The world of specialty coffee is a wondrous place, full of surprises and delights for the adventurous palate. For those of us who are coffee obsessed, there’s no pleasure quite like brewing our own cup at home, armed with a bag of finely roasted beans and a thirst for experimentation. In this article, we’ll embark on a journey through the world of home coffee brewing, exploring the joy of experimenting with different roasts and brewing methods to coax out the perfect cup of coffee.
To Roast or Not to Roast
The first step on any coffee journey is the decision of what roast to begin with. Roast refers to the level of bean roasting, with delicate, medium, and shadowy representing increasingly darker levels of color and flavor. Each level offers a unique taste and aroma, from the brightness of delicate roasts to the richness of shadowy roasted beans.
One of the most thrilling parts of experimenting with roasts is discovering your own tastes and preferences. If you’re up-to-date to the world of specialty coffee, begin with a medium roast coffee, which offers a classic, balanced flavor that showcases the coffee’s natural beans. As you gain a taste for different flavors and roast levels, feel free to experiment with lighter roasts for a brighter acidity and more fruit notes or darker roasts for an intense, affluent flavor that’s perfect for cool cups or espresso shots.
When it comes to brewing, there are no demanding and brisk rules—except when it comes to roast color. Dim roasted beans respond best to coarser burrs and French press styles, while delicate roasts prefer finer burrs for a more nuanced flavor extract. Medium roasts balance out nicely between the two.
The Equipment
The hardware for home coffee brewing spans a wide range, but most enthusiasts start with something uncomplicated and portable like pour-over, French press or drip brewer.
Pour-over coffees are an excellent addition to any coffee enthusiast, as they offer precision dosing and a range of brewing times for fine tune flavor adjustments. Look to manual pour-overs first, then move to automated contraptions if desired convenience is your thing. Note that pour-overs neat and maintain well, the manual process encourages manual engagement, which we all think it’s great! When choosing a pour-over system, consider a high-crowned glass filter or filter papers for simple disposal with the spent coffee.
Brewing The Perfect Cup
The brewing process is highly subjective, with numerous routes to the perfect cup that can be adjusted according your personal taste preferences. Once you’ve selected a harsh grind, place a set of coffee beans (whole or ground) on grounds of your choice in line with the filter of whichever brewing method you choose it is the beginning of experimenting. Start by filling coffee filter with coffee in about the same quantity, utilize water to adjust ratio – typically 1:18 or 1:23.
Monitor liquid level, then begin drip-brewing coffee within 1 minute after a coffee brew. Stir brew until liquid reaches bottom. Your perfect cup should taste at first with sweetness of milk and a neat taste if using pour-over.
The Fun Never Stops With Coffee
Nature of the experiment includes testing various grind settings
From roast coffee, the art of ground selection, there is lots of fun experimentation possible. As a rule of a thumb, start by exploring various grind settings using pre-ground coffee to your personal taste. Then switch to blade grind, as desired adjust.
Roam freely in search of, in the best grind texture. For most home settings, the most optimal of all is blade grinding due to its simple access while grind size remains more finely adjustable.
