Brew Guide

Recipe
Written By Richard Harvey

Ultimate Cafetière Recipe (for 2 coffee lovers)

For a crisp, clean extraction with minimal sediment

Tools required: Cafetière (600 - 1,000ml capacity), temperature-control pour-over kettle*, scales, stop watch, soup/dessert spoon, 2 x cup/mug.

  • Pre-heat cafetière with hot water.  Discard water.

  • Add 36g of medium-coarse ground coffee to the cafetière.

  • Using a pour-over kettle, slowly add 200ml of water (c. 93 degrees Celsius) in a circular motion.

  • Allow to ‘bloom’ for 30 seconds, then add a further 400ml of water.

  • Leave for 4 minutes (do not stir).

  • Gently remove ‘bloom’ from surface using a clean spoon.

  • Leave for 5 minutes (do not stir).

  • Gently depress plunger and pour into pre-heated cups.

NB: Any left over coffee you intend to drink should be decanted at this point in order to avoid over-extraction. 


Espresso Recipe (double shot)

Tools required: espresso machine, digital coffee scales (accurate to minimum 0.1g), WDT, distribution tool, stop watch, espresso cup.

  • Add 18g of finely ground coffee to the portafilter.

  • Use a WDT* and distribution tool* to ensure coffee bed is level and clump-free.

  • Tamp using 20kg of pressure.

  • Flush group head, attach portafilter.

  • Aim for a 36g yield in an extraction time of c. 28 seconds.

NB: Trial, error, practise and fine tuning of your grinder and tamping technique will be required to meet the extraction time and yield parameters.  Your espresso machine may need to be programmed to dispense the correct volume of water - refer to user manual.



V60 Recipe (one cup)

Tools required: V60 dripper (plastic or porcelain), paper filter, temperature-control pour-over kettle*, cup or drip decanter*.

  • Pre-heat dripper and insert paper filter.  Wet filter in-situ.

  • Place V60 dripper on pre-heated mug, cup or drip decanter.

  • Put 18g of medium-fine ground coffee into the dripper and tap to level.

  • Wet coffee bed with 50g of water (c.93 degrees Celsius) and allow to ‘bloom’.

  • Pour another 200g of water in stages in a gentle, circular motion and avoiding excessive disturbing of the coffee bed.

  • On completion of filtration, gently swirl your cup of coffee before drinking to enable aeration.




 AeroPress Recipe (inverted method)

Tools required: AeroPress, paper filter, digital coffee scales, kitchen scales, temperature-control pour-over kettle*, mug/cup.

  • Wet the plunger to enable a good seal, assemble the AeroPress and stand it upside-down on the kitchen scales - tare at this point.

  • Place a paper filter in the cap, rinse with water and set aside.

  • Place 18g of medium-fine ground coffee in the brewing chamber - as the AeroPress is inverted, the coffee should be sat on the rubber plunger. Tare the scales once more.

  • Slowly add 50g of 93 degree Celsius water and allow to ‘bloom’ for 30 seconds.

  • Gradually add another 150 - 170g of water and stir for 10 seconds.

  • Screw the cap and filter onto the brewing chamber and place on top of your cup.  THIS SHOULD BE DONE WITH CARE.

  • Slowly depress the plunger until it reaches the bottom of the brewing chamber and you hear air hiss through the filter - there should be moderate resistance and this process should take 25 - 30 seconds.

NB: The AeroPress is an incredibly versatile tool; you are encouraged to experiment with grind size, coffee weights and extraction times.

* These tools are recommended but not essential.

Richard Harvey
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