The Guide to Real World Brewing

You've looked at the basics of brewing, but how do you actually make good coffee?

Well ..... good question.

Techniques

There are different methods of creating a coffee - all of which allow water to come in contact with the coffee in different ways. You could categorize them in all kinds of ways but I think it makes sense to categorize them as such (others might do it differently):

1. The Steeping Methods - in its simplest form, coffee soaking in water. The coffee is extracted by the water dissolving the chemicals out of the coffee whlst it sits immersed in the water. This includes Plunger/French Press, Stove Top pot ("Turkish pot") , Siphon Brewer, Cold Brewing, (Aeropress)

2. The Drip through / Pour over Methods - water is dripped through the ground coffee, under gravity at a desirable rate ( quite slowly) until all of the water has passed through the coffee grounds. The coffee is extracted by the water as it passes through This includes V-60, Chemex, Percolators, Auto Drip Machines

3. Under Pressure - Water is forced through the coffee under some pressure, extracting coffee on the way through. This method includes Espresso machines, Moka pots, and POD machines

Each method will produce different tasting coffees from the exact same beans. This is because the time taken and the extraction method will dissolve different combinations and quantities of the 800 chemicals in the coffee - each making the coffee unique. Change any of the variables or techniques changes the tatse.

I likes what I likes !!

It needs to be said again, the best coffee is the one that tastes best to you. Taste is very subjective. Explore the methods above until you find something that you enjoy. There is no perfect or best way - just the one that best suits your tatse buds.

So what are some of the 800+ chemicals in the coffee?

Just to clarify, every food we have, contains 100's of chemicals - many of the same ones that are in coffee.

I'm going to stick to the main groups of chemicals that affect how you enjoy your coffee;

• Organic Acids - citrusy throuh to very sour

• Polyphenols - Astringency, Tannins (but anti-oxidants)

• Flavonoids - Flavours

• Esters - Flavours ( particularly fruit flavours), Aroma

• Oils - mouth feel, and crema

• Chlorogenic acid lactones, melanoidins, pheylindane - Bitterness

• Caffeine - the whole point!!

So, in cooking and food, a tasty meal should a balance each of tastes ie sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savoury).

A good tasting cup of coffee will have a balance of flavours - sour or bitter is not necessarily bad until it becomes overpowering. Fruits and floral tastes or sweetness often needs a little acid to bring out the best. So the key, is to balance each of these flavours.

What are the main causes of bad tasting (unbalanced flavoured) coffee?

As always low quality or stale beans often have more of the undesirable chemicals present or the desirabe chemicals missing.

AVOID cheap coffees. (They are cheap for a reason)

Many of the undesirable chemical increase or are formed during the roasting process. Dark roasted coffees almost always have way more bitter compounds formed during roasting.

However if you buy good beans and have them roasted well, you can still stuff up your cup of coffee.

1. Over-extraction where too much water, excessive agitation or for too long a time is in contact with the coffee grounds - the result is high levels of bitterness and at the same time often "thin and watery"

2. Under extraction - the opposite of above - the result is very sour coffee

The common factor/ Factors that cause this may be

1. Incorrect grind size - the smaller the particle size the slower water can move through the coffee bed and secondly the greater surface area let's nore water accees the coffee reulting in more chemical being absorbed - Too fine a grind: Over extraction is likely. watery, often bitter Too coarse: Underextraction is likely strong taste, often sour

2. Incorrect dose - too much coffee compared to the water. - strong taste, often sour too little coffee compared to the water - watery, often bitter

3. Too long a contact time - Over extraction -watery, often bitter

4. Too little a contact time - Under extraction - strong taste, often sour

5. Too much agitation (Stirring) - Over extraction -watery, often bitter

If your coffee is not a pleasant, balanced cup, use the above to try to change the variables.

In each method Blog, I will give you some suggested settigs to start with, that work for me and my tastes.

Happy brewing.

NOTE : Change only one variable at a time or you will end up chasing your own tail round and round, until you disappear in a puff of smoke.