The amount of effort you are willing to put into your brewing is up to you, but in our experience, it is well worth understanding the biggest influencers in brewing technique. Once you know what the options are, you can choose how much time you want to spend “dialing it in” for your perfect brew.
- Use clean equipment – including your grinder and brewing equipment. Oils build up over time and can add stale aromas and flavors to your brew.
- Use the right grind for your brewing method. Every brewing method demands an even grind and each method yields its best brew if you can grind to the appropriate fine / coarse target. If you don’t really know what grind you need, go to your trusted coffee shop and ask them to give you a grind sample for your preferred brewing methods – uses these grounds as a guide at home. If you don’t have a grinder that gives you an even grind, you can go to your trusted coffee purveyor and ask them to grind only what you need so you can store the remaining beans.
- Measure as much as possible – amount of grounds, amount of water and water temperature. Invest in a simple digital scale with a tare function. This way, you can place your brewing vessel on the scale, tare the whole thing, add the grounds you want, then tare that again and then add the appropriate amount of water. This can be a hassle, but in our experience it is well worth it – especially at the start of your learning the ropes of your favorite brew. Once you have it dialed in, you’ll likely be able to do it by feel.
- Use clean water that doesn’t have any aroma or a particularly high mineral content.
- Bring your water to the right temperature. This will depend a bit on the beans and grind but in general, you are going to brew your coffee with water that is between 91C – 96C (about 195F to 105F)