Favorite Brew Method
Im curious to know what everyone's Favorite brew method would be? Lets say for this conversation we leave out Espresso. Lets stick with other methods. Drip, French Press, Vacuum, Balance Brew, Turkish, Perculator, boiling coffee with egg yokes, whatever. Just curious what different types of brew methods us professionals are using out there. Follow up question, if you have a shop, do you use that method in your shop? As I bring this discussion up I am brewing myself a cup of Tanzanian Peaberry, Bring about 10oz of fresh cool water to about 180
degrees in a cast iron tea pot & pour the water through 2tbsp finely ground coffee in a paper filter straight into a hot heavy mug. Unadulterated & pure. I normally only brew myself coffee 1 cup at a time but if I was brewing more than 1 cup, then I prefer the Vacuum Brewer (I have a Bodum Santos for that) or the Balance Brewer (same basic principal of the Vacuum Brewer but looks cool!)
Mitch
Bella Caffe
degrees in a cast iron tea pot & pour the water through 2tbsp finely ground coffee in a paper filter straight into a hot heavy mug. Unadulterated & pure. I normally only brew myself coffee 1 cup at a time but if I was brewing more than 1 cup, then I prefer the Vacuum Brewer (I have a Bodum Santos for that) or the Balance Brewer (same basic principal of the Vacuum Brewer but looks cool!)
Mitch
Bella Caffe
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Zechariah White on
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It's gotta be the Chemex.
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Permalink Reply by Chadwick Rookstool on
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The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&...
Those hold heat like nobodys business.
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Permalink Reply by Domagoj Trusic on
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where can I buy one in Europe next week in UK.
please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Chris Dodson on
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Why bother with a well insulated french press? Why not just invest in something better? I think that if one prefers sediment, and too full of a body, french press is the ticket. But, as "professionals", aren't we supposed to be expecting the best out of what we're equipped with? Aren't we expected to get the fullest potential out of a coffee? If you were to put in order the brew methods that brought the most potential out of a coffee, where would the french press sit? It's good to try the same coffee from a few different brew methods, but french press is certainly not a brew method that I would ever recommend to a customer...
Chadwick Rookstool said:The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&...
Those hold heat like nobodys business.
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
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Chris Dodson said:Why bother with a well insulated french press? Why not just invest in something better? I think that if one prefers sediment, and too full of a body, french press is the ticket. But, as "professionals", aren't we supposed to be expecting the best out of what we're equipped with? Aren't we expected to get the fullest potential out of a coffee? If you were to put in order the brew methods that brought the most potential out of a coffee, where would the french press sit? It's good to try the same coffee from a few different brew methods, but french press is certainly not a brew method that I would ever recommend to a customer...
Chadwick Rookstool said:The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&...
Those hold heat like nobodys business.
Some people don't mind the sediment (I know that actually most don't in my shop). If you are getting lots of sediment you are doing something wrong. It doesn't have "too full" of a body, it just has body. You should think about expanding your horizons a little.
Not all coffees are great in French presses, but I think some are down right horrible in vac pots and pour overs if also given the option of pressing them.
I'll be interested to see if anyone else touches your rather blunt and, IMO, incorrect statement.
-bry
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Permalink Reply by Timothy Chappell on
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I love my vac pot!
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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Bryan Wray said:Chris Dodson said:Why bother with a well insulated french press? Why not just invest in something better? I think that if one prefers sediment, and too full of a body, french press is the ticket. But, as "professionals", aren't we supposed to be expecting the best out of what we're equipped with? Aren't we expected to get the fullest potential out of a coffee? If you were to put in order the brew methods that brought the most potential out of a coffee, where would the french press sit? It's good to try the same coffee from a few different brew methods, but french press is certainly not a brew method that I would ever recommend to a customer...
Chadwick Rookstool said:The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&...
Those hold heat like nobodys business.
Some people don't mind the sediment (I know that actually most don't in my shop). If you are getting lots of sediment you are doing something wrong. It doesn't have "too full" of a body, it just has body. You should think about expanding your horizons a little.
Not all coffees are great in French presses, but I think some are down right horrible in vac pots and pour overs if also given the option of pressing them.
I'll be interested to see if anyone else touches your rather blunt and, IMO, incorrect statement.
-bry
I contemplated, but then didn't.
If done properly, they are a fantastic way to make coffee. Wrap it with a towel and put it someplace warm. Of all the picky little things you have to nail to get a good vac pot batch, you are going to bash french press for cooling off a bit if you aren't careful?
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I agree that not all coffees work in vac-pot. But this isn't necessarily about the vac-pot, it's about the french press vs. ANY method.
Okay, sediment happens with french press. Whether it's a little, or a lot, it's still coffee that sits in the bottom of your cup being over extracted. Sediment is bad! It's not cool. It's not rich. It's not good. If you're getting any sediment in your coffee, you're doing something WRONG. One has an extreme lack of control over this brew method... Please, please tell me why one would choose such little control over an expensive product, than have nearly COMPLETE control with an alternative method? I've had great coffee from french press, but I was still underwhelmed. One of which was Hacienda la Esmeralda, if I recall. Knocked me over.. It was an explosion of flavor.
Bryan Wray said:Chris Dodson said:Why bother with a well insulated french press? Why not just invest in something better? I think that if one prefers sediment, and too full of a body, french press is the ticket. But, as "professionals", aren't we supposed to be expecting the best out of what we're equipped with? Aren't we expected to get the fullest potential out of a coffee? If you were to put in order the brew methods that brought the most potential out of a coffee, where would the french press sit? It's good to try the same coffee from a few different brew methods, but french press is certainly not a brew method that I would ever recommend to a customer...
Chadwick Rookstool said:The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&...
Those hold heat like nobodys business.
Some people don't mind the sediment (I know that actually most don't in my shop). If you are getting lots of sediment you are doing something wrong. It doesn't have "too full" of a body, it just has body. You should think about expanding your horizons a little.
Not all coffees are great in French presses, but I think some are down right horrible in vac pots and pour overs if also given the option of pressing them.
I'll be interested to see if anyone else touches your rather blunt and, IMO, incorrect statement.
-bry
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Chris Dodson said:I agree that not all coffees work in vac-pot. But this isn't necessarily about the vac-pot, it's about the french press vs. ANY method.
Okay, sediment happens with french press. Whether it's a little, or a lot, it's still coffee that sits in the bottom of your cup being over extracted. Sediment is bad! It's not cool. It's not rich. It's not good. If you're getting any sediment in your coffee, you're doing something WRONG. One has an extreme lack of control over this brew method... Please, please tell me why one would choose such little control over an expensive product, than have nearly COMPLETE control with an alternative method? I've had great coffee from french press, but I was still underwhelmed. One of which was Hacienda la Esmeralda, if I recall. Knocked me over.. It was an explosion of flavor.
Bryan Wray said:Chris Dodson said:Why bother with a well insulated french press? Why not just invest in something better? I think that if one prefers sediment, and too full of a body, french press is the ticket. But, as "professionals", aren't we supposed to be expecting the best out of what we're equipped with? Aren't we expected to get the fullest potential out of a coffee? If you were to put in order the brew methods that brought the most potential out of a coffee, where would the french press sit? It's good to try the same coffee from a few different brew methods, but french press is certainly not a brew method that I would ever recommend to a customer...
Chadwick Rookstool said:The closer something is to your body temperature, the more you will be able to taste in it. Something to do with you tastebuds chemically breaking down at a faster pace.
If you think about it, does it surprise you that a french press holds less heat? It was designed in the 1850s! If your that worried about heat retention get a double walled beaker and you should be fine.
http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID=10&... Those hold heat like nobodys business.
Some people don't mind the sediment (I know that actually most don't in my shop). If you are getting lots of sediment you are doing something wrong. It doesn't have "too full" of a body, it just has body. You should think about expanding your horizons a little.
Not all coffees are great in French presses, but I think some are down right horrible in vac pots and pour overs if also given the option of pressing them.
I'll be interested to see if anyone else touches your rather blunt and, IMO, incorrect statement.
-bry
You aren't doing something wrong, it's just that you aren't running it through as fine a filter. Sometimes I munch on coffee beans straight outta the roaster... that's extreme sediment. Grounds sit at the bottom of a cupping glass and we use this system to rate our coffees. Espresso has sediment (at least mine and every one that I have ever had from any shop anywhere), is that "WRONG?" Clover brewers leave some sediment and I think we would all agree they are up there as one of the better brewing methods (wouldn't be on top of my list, but they are up there).
I know what you're saying though. I get it. Fines sitting in the cup are extracting, good point. But oils get caught in cloth and paper filters, so you aren't getting everything. Which evil is worse?
Curious to know how you regulate temperature in your vac pot and maintain the temperature in your pour over funnels once they have left the kettle and are just "sitting there losing heat" in the brew basket/filter/top part/whatever.
I know these comments are a little over the top... the only point I'm trying to make is this. We don't really have a brew method that can carry all of the positives of different methods and non of the negatives. I think the enhanced body of a French press is a huge plus (for a lot of coffees, not all). I also think being able to regulate the temperature in a French press is a huge plus. If I give my French press (Bodum Columbia) 1 minute to preheat with boiling/just off boil water and then brew it (setting the assembled press on the cupwarmer) it only loses about 4 degrees the whole brew time. Even though it is a double wall press I put a towel around it (with a clothes pin) and make sure to wrap that towel over the lid (which is not insulated) well. Yes there is sediment, but there are also flavorful (IMO) oils in the cup (and again the enhanced body) that I, and obviously tons of other people, enjoy.
I love the clarity of my vac-pot and the intriguing, eye catching showmanship of it. I love the way that it brings out ripe fruit flavors. I don't like how finicky it is, that I can't control the brew temperature and the (often) lacking body.
I love the happy medium of a pour over (Chemex, specifically). More body than a vac-pot, but less than a press. More clarity than a French press, but less than a vac-pot.
Unfortunately, I am yet to find a brewing method (espresso is kind of a different class, as far as this thread is concerned) that has the body of a French press, the clarity of a vac-pot and the pronounced flavor of a pour over, with no sediment. Maybe one exists that I haven't tried? (I realize I haven't ever had Aeropress coffee... *GASP from the AP lovers* haha).
BTW, to regulate temperature with a French press you add hotter or colder water at the start. :0)
To not recommend a French press to a customer, to me, is just a sign of poor education. Your feelings towards French press brewing are your opinion, they are not (all) fact, and would not necessarily be the same opinion as the customer's.
-bry
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Permalink Reply by Jimmy Quinnelly on
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I really like the Aeropress.
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Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on
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I'm having a coffee while I read this.
My bodum dropped from 94C to 88C in 4 minutes. To me, that's not an issue.
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French Press secrets:
Grind properly - a little finer is better. Preheat the press. Put it somewhere warm and wrap it up while it infuses. Let it sit a minute after plunging before pouring. Decant (pouring carefully to leave most of the sediment behind) into a thermal carafe. Clean coffee with very little sediment if you do it right. Lots of oil, flavor, body... good coffee.
Why dismiss such a good, easily controllable, time-tested method just because you have to pay attention to some technique?
15 degrees C, Kayak? Are you putting it in the fridge while it infuses?
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