Upgrades

Thanks for filling out our Better Coffee questionnaire. Looks like you’re doing things right for the most part, but as you know, there’s always room for improvement, and I do have some pointers for making better coffee.

Like you, I use my Hario dripper each morning to make a cup to enjoy while I read a little. I like it because changing the water temp by 1-2ºF will change the taste of the coffee. Changing your grind size by one click either way will change it. And, of course, these two things work in tandem - so sometimes using a finer grind will mean you need to use a slightly cooler water. There are some cool new models of Hario dripper available now if you want something fancy.

One upgrade you could make is with your grinder. I started using a Comandante a few years ago, and eventually got rid of my Baratza Virtuoso because the coffee is better. If you haven’t used a Comandante, it’s probably not like you think. The burrs are sharp and the bearings true, so it’s really a pleasure to add this to the brewing ritual. I’ve used a lot of hand grinders and Comandante is the best thing on the market.

(Addendum - Since this post, I've been using the Zerno and Pinecone grinders, and both are far and away better than anything else I've ever used at home. Except that time I took home an EK43S for a while.)

The second thing is the coffee you’re using. I developed the Ambergris specifically to be used with an espresso machine. Brewed under force, it develops a creamy body, but not necessarily when used with a pourover. I’d actually recommend one of our single-origin coffees for what you’re wanting. One of the heaviest, most robust coffees is our Sumatra. If you’re wanting a more refined coffee, like an Ethiopian but want a heavy body, I’d suggest brewing with a french press. And I can give you instructions on how to use that if it’s something you want to dive into.