measure and grind
Use 1.6 - 2.0 grams of freshly ground coffee per fluid ounce of water. Grind coarsely to roughly the size of coarse sea salt. Burr grinders generally offer better performance, but if using a blade grinder, grind in short bursts and give the grinder a few firm shakes between grinds.
NOTE: If the water does not easily move through the grounds, your grind is too fine. If it pours through too quickly and produces weak coffee, the grind is too coarse. Experiment a little and adjust to your preference!
4. Wet the grounds With a gentle pour, saturate the grounds with water (195 - 205 F), allowing the coffee to “bloom.” Try to add only enough water to saturate the grounds; stop before coffee starts to flow from bottom of filter.
5. Continue brewing
Carefully pour remaining water and control brewing time (3-4 minutes total) by slowing or stopping the pour as needed. Keeping the water level in the cone between ½ and ¾ full in the cone is recommended for optimum brewing.
Once the desired amount of coffee is brewed, replace the filter full of spent grounds with the Chemex glass lid to keep the coffee hot.
6. Pour into serving cup(s) and enjoy.
Brewing is complete when the drip becomes irregular (instead of a steady flow) within recommended time parameters.
Click here for a Downloadable PDF of our Manual Drip Brew Program.
French Press Pot
Manual Pour Over Drip
"Japanese" Iced Coffee Iced Cascara
Perfect Iced Coffee
Made by brewing a concentration of especially selected coffee directly onto ice, freshly brewed iced coffee can be ready to serve in just moments. Melting ice contributes to the total water volume without weakening the final brew. Immediate cooling from the ice locks in flavors and aromatics that other iced coffee processes allow to escape. Check out our How to Make Japanese Iced Coffee video for an introduction to this exceptional handcrafted brewing method. Ingredients:
- Brew equipment relevant to this program includes our Counter Culture Pourover Brewer, Counter Culture Pro Pourover Brewer, and the Chemex. Additional essentials include filters and a container, e.g. Hario Glass Server for immediate consumption, into which to brew.
- Fresh-roasted coffee (1.8 grams per fluid oz)
- Ice to hot water ratio: One to One
- Hot water (195-205 F)
- A reliable burr grinder is recommended for precision and consistency.
- A good scale is essential when brewing in small amounts. We recommend a scale that can read both grams and ounces.
- An Iced Coffee Container - preferably clear and lidded - is recommended to serve and store the final cold brew. Iced coffee is more temperature stable than other methods of brewed coffee, but should still be consumed within 1 day.
Directions:
1. Weigh IceThe best way to measure ice is to weigh it. One fluid ounce of water (or ice) weighs one ounce! Weigh appropriate amount of ice to equal one half of the total liquid volume.
2. Measure and Grind
Measure and grind appropriate amount of coffee just before brewing. This can be done with a scale and a burr grinder.
3. Brew the coffee
Filter and brew according to chosen method directly over ice.
5. Serve and Enjoy
The melting ice contributes to the total water volume without weakening the beverage and the immediate cooling of the brewing coffee helps trap in some aromatics that other iced coffee processes don't. Delicious!
Know your coffees. Fresh, aromatic coffees roasted on the lighter end of the spectrum lend themselves to this Japanese iced coffee method. For instance, fruit-forward East African and bright Central American coffees do especially well with this method. Weekly coffee cuppings at Counter Culture will expose you to seasonally fresh coffees best suited for iced coffee!
Click here for a downloadable PDF of these Iced Coffee Brewing instructions.
French Press Pot
Manual Pour Over Drip
Chemex
Iced Cascara
