Start each morning off right with a delicious cup of coffee! The coffee brewing industry has seen immense progress over time. Discover all about its various brewing methods and discover which ones can produce optimal flavor results.
Though it might seem straightforward to pour hot water onto some grounds and add hot water, there’s much more involved in creating the ideal cup. Temperature has an enormous influence over extraction.
How to Brew
Brewing coffee is at the core of its magic; it transforms an ordinary bean into an exciting beverage that can liven your day, boost energy or help with concentration. To produce great coffee brews every time, the key lies in using the proper method, equipment and beans – such as using scales for measuring beans and water and timing them with kitchen timers to get just the right ratio of coffee to water extraction; fine grind results in overextraction while coarser ground coffee requires underextraction; the ideal ratio and good brew should take four to six minutes from start-off! Discover more below about different brewing methods:
Are you eager to discover new brewing techniques?
Preparation
Brewing coffee may seem straightforward (coffee + water), but there’s a world of subtlety that goes into each step. Grind size, brew time and ratio all play a significant role in how your finished cup turns out – plus there are always new, innovative brewing methods being introduced excellent for filter coffee that could potentially become part of your routine! Indulge yourself by trying all available methods before finding one you enjoy most!
Scaling coffee and water amounts, using filters suited for your chosen brewing method and having an accurate kitchen timer are all tools essential to producing perfect cups of coffee every time. Don’t forget serving vessels and filters either; these factors may also have a major effect on its flavor!)
Temperature
Temperature of your brewing water is one of the key components in creating the flavor profile of your coffee. A higher water temperature allows compounds that affect flavor such as oils, acids and caffeine to be extracted more rapidly; as temperatures increase it becomes harder to control the extraction rate which leads to over-extraction leading to bitter and astringent flavors; conversely if temperature falls too far it won’t extract enough essential compounds leading to flat, bland cups.
When it comes to coffee brewing, the ideal water temperature range should be between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit – this is actually lower than boiling point of water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit! This temperature works for all methods including pour overs and French presses – although reading coffee recipes may cause confusion as they often vary the duration instead of temperature of brewing processes.
As different brewing methods have various extraction rates, using a gooseneck kettle with an integrated thermometer makes reaching your ideal brewing temperature much simpler.
Interesting enough, this brewing temperature range also works perfectly with various roast profiles; each type of coffee has its own chemical makeup which responds differently to temperatures. For instance, lighter roasts should be brewed at higher temperatures to speed up extraction process and prevent under-extraction while darker roasts should be brewed at lower temperatures to avoid over-extraction and maintain flavor balance.
Although no exact formula exists for setting the ideal brewing temperature, the Specialty Coffee Association suggests using water between 195 to 205 degrees to achieve an “ideal” cup of coffee. To see how varying your brew temperature might impact its flavor profile, we encourage you to test out different temperatures when brewing your favorite beverage and see what works for you!
The classic Coffee Brewing Control Chart, depicting the relationship between TDS and TEP, can be problematic from a sensory methodology perspective as it confounds hedonic descriptors (“ideal”) with scale measures (weak or strong), descriptive language (“bitter”, etc.). Furthermore, no consumer population knows for certain which range of coffee brewing they would consider ideal.
Water
As an experienced coffee drinker, you likely put great thought and consideration into selecting your beans, machine and settings and coffee cup of choice. But did you know that water makes up 95% of any brewed beverage and quality can make or break its flavour?
Water is key when it comes to creating delicious coffee beans, since all their flavors rely on it as they dissolve. Water molecules bind with compounds in your beans, carrying away aroma and flavor molecules – for the maximum enjoyment, you need high-quality water without an unpleasant aroma or taste like chlorine which could overshadow its aroma and taste in your cup.
Filtered or bottled water provides optimal flavor when making coffee, according to the Specialty Coffee Association. In general, use clean and soft (low mineral content), chlorine-free water for best results. According to their criteria, ideal water for coffee contains no odour or color; no chlorine; has a pH level between 7.0-7.5; and 50-175ppm CaCO3.
Your water source options for coffee brewing could range from purchasing bottles of pure drinking water, or using a filter pitcher to clean the tap water, all the way to investing in test strips to monitor its mineral levels regularly and ensure it satisfies coffee brewing specifications.
Recently, most discussions surrounding water for brewing had focused on its total hardness and alkalinity levels; however, multiple British barista champion Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood and American chemist Christopher Hendon released in 2015 their book Water for Coffee that revolutionized how we think about this factor in relation to coffee brewing. Their research showed that mineral composition of your water is more critical than its total hardness/alkalinity measurements that account for magnesium/calcium presence alone.
Utilizing water that meets specific standards allows you to craft amazing tasting coffee using any of the popular brewing methods. Give different styles a try until you discover which works best for your personal preferences and palette.
