Uncertainty

Thanks for filling out our Better Coffee questionnaire.

I like the way you roll - V60 and gooseneck kettle. That’s my morning routine. And we generally have the same taste in coffee. A shame to see that last Dembi run out. But there are better Ethiopians hopefully on the horizon. 

You say your main complaint is “uncertainty.” I can understand that. Coffee is tricky. I always tell people when you have a cup that just blows your hair back, take a minute to soak it in, because the next cup may not be that great. What can cause dramatic variations in the cup?

Well, a lot of things. As it turns out, there are a lot of differences in coffee grinders. Even though you’re using a burr grinder, there are probably better ones out there that would make a better cup of coffee, more consistently. Right now I’m using a Zerno Z1. I like it, but I haven’t gotten into the fun stuff - changing out the auger and burr set. The feed and the type of burrs can change the coffee. Also, flat burrs are much better than conical burrs. Most of us who have home coffee grinders have conical burrs. Because flat burr grinders are expensive. Conical burrs tend to have play in them that create an uneven grind, whereas flat burrs are static and only let through grounds that are a certain size or smaller. The best grinders I’ve used at home are the Mahlkonig EK43S, which is a monster meant for commercial use. It was great, just took up all my counter space. I used a Pinecone Pinion at home for a while too. That’s a great flat burr grinder. But it’s too tall for most cabinets. So that’s tough. 

Other thing that could be causing you undue variation is water temperature. I love the manual stovetop kettles, but I finally succumbed to using a Fellow Stagg because I can set the temp and forget it. There are kettles with a better pour spout, but the Stagg has a nice heating mechanism that seems fairly reliable. Believe it or not, altering your start temp by 1-2˚F can change the taste of the coffee. 

Obviously, you’re using a scale. Right? Oh dear. I know people who have tried to eyeball it, and that can’t end well.