Brewing

The coffees offered by Direct Trade Coffee Club have gone through a long and intense process before reaching you, the brewer. Being the final hand to touch the coffee before enjoying that perfect cup is a big responsibility. With that being said we wanted to give you some guidelines as to the best way to bring out the natural flavors of a coffee. Hopefully in so doing you will be able to experience a cup of coffee that gives you a glimpse in to where it was grown and how it was produced.

General Guidelines to Brewing Great Coffee

Water: Water makes up a vast majority of the complete coffee beverage. For this reason it is very important to use filtered water. Poor water quality will show up in the cup. A consistent brewing temperature will also be necessary. 206º F is a preferred starting point. Brewing coffee with too hot of water will burn the coffee leaving a smoky taste, while brewing at too cool of a temperature will likely cause sour flavor. If you are using water off of the boil, be sure to let the water settle for 30seconds before using to allow the temperature to come down.

Grind: Using a burr grinder is necessary to brew excellent coffee. Immediately after grinding coffee the freshness begins degrading as the flavors are released cause the coffee to quickly stale after being ground. Grind size will differ depending on brew method, but is very important to the final product. Coffee to Water Ratio: A scale will come in handy as pre-weighing the coffee is the only true way of assurance. A suggested starting point is 8grams of coffee for 4oz of water. This may be tweaked slightly for preference and alter depending on the brew method. Be careful not to stray too far away as the goal is to extract 18-22 percent of the coffee in order to produce a cup without being over or under extracted.

Cleaning: Dirty equipment and coffee brewers will inevitably create dirty coffee. Make sure all equipment is cleaned daily and serviced when necessary.

Various Brew Methods

1. Bring water to a boil with a water kettle.
   
   
2. Place filter into the cone of the brewer and place both on top of a mug large enough for the desired amount of brewed coffee.
   
   
3. Before adding any coffee, pour 5oz of hot water into the filter assuring that the entire filter gets pre-wet. This step will also preheat the coffee mug; just make sure to empty out hot water from the coffee mug before actually brewing.
   
   
4. Grind coffee at a fine-to-medium setting. Make sure to only grind as much as you need. The following are appropriate coffee to water ratios using the hario scoop that comes with the brewer.
   • 1 1/2 scoops of ground coffee (approx. 18g) for 8oz of coffee
   • 2 scoops of ground coffee (approx. 24g) for 11 oz of coffee
   • 3 scoops of ground coffee (approx. 36g) for 16oz of coffee
**After brewing a few cups feel free to adjust dosage to meet personal preference.


5. Place the ground coffee into the center of the filter.
   
   
6. Once the water has come a boil, let it set for 45 seconds allowing it to cool to an appropriate brewing temperature.
   
   
7. For the first pour, only add 3oz of water saturating all of the grounds; this will cause the coffee to bloom upward.
   
   
8. Allow the bloom to rise. After about 35-45 seconds the bloom will begin to sink; at this point begin to slowly add the rest of the water. When pouring, start in the center and pour slowly in clockwise, circular motions working your way to the outside and then back to the center. When brewing, be cautious not to directly pour on the edge of the filter or let the water rise above the rim of the brewer. The clockwise pouring motion will allow for the correct amount of turbulence when brewing.
   
   
9. Once all of the water has drained through, remove the hario from the top of the mug and you have brewed coffee! The entire brewing process should only last up to 2 minutes for an 8oz and up to about 3minutes for a 16oz. If the brew is going significantly faster or slower, you will want to adjust your grind setting. A courser grind will cause a quicker brew time and a finer grind will yield a lengthier brew.

1. Bring water to boil and use water to preheat press pot and mugs (be sure to empty the water after preheating). 
   
   
2. Grind coffee at a coarse setting. (grinding is one of the most important yet overlooked parts of brewing a great cup of coffee. if possible use a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder).
   
   
3. We recommend using 1 tablespoon of ground coffee for every 5oz of water. From there you can adjust accordingly to taste. Don't be afraid to experiment with different doses and compare how the different amounts of coffee to water affects what you taste in the cup.
   
   
4. Bring the appropriate amount of water to a boil. Take off boil for 45 seconds (you don't want to scald the coffee with boiling water). Then pour the water into the press pot in such a way that you are agitating the grounds while pouring. You want to achieve an even saturation of the coffee grounds. At this point only fill the pot half way. When using fresh roasted coffee you will see a lot of foam (bloom) as a result of adding the water to the coffee grounds. This a result of the CO2 from the fresh coffee being released.
   
   
5. Now set your timer for two minutes.
   
   
6. When the timer goes off fill the pot the rest of the way and stir. Set your timer for another two minutes.
   
   
7. Its a good idea to put the lid on while the coffee is steeping (don't press it yet)
   
   
8. After the final two minutes press.
   
   
9. After fully pressing, pour the coffee into the mug. Depending on the fineness of the grind you might get a few grounds in your mug. 
   
   *Be sure to empty the grounds after finishing all the coffee in the press. The press can get mildewy if the grounds remain in the press for too long.