coffee

1. theory
2. equipments
3. ingredients
4. recipe

theory

I love all coffees. Mr Coffee coffee, terrible office kitchen coffee, diner coffee, gas station coffee. But brewing good coffee requires good beans and good method. Here is just one way.

First, good beans. Perhaps from Backyard Beans or Flat Track. Use a single origin, organic, light roast. Light roast means both more caffeine and more delicate, almost tea-like flavors. From East Africa (eg Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya) or Latin America (eg Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala).

Develop not just a routine, but a ritual. When you find what works for you, do it the same way, again and again, each morning.

equipments

• kettle
• scale
• grinder
• dripper
• filter

ingredients

• coffee beans

recipe

1. heat water in kettle; if using electric kettle, set to 200 °F
2. measure 20 g of beans, and grind medium-coarse
3. set dripper on mug, and fold paper filter in dripper
4. when water is ready, pour a small quantity in dripper to completely wet paper filter
5. lift dripper from mug, swirl mug around, and dump out water from it
6. set dripper back on mug, pour in ground coffee beans, lift dripper and gently shake to settle grounds, and set dripper back on mug, and then set mug on scale
7. turn on scale, start timer, and slowly, in a counter-clockwise spiral, pour 60 ml of water over grounds; this should take 15 seconds
8. let grounds bloom until 45 seconds
9. in same counter-clockwise spiral, pour another 60 ml of water over grounds; then, in the center of the grounds-and-water slurry, slowly pour another 60 ml; this should bring the timer to 1 minute, 15 seconds
10. let dripper drip until 1 minute, 30 seconds
11. in another counter-clockwise spiral, pour 60 ml more water over slurry; then, again in the center of the mixture, pour a final 60 ml of water
12. let dripper drip until 3 minutes
13. turn off scale; remove mug from scale; lift dripper from mug