The question we hear most across the counter is why it tastes better here than at home. It rarely comes down to equipment. You need a scale, a kettle and ten minutes.
The three numbers
The ratio is 15 g to 250 g, which is 1 to 16.7. Weigh both. A scoop can hold anything from 7 to 12 grams depending on the roast and grind, and that is the difference between a thin cup and a rich one. A kitchen scale that reads to the gram does more for your coffee than any grinder upgrade.
The temperature is 94 degrees, which is about 30 seconds after the kettle clicks off. Light roasts like ours are dense and need the heat to give up their sweetness.
The time is three minutes from first pour to the last drip. Shorter usually means the grind is too coarse, longer means too fine.
Grind just before you brew. Ground coffee loses most of its aroma within half an hour, which is why a hand grinder for 40 euros will beat a bag of pre-ground from the best roaster in Europe. If you buy ground coffee from us, tell us it is for a pour-over and we will set the grinder for you.
The method
Rinse the paper filter with hot water and pour that water away. Add the coffee, ground a little finer than sea salt. Pour 40 grams of water to wet every grain, swirl, and wait 40 seconds while the gas from the roast bubbles out. Then add the rest in three slow pours, so that all 250 grams are in by two minutes.
The number to ignore
People spend a lot of energy on the exact pour pattern: spirals, pulses, centre only. In our tests at the bar, the pattern changed the cup far less than one step on the grinder. Pour gently, keep the bed level, and move on.
Fixing the five usual complaints
Sour or thin: grind finer. Bitter or dry: grind coarser. Weak but balanced: use 16 grams instead of 15. Papery: rinse the filter longer. Tastes fine hot and flat when cool: your beans are probably more than six weeks off roast.
Change one thing at a time and write it down. Two mornings of notes will teach you more than any chart.
Change one thing at a time and write it down.
Bring your grinder to the bar on a weekday morning, after the 9:30 lull starts, and we will brew your coffee next to ours and dial it in with you.
Maksim, from the roaster
5 comments