Better Coffee Q&A
Community
Hi Lorna.
Thank you for filling out our Better Coffee questionnaire.
I’m excited for you to be on the path to great coffee. I can certainly relate to where you are on this journey. My mom is from Louisiana, so she always had an affinity for Community Coffee, and it was always a treat to get some (usually during a trip to visit family down there).
When I was beginning to learn about coffee several years ago, someone told me I had to try a French Press, and when I did, I had the same experience you are: it’s bitter. But I started doing some research to find out what was going wrong, and I discovered two things:
1. I needed a coarse ground coffee, and
2. I was grinding with the wrong type of grinder.
So here’s your issue. You just can’t use pre-ground coffee for French Press because they don’t sell it ground the way you need it. So you really need to buy whole bean coffee and grind it before you brew it. But I was doing that and the coffee was still bad. Because I was using the wrong type of grinder. I had a blade grinder, which is really not a coffee grinder at all. It’s a spice mill that has been marketed as a coffee grinder. Real coffee grinders are like pepper mills. They have burrs that you can set to grind the right coarseness. There's a decent entry-level grinder from Baratza, or I'm sure you can find something at Walmart that will suffice - just make sure it's a BURR grinder.
Get one, get some whole bean coffee (freshly roasted is best) grind it on a coarse setting, add the water, wait 4 minutes and press. I guarantee the coffee will be 1,000 times better.
Better pourover
Hey Roy.
So you want to make better coffee, do you?
You’re obviously on the right track. Sounds like you’re doing a lot of the same things I’m doing at home. Hario dripper, that Worka is amazing…
You didn’t say what grinder you’re using, but I’m guessing it’s probably a Baratza Virtuoso. (The Virtuoso+ has some nice new features)
So here’s one improvement I’d recommend. A Comandante grinder.
You’re probably thinking you don’t want to hand grind coffee. Or that it can’t be that much better. But I use mine every day and I love it. The grind consistency is unmatched. And the ritual of grinding coffee by hand each day is part of my routine. That tactile sensation is nice. You might come in and grind some here so you can see what I’m talking about.
Or maybe I’m preaching to the choir - maybe you already have one.
Only other things are the variables. Ratio, water temp, grind size, etc.
We do a 1:12 ratio, water temp around 199, grind size such that when you pour very slowly, it doesn’t pool up much. You’re using a scale, I assume…
Bitter French Press
Hey Luke.
Thanks for filling out our Better Coffee questionnaire. I do have some ideas to help you make better coffee.
First off, praises for the manual grinder choice. I use a Comandante every morning and just love that part of the ritual. But, as you probably know, not all manual grinders are created equal. Not knowing what type of grinder you’re using, if it’s not a high-end grinder, it could be putting off an inconsistent grind size. A lot of fines in a french press will make your coffee taste bitter. So that’s a good place to start, if you’re not already there.
Can’t fault you on the Maduro. That’s a tasty treat. If you enjoy that coffee, you’ll likely enjoy our other naturals for a little variety.
Now, let’s talk about brewing. You should grind the coffee coarse, and not until you’re ready to brew. No more than a 1/16 ratio of coffee to water (I’d err on more coffee if anything). This means you’ll need to use at least 45 grams of coffee for a 25 ounce french press. Use water that’s around 200ºF. If you need a thermometer, this is a good one Add the water, wait two minutes, stir, put the lid on and wait another two minutes, and then plunge. It shouldn’t be difficult to press. If it is, you may not have agitated the coffee enough, or your grind might be too fine.
One last thing. Once you’ve pressed, the coffee will continue to extract and will get more bitter the longer it sits. This is because of the sediment in the coffee. I recommend getting a metal filter and pour the coffee through it into another receptacle as soon as you’re finished brewing. We don’t currently sell these, but there are quite a few inexpensive choices on amazon.
Let us know what questions you have. If you want to learn another brewing method we can hook you up with all the gear you need for that as well.
Full City Moka
Hey Darlene.
First off, you’re roasting your own coffee? Or you’re getting it from someone who home roasts. Either way, that’s cool. That’s how I started out, on a little fluid bed home roaster that only held a couple ounces of coffee per batch. I definitely learned a lot through that process, but now I know the results in my 15 or 30kg roaster are much more consistent, controlled, and thorough. But how much fun and excitement I had in those early years roasting each morning.
If you’re going full city or darker, that means you’re getting into second crack. I’d guess the reason you prefer this is because a lighter roast on a home roaster usually doesn’t roast the coffee all the way through, so you end up with a coffee that tastes green on the inside. I roast lighter than that, to a city roast at max, but it’s more about the roast curve and drawing out the most from each individual coffee. If you’d like to try something from the DoubleShot, I’d suggest our Ambergris Espresso Blend for the Moka Pot.
So here’s the funny thing. You’re using home roasted coffee, but are too rushed to brew it. Haha. Darlene, you have to slow down and take the time to enjoy a cup in a comfortable chair before you begin a hectic day!
Moka Pot is an ok brewing method - and if you want to speed up that process, I’d suggest boiling water in a kettle before you pour it in the base and assembling the unit. This will also result in better coffee because the grounds won’t sit over the heat source as long. (Don’t burn yourself assembling the unit with hot water in it.)
For a bit of a quicker cup and a similar brewing profile, you could switch to the aeropress With this, you put in the coffee, add 165˚ water (less time heating the water), stir, and then plunge. Results in a rich cup of coffee like the moka pot, but better in my opinion. It’s quick to clean up too - just pop the puck out the end and rinse.
Blade Grinding
Hey Anthony.
Thanks for filling out our Better Coffee questionnaire. Even though you have no complaints about your coffee, I know I can give you some pointers that will make you realize how much better it can be.
Let’s start with your grinder. Blade grinders aren’t really made for coffee; they are spice mills. The industry has marketed them for coffee because they are inexpensive, but truly they make terrible coffee. One of the biggest leaps in my early coffee-drinking experience was upgrading to a burr grinder. If you change nothing else about your coffee making, this will yield better coffee, undoubtedly. I prefer to hand grind my coffee, and I use a Comandante grinder. But if you’re looking for an entry-level electric grinder, the Baratza Encore is an adequate choice.
Of course there are a lot of other, more fussy ways of making coffee beyond an auto-drip, and done right, these will all lead you into better coffee. But that’s probably a conversation for another day.
The last, most foundational thing about making excellent coffee is the coffee itself. There is an amazing amount of diversity in coffees, and each roaster will create different tastes in each one. So your best bet is to find a roaster whose roasting style you like and then taste various coffees they offer I think we do a pretty good job. And if I were to give you a jumping off point, I’d recommend one of our top standards, Costa Rica La Minita.
Upgrades
Hey Jeff.
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.
Sour Espresso
Hi Taylor. Sounds like you’re already a pretty sound coffee aficionado. But let me see if I can help.
Espresso is tricky. Everything has to be just so, as you probably know. The sourness you’re talking about could be from a number of things. The first thing you should check on is your brewing temp. The water should probably be around 201ºF. Not sure if you have a machine that is adjustable like that. If not, I’d suggest preheating the portafilter - run some water through it like you’re pulling a shot and get it nice and hot, then dry it and make your puck. Don’t let the portafilter sit out of the grouphead for long or it will cool down and make the extraction turn a bit sour.
The other thing that might be problematic is if your shots are extracting too quickly. You said it is extracting properly based on time (and volume I assume), but I’d suggest coarsening the grind a tad, settle the coffee in the portafilter basket as it’s filling, and temp the heck out of it. In my experience, that will produce the sweetest shot. Should yield 2 ounces in around 25 seconds.
There’s a lot of debate about how much coffee you should use in a double espresso, but we use 20-21 grams. Because we’re heavy hitters. For a little variety (instead of that Lavazza stuff), you might try a single origin espresso.