||Essentials||
Brew fresh, grind fresh: Roasted coffee loses flavor and volatile aromatics over time, so to get the most flavor out of your coffee, we recommend brewing it within 2-4 weeks of roasting. We start to taste staleness at about 3 weeks post-roast and at that point the flavors fall off pretty fast. Pre-grinding coffee rapidly accelerates this staling process, so we recommend grinding no more than 30 minutes before brewing.
Equipment helps: We believe that using a high quality burr grinder is the single best way to improve your at-home coffee experience. Burr grinders will create a more even grind, which will result in a more even extraction and a better cup of coffee. Beyond the burr grinder, the equipment that will also improve your home-brewing include a gram scale and a timer (a phone timer is just fine!). Both of these tools will give help you brew with a most accurate ratio and give you insight for consistency.
Rinse your filters: The paper filters we use for pour over brewing and the AeroPress help create a clean-tasting brew, but also have their own, papery taste if you don't rinse before brewing. So, before brewing, simply place your filter in your brew device, and carefully pour water over the filter. Rinsing the filter thoroughly will remove any papery residue and help you get the most out of your coffee.
Let it Bloom: Each particle of coffee is filled with tiny cracks, pockets, and trapped gas. You have to force the gas out, and let water soak in, before you can start extracting the good stuff. So, for pour over brews in particular, start your brew by pouring just enough water to fully wet the coffee grounds, and wait 30-45 seconds while the coffee "blooms". Once you stop seeing large bubbles of gas escape from the wet coffee grounds, start pouring in the rest of your brew water to begin extraction.
||Do the Math||
Brew Ratio: Everybody's taste buds are a bit different, so there is no single "best" brew strength, but most of us like our coffee brewed at a ratio of 1 part coffee to 14-17 parts water. We tend to start with a 1:16 brew ratio, and adjust to taste. Want to brew a 12oz cup of coffee? Start with 336g of water, and match it with 21g of dried coffee, thus yielding our 1:16 ratio.
||Troubleshooting||
Grind Size and Brew Time: Each brew device requires a slightly different grind, and brew times vary from device to device. But, as a general rule of thumb, sour, grassy, and weak flavors are signs of under-extraction, we suggest using a finer grind or increasing your brew time. Bitter, astringent, and muddled flavors are signs of over-extraction, so try using a coarser grind and/or decreasing your brew time.
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