Brewing is the last link in a long chain of processes that coffee undergoes from seed to cup. Of the 400 man hours that go in to producing a pound of coffee we have the last 5 minutes with it to make or break a coffee when brewing. Here are a few of our top tips to brush up on your brewing technique and get the most out of your coffee at home.
USE FRESH COFFEE
After an initial degassing period, coffee actually improves in the first few days off roast, generally peaking in its first two weeks. After this, you might notice a drop off in flavour so make sure your coffee stocks are fresh. Likewise when grinding, the fresher the better. Ground coffee is said to lose 50% of its aroma 5 minutes after grinding so we recommend investing in a good quality grinder to get the most out of that aroma in your brew at home.
USE CLEAN EQUIPMENT
An old coffee taint can overpower the more subtle flavours in a coffee so make sure your equipment is clean before use. This is most noticeable with Cafetiere and Moka Pots as coffee residue builds up easier on their metal parts when left in contact with coffee for a long time. Try experimenting with plastic or glass brewing equipment such as V60s or Chemex, they're much easier to clean and also make great coffee!
USE A BREW RECIPE
There are various factors that can affect the taste of a coffee when brewing such as time, temperature, grind, dose and brew weight. Dose and brew weight are two of the more important of these. Small adjustments to brew ratio can make a big difference to strength and extraction so we recommend using a set of scales to monitor these changes and make easy adjustments as you go (a simple rule of thumb is to aim for a ratio of 50-60g per litre). Take a look at our brew guides below to learn more about brewing coffee at home.
