Brewing Recipes
Today there are so many ways to brew coffee. Beyond methods of brewing, there are different models of the same brewing method. This page is all about practical brewing instructions to some basic household brewing methods. I suggest know how much coffee you plan to prepare and know the brewing ratio. More recipes will be added but this is a good place to begin.
V60 Pour Over - (will work for different pour over models)
Items you'll need:
- A scale
- Timer
- Coffee (ground to medium-course setting)
- V60 pour over with filter and serving pitcher
- Gooseneck kettle with filtered water
- A spoon
1. Fill gooseneck kettle about 1/3 full of filtered water approximately 205 degrees F. Pre-wet the filter with hot water, discard water afterwards.
2. Set pour over set on scale. Portion out 20 grams of coffee in the filter, dispersing the grounds evenly; leaving a flat, level surface. Tare the scale once more.
4. Start timer and gently pour 40 grams of hot water covering all the grounds. This is the bloom stage, where the grounds are being activated and CO2 is escaping from the coffee.
5. At 30 second mark, add water in slow circular motions till you reach 120 grams. Gently stir the grounds and water creating more agitation.
6. At 1 minute mark, add 25 grams of water total- 145. From here add 25 gram pulses every 15 seconds.
Weight / Time - 1:15 / 170 g, 1:30 / 195 g, 1:45 / 220 g, 2:00 / 245 g, 2:15 / 270 g, 2:30 / 295 g
7. At 2 minutes and 45 seconds fill to 320 grams and gently stir the grounds once more. Allow the remaining water to be pulled through.
8. Remove the V60 from the server, pour coffee into a warm mug and serve.
Iced Coffee
Items you'll need:
- A scale
- Coffee (ground to medium-course setting)
- V60 pour over with serving pitcher
- Gooseneck kettle with filtered water (205 - 208 degrees F)
- A spoon
- Ice
1. Pre-wet the filter with hot water, discard the water immediately after.
2. Fill the serving pitcher with 150 grams of ice.
3. Set the V60 pour over in place on top of the pitcher with your pre-wet filter.
4. Pour 30 grams of coffee grounds into the filter, level off the surface by shaking lightly side to side.
5. Start a timer and wet the grounds in a circular motion from the outside moving in with 60 grams of water allowing the grounds to bloom for 30 seconds.
6. Once 30 seconds arrives, add 90 grams of water, slowly pouring in circles from the outside moving in. (Total amount of water used 150 grams).
7. At 1 minute, add an additonal 150 grams of water to the wet grounds. Continue to pour in circle motion from the outside moving in. This should take 30 seconds. (Total amount of water used 300 grams).
8. After you finish adding water, take your spoon and lightly stir the grounds in 3 circles. This will take any coffee grounds off the wall of the filter and set them on the bed of grounds.
9. Once the final drips have complete, remove the filter and V60 from the glass server. Add some ice to a glass and pour iced coffee in glass. Kick back and enjoy what you just made!
French Press
What you need -
- French Press
- Coffee (coursely ground)
- Spoon
- Scale
- Hot water
- Timer
1. Remove plunger from French Press. Add 60 grams of coursely ground coffee.
2. Set French Press on the scale, start a timer, add 960 grams of hot water to the grounds.
3. Once finished adding water, stir the water and grounds and place plunger on top (do not press the plunger).
4. Once coffee has steeped for 4 minutes, remove plunger and stir once more. Then, add the lid and plunge the press slowly.
5. Once complete, serve coffee in warm mugs.
Standard Coffee Pot
What you'll need -
- Standard electric coffee pot with paper filter
- Scale
- Coffee (ground to a medium to medium/course setting)
Before brewing, know how much coffee you plan to make. Electrical brewers are not all created equal and have their own quirks. I highly recommend starting with a small amount of coffee 40-45 grams and seeing how well it brews. Does it make a mess? I always think a 1:16 ratio is a good starting point as you can always make adjustments from there.
1. Place paper filter on scale and portion out 40 grams of coffee. Set aside.
2. Fill coffee pot with 640 grams of cold filtered water. Pour water into reservoir.
3. Load filter/coffee.
4. Brew, observe, and taste.
Brewing Adjustments
Does the coffee taste weak? Use less water OR adjust the grind size a little finer.
Does the coffee taste sour or astringent? Adjust the grind to be courser OR add more water.
Do you taste a balanced coffee that has some sweet and bright notes mixed with a small amount of bitterness? If it tastes good to you, don't adjust anything.