The coffee bean we all know and love comes from a coffee cherry. Like most fruit, the ideal time to pick the coffee cherry is when it is ripe on the tree. Mature coffee cherries can manifest themselves in red, yellow and even orange pigmentation, i.e. orange bourbon. The cherries are then processed to remove the coffee bean, a time consuming process, and then prepared for shipment. Coffee beans are then roasted at their destination for somewhat immediate consumption.
There are two types of picking: strip picking and selectively picking. Selectively handpicking only ripe cherries, an obviously more expensive route, requires multiple passes over the same tree over a period of time as all of the cherries become ripe. Strip picking is the understandably cheaper route, but if about 15% of unripe cherries are used, the resulting coffee will taste sour or bitter. The specialty coffee industry typically only sources coffee through growers that pick selectively due to the emphasis on quality. Through Direct Trade relationships, this quality is encouraged and employees of these producers are often paid higher wages.
Natural or Dry processing of coffee is the historically used method. The coffee cherries with the beans still inside are dried in the sun. In some coffee regions, such as southern Ethiopia, coffee cherries are dried on patios or raised drying beds. The coffee cherry undergoes a sort of natural fermentation which develops the final flavor profile of the coffee. The result is often strong berry flavors that natural process coffees are known for. Naturally processed coffees typically have lower acidity levels.
Honey processed coffee cherries are stripped of their outermost layer by a machine in a process called depulping. The stripped coffee beans are left in the sun to dry with their mucilage, but without their skin. They are constantly racked to make sure they dry evenly to avoid fermentation or rotting. Semi-washed coffees are often sweet and have moderate acidity.
Indonesian processing is a bit unique and is referred to as ‘wet hulling’. It is somewhat of a mix between washed and semi-washed in that the cherries are de-pulped, but instead of avoiding fermentation like a honey processed coffee, some fermentation takes place. They are then washed, lightly dried, then stripped of their parchment and dried completely. Sumatran coffee is known for its low acidity and unique flavor profile which develops from this process.
Washed coffees are stripped of the complete cherry, including the mucilage. This can be done mechanically or by fermentation. The fermentation process can take ½ a week’s time. Mechanical demucilagers are also used to remove the mucilage. They are then dried in the sun and stored within their parchment layer. Washed coffees are known for having bright acidity. Kenyan coffee is known for fantastic flavor profiles and their ’72 hour’ washed process, a very complicated method of processing washed coffee, is a major factor.
After the coffee cherry is removed from the coffee bean in one of these three ways, the bean is then dried. This process can be a very tricky step to avoid mold and drying the bean out too quickly. There are four typical methods of drying coffee: concrete or clay patios; raised drying beds; covered, raised beds (‘parabolic’ drying beds); and mechanical dryers. Patios are very common in Central America. They allow producers to dry large amounts of coffee on an easily rakeable surface. The disadvantage is that only one side is dried at a time. Raised drying beds and parabolic beds are waist high drying wracks fitted with screens to allow airflow around the whole bean (Parabolic beds are covered in plastic). Raised beds are often used for natural processed coffees in Africa while parabolic beds are used in Colombia. Mechanical dryers dry the coffee below 104 degrees F oven after they’ve undergone another drying process.
After undergoing drying, the coffee bean is left to rest for about 3 months, depending upon where it will be shipped, in its final layer of parchment.
Dry milling is the process of removing this parchment. Usually sent to a dry mill, the coffee is inspected and sorted either by hand or by an electronic device. At this stage peaberries, a genetic mutation of the coffee bean that produces one rounded bean instead of two flat beans, are separated.
The coffee that is then shipped to its destination is called green coffee because it’s still unroasted. The roasting takes place at its destination for almost immediate consumption.
Espresso is first and foremost a brewing method. Espresso is not a type of roast as often thought, like French Roast which is always roasted to a particular point in the roasting process. It is actually referring to the method of extraction or the ways the coffee is brewed, like French press vs. pour-over. The method of extraction is accomplished by 150lbs+ of water pressure applied to a finely ground coffee bed from 20-30 seconds. The grind of the coffee is fine to allow for more surface area of the coffee in order to achieve a very quick extraction. The hot, pressurized water extracts solubles and oils from the coffee grounds, then passes through the metal basket filter, giving it a unique, rich taste and creamy mouthfeel. Paper filters have the effect of filtering out many of the insolubles in coffee, but metal filters tend to allow them, which gives the coffee a thicker mouthfeel. This 150+ lbs of hot, pressurized water is supplied by commercial espresso machines that have the power to do it. Home espresso machines often lack the pressure power to properly extract the espresso.
The SCA’s (the Specialty Coffee Association) definition of espresso, an organization which strives to further coffee education and research, encompasses the broad range that espresso recipes can fit into. It doesn’t encompass every recipe or all the ways that espresso can be prepared, but is a basic working definition:
Espresso is a 25-35 ml beverage prepared from 7-9 grams (14-18 grams) of coffee through which clean water of 195-205 degrees has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, and where the grind of coffee is such that the brew time is 20-30 sec.
While brewing, the flow of espresso will appear to have the viscosity of warm honey, and the resulting beverage will exhibit a thick dark, golden crema. Espresso should be prepared specifically for, and immediately served to its intended customer.
Kettle’s basic recipe for espresso:
Espresso is a 32 gram drink made with 195-205 F water that has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure through 18 grams of coffee and where the grind of the coffee is such that it takes approximately 24-28 Seconds.
(An atmosphere of pressure is the standard unit of measurement for pressure at sea level.)
This recipe can change, but the basic understanding that espresso is a brewing method using pressure and a find grind for quick extraction.
Espresso is an extremely high ratio of coffee to water, so the flavor profile of espresso is usually intense. The body is typically thicker than a brewed coffee and any acidity in the coffee is intensified. The larger the shot, or the lower the ratio of coffee to water, the less intense the acidity and body will be, which can be a great thing when done well.
Espresso should have crema on top when it is served. Crema is the bubbly surface of the espresso shot, which helps hold in aromas (a bonus feature). If the coffee used to make espresso is fresh (less than 2 weeks old), the crema will not dissipate too quickly.
There is much to be said about espresso, but this brief explanation should clarify exactly what this mysterious beverage is on the menu. It is a wonderful, super complicated and fickle beverage that can rock your world or make your face contort.. with little room in between. It is the crown jewel of every specialty coffee shop and every barista chases "the god shot" (the illusory perfect shot). It is also as diverse as it is complicated to create.
Repeat and enjoy!
]]>Tools:
-Spring water or filtered water
-195-205 F water temperature
-A burr grinder
-Scale
-Timer (to help control brew time)
-Freshly roasted whole bean coffee (2-14 days max), stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Grind right before use.
-Filter. There are paper filters and metal filters available. Paper filters allow for a clean cup. Metal filters allow for more body by way of oils and coffee particulates.
Brewing:
-Place Aeropress upside-down and make sure the plunger is at #4.
-Place a paper filter inside the cap and wet with hot water.
-Using the funnel, pour 17 g of medium-fine coffee inside.
-Start your timer. With hot water, pour up to 120 grams or to #3.
-Using a spoon, gently stir twice to soak all grounds.
-After 30 seconds, add water up to 240g or the top.
-After 1 minute on the timer, stir 10 times.
-Attach the filter cap with the paper filter, turn over onto a cup. Press until you hear a hissing sound.
Repeat and enjoy!
]]>Tools:
-Spring water or filtered water
-195-205 F water temperature
-A burr grinder
-Scale
-Timer (to help control brew time)
-Freshly roasted whole bean coffee (2-14 days max), stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Grind right before use.
-Filter. There are bleached and unbleached paper Chemex filters. These filters allow for a clean cup and help maintain the brewing time. Various after-market metal filters are available. They allow for more body by way of oils and coffee particulates.
Brewing:
-Open the Chemex-Bonded Coffee Filter into a cone. One side should have 3 layers, the other side 1 layer. Place the cone in the top of the Chemex with the layers toward the pouring spout (this will allow air to escape during the brew process). Rinse filter thoroughly with 100g hot water to avoid a starchy paper taste and to heat the device. Invert Chemex with filter to drain.
-Grind 50 grams of coffee on medium coarse (Kosher salt).
-Tare scale with Chemex, filter and grounds.
-Pour 100 grams of water over all the grounds.
-After 30 seconds, pour water in a spiral from the center up to 300 grams. Every 30 seconds, pour 100g after that (@1:00 400g, @1:30 500g, @2:00 600g).
-Never let it go dry. Avoid pouring on/down the sides.
-Repeat until you reach 700 grams.
-Total brewing time should be 4:00 minutes.
-Change the grind finer if under and coarser if over.
Repeat and enjoy!
Tips for a better Chemex:
Tools:
-Spring water or filtered water
-195-205 F water temperature
-A burr grinder
-Scale
-Timer (to help control brew time)
-Freshly roasted whole bean coffee (2-14 days max), stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Grind right before use.
Brewing:
-Remove the plunger and closely inspect that no old coffee oils or fines are present on any plunger pieces.
-Grind 50 grams of coffee on medium coarse for a 24 oz French Press. If you have a larger or small French Press, adjust the amount: shoot for 12.5 grams for every 6 oz of water.
-Preheat the French press and decanting vessels with hot water and tare on a scale.
-Pour 50g of hot water over all grounds and start a 4 minute timer.
-After 30 seconds add water up to 650g.
-10 seconds before your brew is finished, break the crust and skim off the remaining floating grounds with a large spoon. This will allow an easier ‘press’ and will yield a cleaner cup. It will also help the coffee from continuing to extract at the bottom of the carafe.
-Push plunger down slowly.
Repeat and enjoy!
]]>We recommend 10 grams coffee (2 TBLS) per 6 oz of water (most coffee devices use 6 oz cups). We recommend measuring by weight because coffees have different densities. Scales are also helpful tools for manual brewing methods to help control the flow of water. After brewing, if your coffee tastes bitter, try grinding coarser. If your coffee tastes too light/watery, try grinding your coffee finer.
We recommend a 1:14 (stronger) to 1:17 (weaker) brew ratio. The ratio is acheived by
multiplying the weight of the coffee to determine how much water to use based on
which ratio you are shooting for. For example, if you wanted to shoot for a 1:14 brew ratio, multiply your coffee weight in grams by 14. If you were using 22 grams of coffee, you would want to use 308 grams of water. Adjust according to your own preference.
Repeat and enjoy!
]]>Acidity: Acidity, used as a coffee term, refers to bright, tangy, fruity, or wine-like flavor characteristics found in many high grown Arabica coffees. Coffee with high acidity is described as acidy, which has nothing to do with amount of acid, or pH. Coffee actually has a relatively neutral pH of between 5 and 6. When green coffee is stored for more than a year it will have a perceptible loss of flavor and acidity. Also, acidity is reduced as coffee is roasted darker.
Aroma: Coffee aroma is the fragrance of brewed coffee and is closely related to coffee flavor. Without our sense of smell, flavor would be limited to the tongue senses of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Many nuances of a coffee are reflected in the smell, or “the nose”. Subtle floral notes, for example, are experienced most clearly in the aroma, particularly at the moment when the crust is broken during the traditional cupping process. Typical coffee aromas include floral, winey, chocolatey, spicy, tobaccoy, earthy, and fruity. Coffee aroma is also experienced after drinking the coffee when vapors drift upward into the nasal passage. This “retro nasal” aroma is responsible for much of a coffees aftertaste. A coffee’s aroma is highest shortly after roasting and then declines rapidly. Coffee freshness, including aroma, can be maintained for months if placed in proper storage immediately after roasting.
Bright: Coffees with a pleasant, almost tangy, flavor. Bright coffees may also be described as having a wine like acidity.
Carbony: The flavor and aroma characteristic of burnt food, or burnt wood. Carbony flavors and aromas are often used as an indication of roast degree when cupping darker roasted coffees. Also called “burnt” or “smoky”.
Chocolatey: The taste or aroma of chocolate. Coffees rarely have a very strong chocolatey flavor or aroma, but some Central American and Yemeni coffees have a distinct chocolatey aroma and a slightly bitter-sweet chocolatey taste.
Clean: Flavorful, but without any pungent or unusual flavors.
Fruity: The aroma and taste of fruit. Many coffees have fruity notes, which is not surprising considering that coffee beans are seeds of a fruit (coffee cherries). A coffees acidity, or wine-like brightness, is often related to fruit, or citrus. Professional cuppers are careful to not use the term “fruity” when describing the aroma of unripe, or over-ripe, fruit.
Malty: The aroma of malt. Often used together with Cereal and Toast-like to include the aroma of cereal, malt, and toast. “Cereal”, “Malty”, and “Toast-like” describe grain-like aromas and flavors of roasted grain (including roasted corn, barley, or wheat), malt extract, freshly baked bread, or toast.
Mellow: Balanced and mild, without strong tastes or aftertaste. Medium roasted, low grown (less than 4000 feet) Arabicas, for example, generally have a mellow flavor.
Nose: The aroma and taste characteristic of a coffee sensed by the nose, especially when exhaling coffee vapors after swallowing.
Spicy: The aroma of sweet spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. The term “spicy” when describing coffee does not include the aroma of savory spices such as pepper, oregano, and curry.
Winey: The combined sensation of smell, taste ,and mouth feel experienced when drinking wine. A winey taste is generally perceived along with acidy and fruity notes. Often used incorrectly to describe a sour or over-fermented flavor.
Woody: A taste characteristic of old coffee. Woody coffee has a smell of dry wood, an oak barrel, dead wood, or cardboard. This defect results when beans are improperly stored for an extended period of time. Coffees stored at low altitudes in high temperatures and humidity (as in many ports of shipment) tend to deteriorate quickly and become woody. All coffees can become woody if stored long enough.
]]>The designation "Cold brew" is a general term often used for all sorts of cold versions of coffee: Immersion cold brew, slow drip kyoto, cold press, etc. One of the most popular, immersion cold brew, steeps ground coffee in water over a certain length of time, often from 12-24 hours. It can be done with room temp or cold water and can even be started with a hot bloom and finished with cool water. There are various filter options including metal filters or paper filters.
Flash chill or the Japanese method of iced coffee are methods using hot water. Japanese iced coffee is typically made using a pour-over device over ice. Rather than using the full amount of water, one would use half the amount of water and do the pour-over directly over ice as to immediately chill the coffee as it pours. Technically speaking, these methods aren't cold brew, but they are methods that produce iced coffee. It may seem like splitting hairs, but hopefully you will see by the end of this article that the distinction has some merit.
All of these methods attempt to address the question of turbulence, temperature and time. The extraction process looks very different for a cold brew than it does for a hot coffee. Coffee is made up of a number volatile and non-volatile compounds which make up the flavor, aroma and mouth-feel of the coffee. When brewed at hot temperatures of 195-205, these compounds are more readily released into the water or the air and contribute to the coffee's overall flavor profile and aroma (think sugar dissolving in hot or cold water). When brewed at lower temperatures, the flavor profile of any given coffee will be drastically different.
While giving a lecture at LA Coffee Con in 2015, George Howell described cold brew as having vanilla and woody notes derived from the cellular walls of the coffee. He considered cold brew a "concoction" not produced by terrior. Terrior is "the set of all environmental factors that affect a crop's epigenetic qualities, when the crop is grown in a specific habitat. Collectively, these environmental characteristics are said to have a character; terrior also refers to this character" (Wikipedia). Rather than reflecting the distinctive traits produced by terrior or the organic acids and compounds extracted with hot water, cold brew reflects the cellular walls of the coffee. Without hot water, cold brew makes up for this by an extended extraction process taking place slowly over time, but the final product still lacks some of the flavor profile that the coffee would have if it were brewed hot. Cold brew typically uses double the amount of coffee as another way to compensate for the lack of full extraction.
The Japanese method attempts to solve this problem by brewing with hot water. The problem is that this method only uses half the water, so you wouldn't have the same extraction as with a hot coffee. However, most of the extraction takes place in the beginning stages of brewing, so you will have extraction that comes close (19% rather than 21 or 22%). The science of iced coffee is still being considered by the best minds in the coffee industry, so improvements on the methods are forthcoming.
Cold brew does have some benefits over simply icing hot coffee. Those same compounds in hot coffee turn against the coffee flavor over time. Oils oxidize and acids degrade from Chlorogenic acid into Quinic and Caffeic acid when temperatures drop, making the coffee bitter and sour. Cold brewing avoids some of these negative effects. The Japanese method for iced coffee does as well.
Cold brewed coffee has an appealing taste to a large audience and often very powerful punch that satisfies the thirsty crave for coffee during hot months. Since more coffee is often used for the cold brewing process, it is loaded with caffeine. Since acidity isn't a notable characteristic of cold brewed coffee, the flavor profile is appealing to those looking for a chocolaty, caramel flavor profile. Cold brew has been growing in popularity over the past couple of years and will probably only continue to grow as coffee companies large and small continue to put their cold brews on the market.
One key part of cold brew that should never be neglected is freshness! Sure, you can get a bottle of cold brew at the super market, but the chances of it being fresh aren't very good. Cold brew is subject to oxidation from the very beginning of the brewing process, so after only a couple of days, the flavor quality of cold brew declines rapidly. For optimal flavor, we consider the best option to buy a growler of fresh cold brew and consuming it 1-3 days after purchase. We are now retailing Toddy Cold Brew systems for those who are interested in trying out their own cold brew. Here's the Toddy instruction booklet. We also retail 32 oz growlers that can be refilled for a very reasonable price with our 24 hour cold brew Toddy (immersion) or 8 hour Kyoto cold brew. The best part, we use some of the finest coffee around and you can get it fresh.
Enjoy!
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